Got a 37" LCD flat panel this weekend, replacing a fading old tube TV. Got it all hooked up with my cable box, then called my cable company to activate the HDTV package (my existing cablebox/DVR already supports HD, so didn't have to swap equipment out).

Tuned to the HD channels, and what was the first thing I saw?

A cow. Eating grass. In a field.

No commentary, no documentary-style voice over. Just a cow, eating grass, in a field.

Sure, you can see every blade of grass. You could count the hairs on the tip of his ears. See every leaf on the tree in the background. Beautiful. Amazing. But its still a COW, eating GRASS, in a FIELD.

Stayed there, for probably 5 minutes, just to see if anything interesting happened. Wolf attack? Cattle rustlers? Ooooo, look. More cows. And now, for something entirely different: a horse, eating hay, from a trough. Very exciting.

Looks like I stumbled upon a gripping episode of Sunrise Earth on Discovery HD Theater called "Milk Cows in the Morning".

My first lesson in HDTV: just because its in HD, doesn't mean its worth watching :)

A bit tongue-in-cheek, here, of course. I'm sure there are lots of interesting and beautiful programs on HD Theater. I just thought it was a bit amusing to call down the hall to my wife: "Honey, come and see what our new, expensive HDTV can do: a cow eating grass, in amazing high-definition!!"

I love watching Cows eat hay. To each their own.

With a 37 inch tv some may argue that you are not watching in HD!

I haven't asked before, but I've wondered if people would watch bulls defecating just because it is HD.

Apparently, that is next.

Got a 37" LCD flat panel this weekend, replacing a fading old tube TV. Got it all hooked up with my cable box, then called my cable company to activate the HDTV package (my existing cablebox/DVR already supports HD, so didn't have to swap equipment out).

Tuned to the HD channels, and what was the first thing I saw?

A cow. Eating grass. In a field.

No commentary, no documentary-style voice over. Just a cow, eating grass, in a field.

Sure, you can see every blade of grass. You could count the hairs on the tip of his ears. See every leaf on the tree in the background. Beautiful. Amazing. But its still a COW, eating GRASS, in a FIELD.

Stayed there, for probably 5 minutes, just to see if anything interesting happened. Wolf attack? Cattle rustlers? Ooooo, look. More cows. And now, for something entirely different: a horse, eating hay, from a trough. Very exciting.

Looks like I stumbled upon a gripping episode of Sunrise Earth on Discovery HD Theater called "Milk Cows in the Morning".

My first lesson in HDTV: just because its in HD, doesn't mean its worth watching :)

A bit tongue-in-cheek, here, of course. I'm sure there are lots of interesting and beautiful programs on HD Theater. I just thought it was a bit amusing to call down the hall to my wife: "Honey, come and see what our new, expensive HDTV can do: a cow eating grass, in amazing high-definition!!"

Absolutely fantastic story. Thanks so much for sharing.

Just be so very ecstatic you didn't spend $7 grand on a really good large plasma and then have the misfortune to tune into the excellent sunrise series you defiled only to see cows. Now that would have really upset you.

I haven't asked before, but I've wondered if people would watch bulls defecating just because it is HD.



Cows gotta eat. Bulls gotta poop. In HD or SD, doesn't really matter.

I didnt watch cows eating hay, but to your point, I started watching American Idol.


I just got HD too.

There is a Nascar race on. Maybe you'll get to see Jeff Gordon eat grass!

Hey how about a spoiler alert???? I had this dvr'ed now I know what the cow does.

That makes PBS seem very exciting by comparison! I have an HDTV. I do not subscribe to "digital cable". My only 24 hour HD channel is PBS-HD. Before I got my HDTV, I never thought I would watch so much PBS!

Sounds like you happened to turn it on the wrong channel. Did you change it, or does your cable company only have 1 HD channel?

I bet if you had 1080p instead of 720p you would have found it more entertaining!

Just how long do you think it will be untill most or all of what we watch will be in HI-DEF?

Just how long do you think it will be untill most or all of what we watch will be in HI-DEF?

Never. There will always be legacy SD.

Hey how about a spoiler alert???? I had this dvr'ed now I know what the cow does.

Heh. Sorry :)

Yes, I get more than 1 HD channel. Other first and second-day observations:

Dirty Jobs looked dirtier than ever. One of my favorite shows!!
NASCAR race looked great, once they started racing, anyway.
I can actually follow the hockey puck!
Tiger Woods does really good when I watch him on HD.
Oscars look AMAZING tonight. Looking forward for some serious HD cleavage.

