Settling in to HD

I had done some research before getting our HDTV and knew a few things going in. I knew that standard definition programming would actually look a little worse on the HDTV than it did on our tube. I knew that not all channels were available on HD. I knew that even on some HD channels not all shows would be in HD. And I knew that HD shows would take up more space on the DVR than SD shows.

But I didn't know how much more space.

An hour of TV would typically account for a percentage or two on the DVR. So when I got up to 90% full, I knew deleting a few episodes of an hour-long drama would save get me back down to 86 or 87 percent full. The other night I taped the Golden Globes in HD. Watched them And then deleted them. Prior to deletion I was at 80% full. After I was down to 66% full. 3 hours of HD amounted to 14% of the hard drive. Gulp.

The tradeoffs have already started. Two weeks ago I would have set the DVR to record tonight's repeat of the last three Lost hours no questions asked. Now? I didn't bother.

A small price to pay for such a great picture, sure. But I sense some painful choices coming in the months ahead, as Big Love, Breaking Bad, Lost, American Idol, and Battlestar Galactica return.

Until Whenever