What shows have astounded everybody in HD? Perhaps if enough people respond, everybody else will have something to compare to, and a general consensus can be reached. I know I'd be interested in everyone's response.

I'd say anything on HD Net looks incredible. For the local channels -

1. The Tonight Show, very sharp and brilliant colors
2. PBS Demo Loop, nature shots of flowers look like
you're right there.
3. ER, although I've only seen one episode so far in
HD, the scene where Ramono gets his arm sliced off
was life-like.
4. Basically anything on CBS prime-time, JAG, CSI etc.
5. Sopranos on HBO Directv, could be crisper, but
still good.

THE WORST

1. Anything on ABC, 720 looks too soft on my tv.

i will have to say odyssey 5 on Showtime HD. Must've been shot using digital video. I'm also watching "The Sopranos" for the first time, since I never felt the need for hbo or showtime until I heard about that you get the hd feeds 'free' with the receiver and a subscription. Also gorgeous hd. Discovery HD takes the cake. I almost forgot about that because they've been showing the same shows since the preview started. The 'Insectia' series and the one about 'Praying Mantis--Alien insect'. Eye-popping HD!!!

I agree with Jesse but I would put the PBS loop and PBS programming in general (Over Alaska was amazing) before Jay Leno. I think ABC’s shows look better than other network shows (my T.V. converts the 720p to 1080i). I only have NBC and WB to compare the picture to because my local CBS affiliate doesn’t transmit an HD signal yet. To me even the movies on ABC look good in HD and those weren’t even originally shot in HD. Actually, the 720p test loop that I saw on ABC looked amazing also and I wish they would show it again. It was a combo of test patterns along with different “nature” scenes. I can’t wait for ABC to show the Super Bowl in HD and some of the NBA finals and Stanley Cup hockey. ESPN HD! !

>Anything on ABC, 720 looks too soft on my tv.

Are you sure you are actually displaying 720p? Most STBs convert 720p to 1080i. Also, most TVs don't do 720p natively - they convert it to 1080i. So it is very likely you are not seeing a pure 720p signal. Also, the ABC shows you are watching are film-based. That will never look the same as material shot on HD video.

I agree with Jesse, right on, except I saw NYPD Blue on ABC and it looked pretty darn good.

Tim

1. NYPD Blue. I don't ususally watch this show but it is gorgeous in Sacramento.
2. Any ABC show. In my area ABC doesn't have any digital artifact during fast motion or disolves.
3. The Tonigh Show.
4. CSI: Miami
5. CBS HD demo teezer with Ray Ramano. Although I'm frustrated by the visible artifacts during disolves.

RCM 38"

I like Leno and CSI, NYPD Blue... CBS Rocks!! I'd watch paint dry on HDNet. But really, what it all boils down to is C-O-N-T-E-N-T. If a show sucks in SD, it will suck in HD (it'll just look nicer doing it).

Kenyada in Atlanta

HDNETs Over America brought tear down my face.!
I can't get CBS,ABC HBO to look as vibrant as HDNET.
When I'm showing off my stuff, I goto HDNET.

In the 'worst' category: Push, Nevada on ABC.
In the 'best' category: NYPD Blue on ABC.
Go figure!

PBS loop specials and Leno by FAR!
Fast Lane is great eye candy too, though still not sold on the show itself
ER last night for the first time, great show good HDTV
worst???

Since my local ABC affiliate (WJLA) has only started testing some shows with HDTV feeds, I haven't seen a lot of ABC HDTV so far. But what I have seen has been spectacular.

I'm surprised that the 720P signal (which my Mitsubishi upconverts to 1080i via its intergrated tuner setup) looks so good. But it does! It's easily on par with the excellent CBS (WUSA) feeds. On NBC, only the Tonight Show is really spectacular, but that could be my local affiliate's fault. WRC (NBC) often forgets to switch the digital feed to HDTV until well into the program. Either the people at that station don't care much about HDTV or they don't know what they're doing too well. (To be fair to the local guys and gals, NBC itself has been slow to move on HDTV since its inception.)

No local WB feed available here yet. That station isn't due to come online with HDTV until January '03.

57hdx82 is suposed to accept 720p as native, correct? so does this mean when i watch 720p programming on my tv it will not upconvert it to 1080p?

It will convert a 720P to 1080I.

Richard F. Fisher
Mastertech Repair Corporation, Lawrenceville, GA
770-513-3987 E-Mail - help@mastertechtv.com
Have you been calibrated? ISF and HAA Certified
Factory Authorized
Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Toshiba, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, NAD

that both your TV and your STB will need to support 720P...Does your STB support that? most likely is does not.