You're lucky.

When I got my first HDTV, there were only two HD channels on the system - HBO HD and Showtime HD.

When the cable guy installed the HD cable box, there was nothing on in HD until prime time. So I got to watch SD programs on my new expensive TV and cable upgrade.

I'm sure my story is typical of the early adopters.

Believe it or not, it took years since then to actually get the channel that had the cows eating hay on Sunrise Earth.

my first "HD" experience on my first HDTV was with FOX MLB saturdays... which was about 3 years ago. i thought it was HD because it was widescreen. i actually told the cable guy ... SO CLEAR...

Hey how about a spoiler alert???? I had this dvr'ed now I know what the cow does.

Best post this month :)

Best post this month :)

He really hit a DINGER with that one ;)

I haven't asked before, but I've wondered if people would watch bulls defecating just because it is HD.

Apparently, that is next.

Yes, and we would complain about it looking too compressed! :)

Try Buffalo in the Morning, another early entry of the series, as they munch and noisily belch. Lots of opinions in various threads here on the series. Always find it colorful here, although apparently HDCAM taping at 24PsF, which emulates film, results in less detail (compare grass blades, bushes, etc.) than HDCAM taping at 1080/60i. Watched most of a new Discovery Theater 4-part series starting yesterday, on the Mekong River, and it seemed barely HD--sort of intermediate between an upconversion and 1080/60i taping. Not sure what video gear was used. -- John

With a 37 inch tv some may argue that you are not watching in HD!

yea unless you are sitting like 3 feet from the TV you wont really be able to se the HD

yea unless you are sitting like 3 feet from the TV you wont really be able to se the HD
Bull.

Poop.

...does your cable company only have 1 HD channel?

Must be Comcast.:rolleyes:

does your cable company only have 1 HD channel?

Nope. It's Time Warner NE Ohio!

If you think cows eating grass is da bomb, wait until Christmas and you can get the Yule Log. HD at its very best! It's what HD was made for.

Nothing like some romantic time with the wife with a bear skin rug and a bottle of wine, curled up in front of the Yule Log. It's just like a fireplace, but without the sirens and firemen and insurance claims.

Right after I bought my HDTV, I came down with pneumonia so I had a lot of time in front of the tv while recuperating. During the day, there wasn't much HD content on, so I watched alot of nature shows (including the cows at sunrise!) and American Chopper.

Got a 37" LCD flat panel this weekend, replacing a fading old tube TV. Got it all hooked up with my cable box... Tuned to the HD channels, and what was the first thing I saw?

A cow. Eating grass. In a field.

No commentary, no documentary-style voice over. Just a cow, eating grass, in a field.

You have no idea how lucky you are. Everybody's first image seen in HD after purchasing an HDTV for the first time (after a lifetime of SD viewing and months/years of research) is a once-in-a-lifetime story. Yours is entertaining, but look who I saw first when I fired up my then-new Olevia 747i 1080p HDTV last March (bad pic quality my fault; in real life, sadly, the image was pristine and life-like to my then virgin eyes):
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http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u238/dad1153/747ib1copy.jpg

Bummer! :( :rolleyes: ;) :) :p

I haven't asked before, but I've wondered if people would watch bulls defecating just because it is HD.

Apparently, that is next.

Over simplifying.
I LOVE Sunrise Earth.
It is so beautiful and calming.
Really brings nature to you, unless you live in the middle of nowhere and are used to those beauties.

I watched a whole hour episode of an anemone tide pool. So calming.

You have no idea how lucky you are. Everybody's first image seen in HD after purchasing an HDTV for the first time (after a lifetime of SD viewing and months/years of research) is a once-in-a-lifetime story. Yours is entertaining, but look who I saw first when I fired up my then-new Olevia 747i 1080p HDTV last March (bad pic quality my fault; in real life, sadly, the image was pristine and life-like to my then virgin eyes):
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http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u238/dad1153/747ib1copy.jpg

Bummer! :( :rolleyes: ;) :) :p


What is so horrible about CBS-HD or that pic.?
Did I miss something?

What is so horrible about CBS-HD or that pic.??

