Changing the game with HD

Michael Gartenberg | November 02, 2006, 09:38 AM

My Dad worked in the garment industry in NY for his entire career (in fact Dad worked for a total of two companies and only switched jobs when his first place closed). In a different era though, Dad would have probably been doing a job similar to mine as Dad was also a technology enthusiast. My parent’s home is littered with HiFi equipment, all sorts of classic film cameras and assorted other stuff.

We had one of the first color TV sets, one of the first VCRs and a big old honkin’ 50” rear projection TV. I’m not that old (at least I don’t think I am) but I do recall when our family got our first color TV and the impact that it had. I remember when TV shows made the transition to the new format and proudly proclaimed “in color” under their logos. A funny thing quickly happened, color just became the norm and there was nothing particularly special about it anymore.

After having a nice 1080p HiDef set in the house for a few months now, something funny has happened. HiDef isn’t that special any more, in fact. It’s just the norm of how I look at Television. It’s no longer that standard definition is the norm and the higher resolution picture seems so jaw dropping. It’s more that the high definition pictures are the norm and watching even mundane things like cable news seems a step backward in standard def. There’s a lot of folks that are talking about their HiDef experience and how it’s a game changer. I agree. As HD rapidly becomes the norm, it loses the feeling of something special and becomes the status quo. While the optical disk formats have yet to shake out, watch the HD sets fly off the shelf over the holidays. The tipping point for HD is here and there’s no going back.