Quote Originally Posted by EdwardGein
TNT is a joke in HD because the older shows looked distorted as they're horribly stretched. I don't get UPN & WB in HD but apparently alot of people on Cable & Satellite don't get those as well. I'd double check with your cable or satellite company as to 5.1 sound, HD & other things, as half the people at these places don't have the right info and are hopelessly unaware. IE, the Scientific Atlanta 8000 DVR doesn not get 5.1 sound and does not let you make external DVD & VHS copies because Time Warner or someone never programmed them to do so but the 8300 model does. Unless you specifically demand the 8300 model they'll dump the 8000 model on you, etc. The point is don't take just one person's statement on services/features as gospal, and that includes mine too, but verify things with serveral people at these companies and/or who get the service.
This may be true in your area, but not in mine. The Scientific Atlanta 8000HD-DVR model absolutely has the capability to send out 5.1 DD signals (and mine does). It also can copy to a DVD-R (and mine also does). I use Cox Communications, BTW.

As for the price issue of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray with respect to your original post... I don't think there is a pricing problem at all... The first HD-DVD player was just announced at CES yesterday at a MSRP of $499. This seems hardly super-expensive for a 1st gen player in my book... Within a year or so, the next gen player could sell for half of that. In the case of Blu-Ray, the format will indeed be in the PS3, and that is indeed supposed to sell for $500 or less, so again, no problem in my book. The larger problem is the two competing formats are incompatible, not their respective prices IMO.

In my case, I plan on getting on the Blu-Ray bandwagon as soon as they come out on the PS3. Pretty good value for $500... I spent more than that on my first gen Toshiba DVD player when they came out (and even my current Denon player 3 years ago).

As for sound, the new DD++ HD lossless sound format for both new HD disc formats is interesting. I am eager to try it out, as my preamp already has the decoding ability for that particular signal on the new discs. I wonder if there will be a good music application for the format as well? Maybe that is why SACD is not on the Blu-Ray specs?

---Dave