Is Netflix good to use on the PC?

How complicated is the actual use of HDTVs?

• I live in a very rural area and cannot receive over-the-air TV (per tvfool.com) and I can only afford the cheapest basic cable (landlady won't allow dishes). This basic cable DOES have some free HD stations (primarily local network TV). Since I need a new TV anyway I am considering an HDTV. The thing is it just seems like such a hassle--it's not like the “old” days when you could just go and get a TV, plug it in and go; now you have to KNOW things and do plenty of research beforehand. I am not a techie but I understand resolution, size, and frame speed, and such, but the more banal questions regarding every day use of an HDTV elude me and I'm hoping y'all can help me out. Question 1: If I switch from an HD channel immediately to an SD channel, do I have to change the resolution manually each time I switch between an HD and an SD channel or do HDTVs adjust resolution automatically? Question 2: What is the resolution of standard DVDs? I hit the local Red Box regularly and much of my TV-watching is rented DVDs. Will they be displayed properly on an HDTV? Will I have to manually change the setup for viewing DVDs and then back to SD/HD each time? Question 2a: Do I need a new DVD player to display DVDs properly? I also own several old DVDs that I don't plan on replacing with Blu-Ray (yet). These old DVDs work just fine on the old boxy SDTVs with my ancient pre-HDTV DVD player, but do I need a new DVD player capable of displaying them on an HDTV? Ditto VHS. Question 3: If I wanted to stream Netflix to the HDTV, would I need a TV with internet access, or could I just connect my laptop to the TV and stream it from the internet through the pc? Question 4: I've heard that HDCP compliance has caused nightmares for some folks trying to hook their pc up to their HDTV. My laptop is not HDCP compliant (I don't think). Does this mean I cannot view video from my pc (whether Netflix, YouTube, Veoh, other downloads, or even home movies) on the HDTV using an HDMI cable? If, per chance, my pc IS HDCP compliant, could that be a problem viewing video on an HDTV? Question 5: If I CAN watch video from my pc on my HDTV, do I need a TV with 1080 resolution? I'm not a sportsfan or much of a gamer, and don't plan on buying a Blu-Ray setup soon, so I really don't feel compelled to go for 1080 unless viewing from my pc, Netflix, or old DVD player calls for it. My laptop's resolution is 1366x768 so I am concerned that a TV resolution of 720p is not gonna cut it. Might I have to change my laptop's settings to a lower resolution to accommodate the lower resolution of the TV? Question 6: What is the average lifespan of HDTVs? Every review of every make and model I've seen links to several dissatisfied consumers who had their TV fail after only a year or two of use. I realize that's a LOT of technology to fit in a small and (in my case) cheap package so I don't expect it to last as long as my old CRTs did (I still have a tiny SHARP TV from 1984 that works—but has no 'modern' hookups). Is it reasonable to expect a short enough life expectancy to warrant an extended warranty? I think that's it. My sister had a new HDTV for all of two days. She found both DVD playback and SD reception to be very blurry. She also couldn't get her pc to connect to the TV. If those are inherent problems with HD technology, I think I might just try and find an old SD TV and make do. Thanks!

• Answer:

  Question 1: * They adjust automatically. SD stations will be displayed with black space to the left and right if you select letterbox mode, sometimes called panel mode. Any other setting will either clip or distort the picture. Question 2: * DVDs are SD, 720x480i resolution. You shouldn't need to do anything special to view them. They will look better on a widescreen HDTV, since that more closely matches the frame proportions (aspect ratio). Question 2a: * Your old DVD player and VHS player will work fine. Question 3 * Setting up a laptop to work with your TV is a real hassle. I highly recommend that you get the Roku box for Netflix viewing. They just dropped the price to $70 and it is really simple to use with a very nice interface. You'll need at least a 1.3 megabit per second internet connection. Question 4: * I haven't run into that. But if your laptop has an HDMI output, you should be fine. Again, it's best to skip the PC to TV hookup altogether, IMO. Question 5: * The TV will scale whatever input you feed it. 1366x768 is a widely supported resolution on HDTV's Question 6: * Extended warranties generally aren't worth it. If you buy a good name-brand HDTV, you should expect many years of service. Don't forget that online reviews tend to attract many more disgruntled owners than happy owners, who have less incentive to post a good review than the unhappy owner. * The biggest cause of the HDTV fuzzy complaint is people buying a huge set, then feeding it SD content and sitting too close. These sets were designed for HD content. In particular, don't expect anything decent when viewing stuff like YouTube on it. Most of that stuff is horrible quality.