High-definition television: How much of it can you stand to see?

Reports Sharon of Roseville: "Today's topic is HDTV. How it all began: I was making a Sam's Club run and was mesmerized by the TV display at the store's entrance. There were Shrek and Donkey in full living color. I could see the moles on Shrek's neck and each and every hair on Donkey.
"It was one of those moments that could have gone either way within minutes — but I allowed common sense to take the place of instant gratification and decided to consult with my High-Tech son-in-law.
"Step Two: I told my son-in-law that I wanted one of those TVs, and he told me to research it. I did. Here's one TV I found: '50" HD Plasma TV incorporates advanced technology to reproduce beautiful, natural-looking images with exceptional, full 1080p HD resolution. With 2.07 million pixels, twice as many as standard HD models, the TH-50PF9UK features Real Black Creation technology for deep, rich blacks delivering a high contrast ratio of up to 5,000:1 and 16-bit processing for an outstanding 4,096 steps of color gradation.

Sony heading back into plasma TV market?

DigiTimes: Sony is considering returning to the plasma TV market and is in talks with Fujitsu Hitachi Plasma Display (FHP), according to market rumors. Taiwan Sony said it has not received any notice about such a plan and it is not very likely that Sony will support PDP TVs again since the eighth-generation (8G) TFT LCD plant from S-LCD, a joint venture between Sony and Samsung, will enter volume production by the end of 2007.
Rumors said executives from Sony have had discussions with FHP about related issues, but the company has yet to finalize any decision since executives within the company have not reached a consensus.
fhp fujitsu hitachi plasma Samsung Sony

HDTV: Which comes first, programming or sets?

The number of HD channels is still small. But the recent inclusion by networks of prime-time offerings has put HD on many people's radar. BY FRANK AHRENS Washington Post Service
For much of the past decade, there has been something of a chicken-and-egg scenario with high-definition television, or HDTV: Consumers weren't buying the very expensive HD television sets because there was so little HD programming. On the other side, television networks said it was not worthwhile to produce pricier HD programming because no one was buying HD sets.
Now, that standoff is starting to change.
The number of channels delivered in HD is still small -- usually about a dozen or so on a cable or satellite lineup. But the recent inclusion of the major networks and their prime-time offerings -- American Idol, Desperate Housewives, CSI and ER, among others -- has put HD on the radar of mainstream viewers.

Get HDTV on Your Laptop

So your buddy with the new plasma TV won't shut up about how great the game looks in high-def. He's right it is like watching a whole new sport. But you don't have to splurge on a 50-inch flat screen to quell your HD envy. Stations across the country broadcast HD signals over the air, absolutely free. And since most laptop screens already have enough resolution to display high-def, all you need is an HD tuner that plugs into a USB port on your Mac or PC, and you can enjoy the ultracrisp picture at home or away. Let's see Mr. Plasma do that.
How to get more stations and better reception: Depending where you live, a bigger indoor antenna, like the Zenith ZHDTV1 ($40; zenith.com), may improve your HD signal. Place it in a window and point it toward the nearest broadcast tower. Find more antenna tips at antennaweb.org.