Matthew Botos

I’ve been checking out HDTVs a bit more seriously and finally went to look at some in person last night. While all the HD sets look good, the ones that really popped with detail were the 1080p ones playing high definition DVDs. To translate from geek-speak, that’s 1080 horizontal lines being drawn at once versus the 480i drawn in alternating passes on a standard TV. Most HDTVs on the market do 720p.

As impressive as full 1080p HDTV is, it doesn’t seem worth it at the moment. The selection of sets is still limited, and there are no broadcasts in that high a resolution. Even of the two competing HD DVD formats only one currently offers it, and that’s still a $1000 BetaMax gamble. You get a lot more options and better deals in the meat of the market where there’s plenty of 720p competition.

I haven’t yet made the leap to HDTV, but occasionally check prices looking for a good time to jump. The good news is that HDTV sets keep getting cheaper; the bad news is that they’re still going to cost you extra to feed.

$2000 seems to be enough to get you a decent 42-inch flat panel (LCD or plasma), making less expensive DLP sets seem antiquely bulky. Upgrading Comcast cable to get some HD channels is about $15 a month including an HD box. It’s another $10 for their HD-capable DVR, though Wired recently panned the interface as having “all the user-friendliness of compiling a TCP/IP stack”.

Any Tivo-junkie would naturally want the superior interface of the Series 3 HD Tivo; though it comes with a hefty $800 price tag and $13 monthly fee. There are lots of PC and Mac based DVR solutions, though all seem more like glorified VCRs than Tivo’s comprehensive solution.

In summary, end-to-end HDTV with a 42-inch flat panel and Tivo DVR will cost you $2800 in equipment up front, plus about $30 a month in additional service fees. And that’s before you even touch the competing HD DVD standards and the additional power consumption of a plasma set…

An offhand remark about plasma TVs consuming more power than other types led me to a bit of research today. Using some sample Samsung models, I set out to see what power consumption is like for plasma, LCD, and DLP sets in the 40 to 50-inch range. The results:

• LCD: 250 to 325 watts (40 and 52-inch)
• Plasma: 380 to 480 watts (42 and 50-inch)
• DLP: 230 watts (independent of size)

By comparison, my humble 32-inch CRT consumes about 100 watts, which increases slowly with screen size. That makes sense for CRT and DLP sets, since you’re really just running a projector behind an arbitrarily-sized screen.

To answer the original question, plasma TVs do indeed draw significantly more power than LCDs, adding yet another factor into TV decision making. I’ll be content with my current set while letting prices come down and the amount of high-definition content increase.

Engadget got their hands on a Tivo Series 3 HD unit and drew the expected conclusions: some neat features, but a bit pricey. The second is especially true compared to what the cable monopolies are offering, making me wonder about Tivo’s future.

The Series 3 has two high-definition tuners, two cable-card slots, an external hard drive connector, and the usual slick interface software. The price tag is a cool $800, plus monthly service fees now that lifetime service is no longer an option. (Though you can apparently transfer an old lifetime subscription for $200.) And that’s the rub for the average TV watcher: when $10 a month gets you a cable company DVR, why pay that plus $800 for Tivo hardware?

That dilema leads me to speculate two possible futures for Tivo:

1. Own the high-end DVR niche. Similar to Apple’s computers, they already offer a combination of well-designed and integrated hardware and software for those willing to pay a premium. Though a smaller market, there’s still enough money in it to be profitable.
2. DVR software provider. Like Microsoft, they could realize that hardware is now a commodity and the real money - and their real advantage - is in software. They already seem to be moving in this direction, having lost their hardware deal with DirecTV and inked software deals for Comcast and Cox cable boxes.

Over the last few years, FX has become almost a fifth network for original TV series. Between Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me, and 30 Days, they have more of my personal market share and attention span than any of the major networks. That’s because they’ve been willing to pick of shows that push the envelope.

Most cable networks, even without the watchful eye of the FCC, have chosen to stay in safe, advertiser-friendly territory. Then they wonder why they’re losing the coveted 18-34 male demographic to video games, DVDs, and the Internet. Offering shows with more raw language, sexuality, and dark humor is what’s required to draw us back to the TV.

It’s not all sensationalism and skin, of course; Morgan Spurlock’s 30 Days is one of the smartest shows to come out recently and tackles current issues in a way that forces the audience to think. These shows also benefit from non-traditional schedules, airing throughout the summer when there’s less competition. For FX, being innovative and pushing the boundaries has recaptured some of the market others lost.

Wayne: “If we ran the networks, we’d have the show Battlestar Metallica!”

Garth: “Yeah, it’d be just like the original, only with better haircuts and cooler music!”

Everytime I put in a DVD of season 1 of the new Battlestar Galactica, I can’t help but think of that bit. Of course, as soon as the episode gets going, my thoughts change to what a great show it is. The reason is as simple as the show’s focus on drama and characters, which just happen to be in a traditional science fiction setting. Along with Firefly, Galactica has really proved that you can make a different, deeper, dramatic type of science fiction that I look forward to seeing more often.