BEST: The Inlaws & Hidden Hills - NBC
WORST: 8 Simple Rules... & According to Jim - ABC

Since I only have DirecTV, I have to vote for HDNET - love their "Over" flying series. Gorgeous stuff. But then that's offset by repeatsssssssssssssssssssss ad infinitum.........

I wish DirecTV would flush Showtime - mostly junk and lots of 4:3 and give us the CBS or NBC HD feeds instead.....

Worst: FRASIER / NBC

Getting TV Next week.....

Has anybody seen Enterprise on UPN in HD?

While allegedly shot with HD cameras, Enterprise has never been telecast in HD. It looks pretty good in SD on a digital channel though.

UPN network does not support HD at all, maybe in a few years. The WB network already is providing HD for a few shows, like Smallville - so they are ahead of UPN.

Well, I must dissagree on ABC shows. 'Push, Nevada' was denfinitly the best new show (as usually ABC kills all the good stuff, e.g. 'Twin Peaks', 'Relativity', 'Cupid', etc.) in HD you got the off kilter shots and the washed out colors of the Nevada scenery very well. 'NYPD Blue' looks good but, I find it pales to most any episode of 'Homicide.'
'Alias' looks really good too, along with surround sound. I just need more signal to my Panasonic box so I can get native 720p to come in better.
I would also say the James Bonds they showed earlier in the year looked very good (even converted to 1080i on my Hughes DirecTV/HDTV box), and with the sound you could hear how bad some of the mixes were. I also should admit I watched 'Armegaddon', a very bad 'Hollywood' movie just because it was in HD.
NBC doesn't come in well up here on the SF penninsula, so I've only caught Leno on occasion.
Don't really watch CBS, rather bland content, but, I do occasionally catch 'CSI' and watch a few downs of the HD college games on Saturday, because they look very good.
WB does a few in HD, 'Smallville' looks good, but, action tends to pixelate a lot as mentioned above. And, their digital signal does look better than what I get over DirecTV--I zoom in to 'Birds of Prey' and 'Angel' for a widescreen approximation, without too much degredation of the picture.
Fox is only in 480p widescreen, but, that is the best way to watch '24', 'Firefly' and 'John Doe' and I agree with a previous post that 'Fastlane' is best only in 480p as eye candy.
I'm also on an email notice from my local PBS station (KQED San Fransisco) and will probably be taping the Tony Hillerman 'Mystery' that's in HD. The usual demo looks good, but, I need a stronger signal from my lower digital channels for my Panasonic TU-DST51A.
I also must say for the most part the HD signals have much better color than the stuff I get over my DirecTV satellite.

erik g

>I just need more signal to my
>Panasonic box so I can get native
>720p to come in better.

Not sure what you mean, but with digital signals, you either get the signal or you don't. A stronger signal won't make the picture any different. You may get fewer dropouts with a stronger signal, but the picture quality itself won't be affected.

The signal from the lower channels tends to break up a lot, I'm right on the edge of getting a good signal, the problems with digital--I'm getting taunted with a good picture that I can get with my Hughes DirecTV/ATSC box, but no firewire hence my delemma.
So, I messed around with an inline amp, with a diplexer, and found that putting the amp before the DC filter on the antenna side of the diplexer worked the best, but, I think I need an amp with a more focused range, or filters--45 and up (digital channels) come in well, 30 and below don't, even though all but one are from the same broadcast tower. I have an amp/diplexer on the satellite mast that then goes 80 feet or so to my AV setup, then my diplexer/inline-amp/splitter.

Anything shot in HDTV video takes the cake. This boils down to SEC football on CBS, and The Tonight Show on NBC.

CBS also has 2 promos in HDTV - one for primetime, one for sports. However, I haven't seen either of these since sweeps began.

I'd like to know what's up with Peter Weller's Odyssey 5-- all they've been doing is reruns. . But I watch anyway because of the HD quality.
Discovery HD esp the piece "Praying Mantis: Alien Insect" is just the most awesome quality.
Worst:
Once in a while Showtime HD will show some movies that are supposedly HD but very grainy, and worse, the picture would be off-shifted with 1 bar to the left and lopped off right side. They do this usually with their daytime (A.M. to early afternoon) showings. "The Mission" with Robert De Niro comes to mind. I thought Dish was messing up. Then they will blow you away with "Charlie's Angels" and the eyes are popping out because of the crystal clarity and vivid colors. HBOHD seems to be more consistent with their 16x9 HD offerings.