Livin' a SD Life in a HD World

Lately I've been enjoying the wonders of HD entertainment... vicariously through someone else's HDTV and Blu-ray player. I have to say... I'm sold. I've had a chance to see some new movies (Incredible Hulk, Rob Zombie's Halloween, Iron Man), old movies (The Searchers, The Warriors, A Clockwork Orange), and animated films (Kung-Fu Panda, Wall-E), and I have to say they've all looked pretty great. It makes you want to watch all your favorite films over and over again. See and HEAR them (uncompressed audio) in a whole new way. I was especially knocked over by The Searchers and today Wall-E. The colors just pop! The detail and the fine grain (in the Searchers' case) is beautiful.

I was one of those people that really didn't get too worked up when HD first came out. HD content at the time just wasn't really available. But now with Blu-ray winning the HD software war and most satellite and cable companies offering HD channels, I really can't wait to jump in head first... I've actually already started buying Blu-ray movies (The Godfather Trilogy and Wall-E) and I don't have a Blu-ray player yet!

Ah, yes, you see, it's still not cheap to acquire all the things you need to watch all the lovely lovely HD programs and movies. Well, not cheap to me anyway. I mean if I just wanted the TV and Blu-ray player, that's 2 and a half months pay... if I got the shit on sale! That's not even counting monthly HD satellite/cable fees or the still way too pricey Blu-ray discs (they're running about 10 dollars more expensive than the same DVD titles). Not in the budget of the average book seller.

I admit I have a bit of the HD fever right now. Looking on the Internet for deals on TVs and players knowing that I can't really afford it. But as a movie lover, it's hard not to be tempted. It's worth it alone just for the Kubrick movies. I know that if somehow someway I did end up with all the shiny equipment, I probably would buy as many BDs and as I did DVDs. I mean DVDs are so cheap now, but BDs, like I said, not so much. Still... the classics are always worth upgrading. I mean I can't wait for Lawrence of Arabia, Wizard of Oz, Psycho, Seven Samurai, and others to hit HD.

And then there's December 9th...