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Poll: Are you HDTV shopping with the lowered prices?

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 19th 2008 at 12:00PM


Now that big brands are hacking their MSRPs down to more manageable levels, are you suddenly forcing yourself into the market for a new set? Yeah, Black Friday 2008 is closing in by the minute, but waiting is tough, is it not? And heck, with a well received 32-inch plasma going for just north of five bills, it's a great time be a buyer. So, are you looking to take advantage of the lowered prices and snag a new / secondary HDTV, or are you waiting for one reason or another? Speak up!

[Image courtesy of StarTribune]

Are you HDTV shopping with the lowered prices?

Poll: Where do you buy your Blu-ray Discs?

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 12th 2008 at 12:00PM


With a report emerging this week pegging Best Buy as the go-to location for Blu-ray Disc purchases, it stirred up some curiosity here at Engadget HQ. Personally, we prefer to snag our discs online; there's just something about receiving those corrugated boxes on our doorstep that does it for us. We're interested to see where you procure most of your own BD titles -- in a store (which one?), online (which e-tailer?) or out of the back of a white panel van? You can keep quiet if it's the latter.

Where do you buy your Blu-ray Discs?

Poll: Do you own / plan to own an HTPC?

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 5th 2008 at 12:00PM


Okay, so we apologize for putting the cart before the horse here, but after checking out responses from a poll posted up late last month, this question came to mind. Do any of you out there actually own an HTPC? Do you plan to? With devices like the ZvBox gearing up to transfer your PC's desktop onto your HDTV, even the notion of a bedroom-based media center PC seems entirely feasible. So, what's your take on the home theater PC issue -- you buying in?

Do you own / plan to own an HTPC?

Poll: Do you tune into OTA programming?

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 28th 2008 at 12:00PM


So we've invaded your personal space before by asking how many options you have for HD programming, and we've also wondered about the primary medium of delivery, but this week's question hovers around the tried-and-true antenna. We're simply curious to know how many of you out there still rely on OTA programming for some or all of your HDTV consumption? Are there enough locals to keep you from shelling out to a pay-TV provider every month? Do you supplement your service with OTA offerings? Or do you tune into OTA locals just because they look better than what's delivered via cable? Deposit your vote below.

[Image courtesy of HMSTV]

Do you tune into OTA programming?

Poll: Do you utilize picture-in-picture functionality?

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 21st 2008 at 12:00PM


A recent article over at Entertainment Weekly got our gears turning, and we began to wonder if anyone actually takes advantage of picture-in-picture anymore? On one hand, it's still a (minor) selling point on even the fanciest of sets, and viewers sure seem to love those multi-screen broadcasts put out by DISH Network and DirecTV. Consequently, we can't even remember the last time we utilized PiP for more than a moment or two in order to keep track of two sporting events simultaneously. Who knows, maybe it's the ability to record one show while watching another that's curbing our usage of picture-in-picture, but we're curious just how dusty your own PiP button is / isn't. Tell all below!

Poll: Have you had trouble locating a DTV converter box?

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 14th 2008 at 12:00PM


Given yesterday's post about the use (or non-use, as it were) of government-issued digital TV vouchers, we began to wonder if our own readers were having difficulties tracking a box down before their coupons expired. We already asked if you were aiming to get one, and if you stated yes, has finding one been a lesson in futility / simplicity? Let us know below!

Have you had trouble locating a DTV converter box?

Poll: What's the most annoying form of advertising?

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 6th 2008 at 12:00PM


We spotted something this week that really got our heads spinning: a fairly fail proof method to keep ad skipping (at least partially) at bay. During a re-run of Family Guy on TBS, Bill Engvall casually walked onto the bottom of the screen, paused Family Guy and proceeded to pimp his own show for a solid 15 seconds. Yeah, TBS is known for self-promotion, but this just feels downright slimy. It prompted us to fire up this poll, however, which beckons you readers to cast your vote for the most annoying form of advertisement. Feel free to chime in below with specific experiences if you feel led, and make sure to use the heck out of that DVR while you still can -- clearly, these guys are all too ready to institute workarounds to hinder ad skipping. The Bill Engvall violation video is waiting after the break.

What's the most annoying form of advertising?


Continue reading Poll: What's the most annoying form of advertising?

Poll: Are you replacing your DVDs with Blu-ray Discs?

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted May 31st 2008 at 12:00PM

Nielsen VideoScan
In seems that in the recent weeks just about every new Blu-ray title released has been a older catalog title and it's pretty obvious by looking at each week's Nielsen VideoScan numbers that the older titles just don't have the same appeal as the new releases. But we wonder, is this because most people have already seen the movie, or is it because many scoff at the idea of replacing a perfectly good DVD for a Blu-ray Disc? Personally, we love to enjoy our old favorites again on Blu-ray, it's like seeing the movie for the firs time all over again, but honestly considering the MSRP for some of these older titles -- we're looking at you Fox -- we tend to rent more than buy.

