In fact, this is probably going to sound like a heresy wrapped in a blasphemy tied up in lunacy, but here goes:
I don’t know what I need HDTV for.
I mean, what do I watch?
Setanta Sports: not in HD.
BBC America: not in HD.
Doctor Who: not in HD.
Battlestar Galactica: okay, this is in HD, but let’s face it, there’s not much left of it.
all my DVDs: not in HD.
What does the wife watch in addition to that?
Good Eats: not materially improved by the addition of HD, and most eps are probably still std-def
Today Show: REALLY not materially improved by HD. SRSLY.
Going forward, is there anything else?
NFL? Not on your life. I listen to the Skins on Sirius now.
College ball? We’re going to be in Berkeley half the weekends anyway, so only sort of useful.
College hoops? Not until January, most likely.
New shows? Ehhh…may or may not take a chance on the US version of Life on Mars.
Old shows? Not unless Heroes figures out how to suck less.
Long story short: it’s an initial outlay of over $1200 along with an increase in the DirecTV fee per month for minor improvements to a couple of shows. Unless something amazing happens, I don’t see any reason not to wait until after Thanksgiving and see if prices drop.
(All together now: “WHO ARE YOU!?!?”)
The only reason we have HD is that we needed a bigger TV, and the local cable op neglected to block it on the $9/mo cable. The lack of techno-savvy in the local population can be greatly beneficial.