[jvessey]

I am contemplating the free swap from the HR10-250, and I had a question. Most of the programs we record are still in SD. We get the HD East Coast Networks and the SD Chicago channels now. If we get the Chicago HD channels on the HR21, will we also get the SD version of them as well? Some shows are not in HD and for those we choose the SD channels to save space and have the entire program fill our TV screen (we have a 4X3 Sony HD TV) rather than the small square in the middle. Also, some shows we don't care whether they are recorded in HD, and we would rather have the space to record more shows. With all of the new HD channels, does it mean that you don't have access to the SD version of those channels anymore?

We have 3 children, and probably more than half of our space is filled with kids shows, none of which need to be in HD, and I am worried that all of the new HD channels mean that we could no longer have as many shows saved on the recorder anymore.

I guess my main question is whether we would have the same choice of SD content as we do now, so we could have the choice of more shows versus higher quality.

 

[evan_s]

You can see both versions of the channels if you want to and set the recording to either one. Personally I record most everything in HD because the mpeg4 hd channels don't fill up the drive that quickly.

 

[litzdog911]

You'll have the same SD channels that you currently receive on your HR10-250.

 

[spartanstew]

I didn't know there were any HD TV's with a 4:3 aspect ratio?

 

[evan_s]

They exist and are kinda strange but yeah there are some out there.

 

[jvessey]

Thanks for the info. As for the tv, we bought a Sony 36XBR800 about 5 years ago. At the time it was one of the better ones you could buy. It is still a great TV, but we will probably upgrade to a larger LCD sometime soon.

By the way, how much less space does the mpeg4 version of an HD show take up compared to the mpeg2?

 

[houskamp]

Thanks for the info. As for the tv, we bought a Sony 36XBR800 about 5 years ago. At the time it was one of the better ones you could buy. It is still a great TV, but we will probably upgrade to a larger LCD sometime soon.

By the way, how much less space does the mpeg4 version of an HD show take up compared to the mpeg2?

about 2/3rds

 

[litzdog911]

I didn't know there were any HD TV's with a 4:3 aspect ratio?

My Sony KV40XBR800 is a 4:3 HDTV. It's a full 40" CRT for SD programs (480i, 480p), and ~37" display for 16:9 HDTV programs (720p, 1080i). Very nice.

 

[jvessey]

I wanted to get the 40", but one of my wife's conditions of purchase was that the TV could fit in an armoire that could have the doors closed--so no one could see the beast when it was not in use. The largest tv armoire I could find just barely fit the 36" inside.

 

[EricJRW]

I wanted to get the 40", but one of my wife's conditions of purchase was that the TV could fit in an armoire that could have the doors closed--so no one could see the beast when it was not in use. The largest tv armoire I could find just barely fit the 36" inside.

That's funny... I should think that most people buy a TV to fit into an existing armoire.