Are you replacing your DVDs with Blu-ray discs?

Poll: Are you waiting for a Tuning Adapter?

by Darren Murph, posted May 24th 2008 at 12:00PM


With the looming Tuning Adapter practically stealing the limelight at The Cable Show 2008, we can't help but wonder: how many of you are actually waiting in tense anticipation to snag one of these rascals? Is your CableCARD-equipped TiVo not pulling in all of the HD channels that are being delivered via switched digital video? Are you holding off on buying a set-top-box until tru2way DVRs hit the market? Let us know just how important this stuff is to you.

Are you waiting for a Tuning Adapter?


Poll: What's your favorite HD movie channel?

by Ben Drawbaugh, posted May 22nd 2008 at 2:26PM


Not all HD movie channels are created equal, and while there are a few that have the latest and greatest movies, for whatever reason those seem to be the same ones that choose to crop the video and normalize the audio. At the same time that there are more HD movie channels then ever, there are also more Blu-ray titles available to compete with your time; so with many choices out there what is your favorite HD movie channel?

What's your favorite HD movie channel?

Poll: Do you still watch SD programming?

by Darren Murph, posted May 17th 2008 at 12:00PM


With just south of a hundred HD channels on carriers like DirecTV, and even dozens on the average cable operator, one may wonder if there's even a reason for turning to an SD station anymore. Here at the Engadget HD lair, there's only a few programs still shot and delivered in standard-def that we catch ourselves watching, but we'll admit, it's been an awful long time since SD programming consumed more than 10-percent or so of our viewing. Not too tough a question for you this week: do you still find yourself flipping to SD networks with the growing amount of HD content out there? If so, how much? And be honest -- is it solely due to your wife's obsession with America's Next Top Model?

[Image courtesy of Rickey]

Do you still watch SD programming?

Poll: Do you have a multi-channel surround sound system?

by Darren Murph, posted May 10th 2008 at 12:00PM


With all this focus on HDTV of late, we've been wondering if high-def junkies care nearly as much about their audio as they do their video. Sure, we know video trumps audio in the general public's eye, but we're talking home theater freaks here. Folks who make a point to hang up sheets to eliminate light from a room. Folks who take a vacation day just to calibrate their TV -- you know, people like yourself. Toss your vote in below and feel free to elaborate on your audio setup (or lack thereof) in comments below.

[Image courtesy of Infendo]

Do you have a multi-channel surround sound system?

Poll: Have you purchased a Blu-ray player post-fallout?

by Darren Murph, posted May 3rd 2008 at 12:00PM


Yeah, you heard us. We're bored with looking at all these "other surveys," it's time to have our own. We've seen that sales of Blu-ray players have been relatively disappointing thus far in 2008, even after the format war was over. We've heard that heightened prices, occasional shortages and Profile confusion were the causes. But we're interested to see if you -- the most diehard of them all -- have paid attention to any of that. Are movie / HD lovers still buying now that there's one true winner? And if so, are you snapping up the safe bet (read: PlayStation 3), waiting for a Profile 2.0 deck or grabbing up another standalone unit in order to not miss a minute of that 1080p glory? Let us have it below.

Have you purchased a Blu-ray player post-fallout?


Poll: What will your next display be?

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 26th 2008 at 12:00PM


With OLED nabbing a whole slew of backers over the past few weeks, it looks like it's got all the steam it needs to really have an impact on the home theater crowd in just a few years. For those content with their current RPTV / LCD / plasma, holding off until 2010 - 2012 in order to snag a large-size OLED may be the perfect choice, but we've all ideas there's a few of you out there dying to trade your set in for a projector. So, for those who have their lives all planned out, what's your next display going to be? A 1080p DLP beamer? A 32-inch OLED? Or maybe a 150-inch plasma (if they ever go mass market, that is), right? Let us know what's on your radar!

Poll: What will your next display be?

Poll: How many options do you have for HDTV programming?

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 19th 2008 at 12:20PM


We've already discussed just how many HD channels you swell folks have on your current provider, but with the frenetic (through not nearly frenetic enough) pace at which alternate mediums are expanding, we're curious to know just how many choices you have. Granted, most everyone here in the US has at least two -- DISH Network and DirecTV -- and those close to local towers can toss up an antenna for some of that beautiful OTA action. But there is a certain sect among us with numerous cable, satellite and even fiber providers jockeying for their business, and yes, the rest of us not in this elite circle are immensely jealous. Toss in your vote below, and feel free to let us know which providers are available in your neck of the woods.

[Image courtesy of AT&T]

How many options do you have for HDTV programming?





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