I didn't buy a glorious HDTV only to have GREG (expletive) GUMBEL (the lesser of the two Gumbel Bros.) be the first thing I see in HD! You're clearly not a sports fan that despises mediocre broadcasters passing themselves as all-knowing swamis of sports knowledge. :rolleyes:

Nothing like some romantic time with the wife with a bear skin rug and a bottle of wine, curled up in front of the Yule Log. It's just like a fireplace, but without the sirens and firemen and insurance claims.

Will it work any better with wifey than the the real fireplace I have? :o

It only works for the traveling business man at the out of town hotel.;)

Will it work any better with wifey than the the real fireplace I have? :o

I wouldn't bother even trying with a real fireplace....chances are an ember will jump out and burn one of you one the butt....and then it's romantic time over.

I didn't buy a glorious HDTV only to have GREG (expletive) GUMBEL (the lesser of the two Gumbel Bros.) be the first thing I see in HD! You're clearly not a sports fan that despises mediocre broadcasters passing themselves as all-knowing swamis of sports knowledge. :rolleyes:

Just not 'that' bothered. ;)

but look who I saw first when I fired up my then-new Olevia 747i 1080p HDTV last March
Don't complain, it could have been his brother you saw first!

Manure!

just wait until you see FAT people in a eating contest

If you think cows eating grass is da bomb, wait until Christmas and you can get the Yule Log. HD at its very best! It's what HD was made for.

Nothing like some romantic time with the wife with a bear skin rug and a bottle of wine, curled up in front of the Yule Log. It's just like a fireplace, but without the sirens and firemen and insurance claims.

or the singed eyebrows ;)

Try Buffalo in the Morning, another early entry of the series, as they munch and noisily belch. Lots of opinions in various threads here on the series. Always find it colorful here, although apparently HDCAM taping at 24PsF, which emulates film, results in less detail (compare grass blades, bushes, etc.) than HDCAM taping at 1080/60i. Watched most of a new Discovery Theater 4-part series starting yesterday, on the Mekong River, and it seemed barely HD--sort of intermediate between an upconversion and 1080/60i taping. Not sure what video gear was used. -- JohnThe issue of lower horizontal resolution has nothing to do with 24P but rather the HDCAM format itself. 1080/60i on HDCAM has the same resolution. The new and improved HDCAM SR format has the full 1920 horizontal pixels with less compression. It was meant to answer D5's capability of full resolution.

I haven't asked before, but I've wondered if people would watch bulls defecating just because it is HD.

Apparently, that is next.Many watch American Idol in HD which is similar to bulls deficating in that both involve the process of elimination, although the latter can be a bit more steamy.

My first lesson in HDTV: just because its in HD, doesn't mean its worth watching :)

My wife and I watched it the other evening while we did various things on the internet. Loved the show. We get a decent number of HD channels, and it was the best thing on at that hour - and not by default.

Other first and second-day observations:

Dirty Jobs looked dirtier than ever. One of my favorite shows!!
NASCAR race looked great, once they started racing, anyway.
I can actually follow the hockey puck!
Tiger Woods does really good when I watch him on HD.
Oscars look AMAZING tonight. Looking forward for some serious HD cleavage.


News Flash - he does "really good" even when you don't watch him in HD. :p

I record Sunrise every day, some days I watch more of it than others. Also usually cut a bird-heavy ep short if my cat becomes too interested and I get concerned she might swat at the screen.

I still have an ep from a couple weeks ago with grizzlies in Alaska that I'm saving as a demo to show family the next time they visit.

I'll watch it just for background ambiance while I'm doing other things. It also does work nice as demo material, but it's not something I sit around and focus on while I watch it.

Oh no, Sunrise is naptime for me - stupid COD4 keeping me up too late.

I didn't buy a glorious HDTV only to have GREG (expletive) GUMBEL (the lesser of the two Gumbel Bros.) be the first thing I see in HD! You're clearly not a sports fan that despises mediocre broadcasters passing themselves as all-knowing swamis of sports knowledge.

At least it wasn't Joe Buck or Chris Berman!

Back in the old days - before HDTV and Sunrise Earth, I actually had to go outside to enjoy the beauty of nature. Now with my 104" HD screen I sit in the basement, in the dark, sipping my beer, and enjoying the cows or fishies in the stream and never venture outside.

Also, the Oscars on HD on this big screen were stunning! I felt like I was on the stage at the Kodak Theater.

Back in the old days - before HDTV and Sunrise Earth, I actually had to go outside to enjoy the beauty of nature. Now with my 104" HD screen I sit in the basement, in the dark, sipping my beer, and enjoying the cows or fishies in the stream and never venture outside.

