Wondered this for a while now and tomorrow will get the chance to see for myself, but wondered how it works.

If I have 2 input sources of the same channel going into a TV that can do 2 pictures side by side, can you have one HD and one regular, and if so, would the HD be in all its glory or a reduced quality?

Because there are so many options for TV's and input sources, its almost impossible to know JUST how much better HD is than normal res. So I just wanted to know if I can run say Nat Geo and Nat Geo HD side by side to see the real difference on the same TV at the same time.

Does that make sense ?
And does anyone know the answer.

 

You can tell the difference easily just by flicking channels. Try the football on normal ITV then flick to ITV HD and it's like having your cataracts removed.

As for your question it would depend how the Tv scaled the picture but the HD pic wouldn't be full HD

 

lol that vivid eh? I am sure I can answer my own question by tomorrow night, just thought I would ask ahead of the installation, calm my excitement.

Im sure the TV channels have started dropping their picture quality recently.

 

Some HD channels are upscaled SD pictures so not noticeable at all really but the stuff that is filmed and broadcast in HD is so much more detailed it really does improve the experience. I love the sport in HD, some of the music concerts filmed in it really bring the event to life and obviously the nature stuff can be simply jaw dropping. That all may be over egging it a bit but for me I hate having to watch anything in SD now.

 

I get the impression I might end up going out to buy a bigger TV to enjoy it more with lol.
Im not a big sports fan anyway, so unlikely to make much difference to me in that respect. Looking forwards to some of my favorite Discovery/Nat Geo programs though, if they are true HD anyway.

 

Between upscaled dvd and hd blu-ray there is a significant difference, just watched kungfo panda and it looked awesome!

As for HD broadcasts they are very hit and miss! BBC1 can show programmes that aren't a kick in the teeth off broadcast HD quality......the same can be said of Sky1.

 

I don't know the answer to your exact question, but I have sky HD, and a 720 (p or i, i don't fecking know ) and i can see a huge difference just by channel flicking.

The first thing i noticed with channels like nat geo, and nat geo HD, was when looking at backgrounds, like grass and things, you can see the individual blades of grass very clearly.

The first film i watched in HD was Iron man, and with the first scenes in the deserts, you can see each grain of sand, which you can't on peasant vision

It does make me want to go out any buy a better TV though. More money

 

I THINK my TV is up to the job, but being 3 years old, like HTC phones im sure its already 5 generations behind the current models lol.
Paid a grand for it, 37" Dell, but now thats over priced and under spec'ed lol

Time will tell I guess
Will Virgin deliver lol

 

Snazmeister, if u are looking a tv check out richersounds website as there is a decent bargain on a 42" plasma (LG 42PJ350) for 399.95! She's the feckin' rod like, HD Ready and 600hz so perfect for broadcast HD and looks much much better than the equivalent Panasonic.

 

I haven't seen that particular model, but i have an LG TV and the quality was much better than others at similar prices.

 

uhoh, 3 years old? perhaps if you bought the apple equivalent it would still be the most up to date model

 

HD quality on some sky channels is so good i actually got a second HD box. so i now have 1 x HD box downstairs on a 47" panny, 1 x HD box in the bedroom on a 50" sammy and 1 x sky+ box in the other living room on a 32" panny. £78 feckin quid a month to watch TV, i need my bumps felt

sky now have 40 odd HD channels so i dunno about VM or the quality of V+ box, but if it is as good as sky then you wont be disapponted. sky only broadcast 1080i for now but as Jamz says it is maybe worthwhile upgrading to a larger tv.

 

for a long time to come as well. You wont see 1080p broadcasts for a long time if ever.

 

just to point out - the PiP (picture-in-picture) thing you talk about is entirely dependant on your TV. I know on my Hitachi LCD one of the sources has to be either an analogue or digital TV signal and you can't do it with any HDMI source.

There's normally a table in the back of the TV manual that shows which sources can do PiP as a simple crosstab table

 

Cheers for all the info guys.
I am gonna change the TV for a bigger one than this super sized PC monitor at some point. Seen some amazing deals out there recently. 42" certainly seems to be the "norm" right now. Might go for a 50 just for the hell of it. But thats way off yet, I got a holiday to get out of the way first lol.

I shall report back on my findings. Dreading having this all fitted. All comms engineers hate this house lol.