Also, the Oscars on HD on this big screen were stunning! I felt like I was on the stage at the Kodak Theater.


Just wait till Smell-O-Vision is perfected!!! Instead of HDTV it will be HD-PU-TV!!!

Back in the old days - before HDTV and Sunrise Earth, I actually had to go outside to enjoy the beauty of nature. Now with my 104" HD screen I sit in the basement, in the dark, sipping my beer, and enjoying the cows or fishies in the stream and never venture outside.



+1

Nothing like some romantic time with the wife with a bear skin rug and a bottle of wine, curled up in front of the Yule Log. It's just like a fireplace, but without the sirens and firemen and insurance claims.And the actual warmth...

At least it wasn't Joe Buck or Chris Berman!

Or Dick Goddard!! http://www.greenschoolsfoundation.com/raffle/images/Award%20Winners/Dick%20Goddard.JPG

My HD box was hooked up at about 2:30 in the afternoon. I still did my usual TV viewing(judge shows, Springer). Then at 5pm the local FOX news came on in HD. During the whole show I sat there and said "Holy sh--!". Then, Mr Goddard comes on with weather and :eek::eek:. Scary in HD.

Or Dick Goddard!! http://www.greenschoolsfoundation.com/raffle/images/Award%20Winners/Dick%20Goddard.JPG

My HD box was hooked up at about 2:30 in the afternoon. I still did my usual TV viewing(judge shows, Springer). Then at 5pm the local FOX news came on in HD. During the whole show I sat there and said "Holy sh--!". Then, Mr Goddard comes on with weather and :eek::eek:. Scary in HD.



I love Dick! Wait... :o

Bull.
are you Superman ?

And the actual warmth...Clearly you don't have a plasma set.

A cow eating hay! Okay I needed that after the day that I've had. I'm just picturing in my mind calling to my wife who's not a big tv watcher anyway, "honey, come look at the cow!"

Ridiculously funny!

I'm fairly sure that I'd find the HDHEC (high definition hay-eating cow) more entertaining than NASCAR. :D

I'm fairly sure that I'd find the HDHEC (high definition hay-eating cow) more entertaining than NASCAR. :D

Yeah but isn't NASCAR in DD 5.1? Chewing and mooing can't be appealing in DD 5.1, can it?

just wait until you see FAT people in a eating contest

Oddly enough, those people never seem to be fat.

Yeah but isn't NASCAR in DD 5.1? Chewing and mooing can't be appealing in DD 5.1, can it?
Some might consider that more appealing than drinking beer and farting in 5.1? ;)

Oddly enough, those people never seem to be fat.

yea your right most of them are skinny little asians

but there are still shows with fat people eating in HD

I'm pretty sure they go and stick their finger down their throat afterwards - that is, if they don't just throw up naturally.

Think about it. Do you even think it's humanly possible to comfortably digest 80 hot dogs all at once?

It's the people who eat the equivalent of 5 hot dogs at every meal that keep it all down that get fat.

My first HDTV experience was watching "Bikini Destinations" on a OTA Mexican 24/7 HDTV Channel...

It was great, I was glued to the screen, I wish I had some screen shots..

You're all mooing for more HD channels .. the providers are listening.

--- CHAS

Over simplifying.

Really brings nature to you, unless you live in the middle of nowhere and are used to those beauties.



Live in Iowa. Cow country baby! :D

You have no idea how lucky you are. Everybody's first image seen in HD after purchasing an HDTV for the first time (after a lifetime of SD viewing and months/years of research) is a once-in-a-lifetime story. Yours is entertaining, but look who I saw first when I fired up my then-new Olevia 747i 1080p HDTV last March (bad pic quality my fault; in real life, sadly, the image was pristine and life-like to my then virgin eyes):
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
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http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u238/dad1153/747ib1copy.jpg

Bummer! :( :rolleyes: ;) :) :p

I see that you also saw a cow as your first HD image...except he wasn't eating any grass...and apparently was wearing a suit? Odd!

What is funny is if you go into the Archives, you can see us getting all excited because DirecTV or Dish changed their demo loop and debating how it looked, etc. Usually stuff like flying over mountains or fields of grain waving in the wind. :D

Milk Cows in The Morning is one of my favourite shows, I am waiting to see how they make the chocolate milk.