Ever get the feeling most people couldn't tell if their HDTV is working correctly (much less actually watching high definition content)? Apparently that's changing on a massive scale, as DigiTimes cites unnamed industry sources saying the refund on cheap LCDs has risen recently. More discerning customers have higher standards for picture quality -- just ask your cable company -- increasing the refund rate for LCD TVs to 25-30%. Obviously, most of our readers are the kind of people who whip out the calibration tool and start testing as soon as a new TV arrives, but if the masses are picking up on previously unnoticed issues, hopefully standards for quality -- even at the low end of the price scale, will rise to match.

Don't know how this one slipped by us, but better later than never. The Plasma Display Coalition, made up of Hitachi, LG, Panasonic and Pioneer, recently surveyed plasma owners to find out what drew them to the technology. No big surprise in the results -- 98-percent cited "excellent" or "good" picture quality. Taking the lesson to heart, the coalition has put together a brochure for retail trainers entitled "Plasma HDTV: Simply the Best Picture." As LCD increases its dominance, manufacturers will have to justify keeping plasma displays in their lineups. The titles for "thinnest" and "greenest" are out of reach; so for plasma's sake, let's hope the coalition members leave aside "biggest" bragging rights in favor of "best PQ for normal people."

Considering the recent hullabaloo over Comcast and Rogers Cable deciding to (over) compress at least part of their respective HD lineups, Electronic House's latest writeup is particularly timely. It's investigation into HD Lite reveals quite a few tidbits that everyone should know, but often get overlooked in the uproar. Put simply, every high-def channel that gets piped your way is compressed in some form or fashion (that includes you too, Verizon) before it hits the carrier. In other words, just because a signal gets modified before it hits your set doesn't automatically make it HD Lite. Still, there's no doubt that some providers have taken this squeeze too far and compressed signals to the point of noticeability -- that's where the problem emerges. Give the article a read, you'll likely learn a thing or two about nomenclature if all else fails.

It was inevitable, really. No sooner does Comcast and Rogers Cable begin taking heat for over compressing their HD feeds than Verizon pumps out a TV spot trumpeting its ability to deliver "pure, uncompressed high-definition." The ad campaign asserts that its delivery of material is superior to that offered up by traditional cable providers, but the company's media relations director Bobbi Henson did note that the real purpose was to show that "FiOS TV customers are receiving HD that's not compressed by Verizon." She noted in an e-mail statement that "content owners compress their video before sending it to video service providers, but [Verizon] forwards the signal to its customers the way that [they arrive]." You know what they say about bandwidth: if you've got it, flaunt it.

Bad news for Rogers Cable customers -- word on the street has it that your HD feeds may begin to look a little less fantastic in the coming days. According to Digital Home Canada, the carrier has outlined a plan in a technical briefing sent out by Rogers Network Engineering and Operations that will compress part of its high-definition lineup in order to "deliver more HD channels without having to use more bandwidth." As it stands, 15 HD channels are facing the dreaded HD Lite treatment effective April 9th, but curiously, we're not told which HD networks are actually on the docket to be added. Granted, we've yet to see a definitive confirmation, but given that Comcast has recently caught loads of flack for its decision to shove three HD channels on a single 6MHz slot, we suppose an awful trend could be (re)emerging. Keep a critical eye out, Rogers customers -- let us know if anything changes.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

It's not unusual to hear of entire neighborhoods kvetching over lackluster HD quality, but judging by the growing chorus of complaints over at AVSForum, we're beginning to wonder if this issue isn't more widespread. Reportedly, Comcast is squeezing three HD channels onto a 38.8Mbps QAM, which is typically used to handle just two HD channels. One particular user decided to pull screen grabs from shows seen on Comcast and Verizon's FiOS TV, and needless to say, the results were fairly startling. We aren't assuming that the overdone compression is being seen elsewhere, but we are curious to know if your Comcast service has taken a hit in quality. So, is your viewing experience as good as ever? Or have things become slightly less Comcastic of late?

[Thanks, Dave]

We've certainly seen the head honchos give the cable companies a piece of their mind before, but this time the carriers are receiving a fairly stiff scolding care of the National Association of Broadcasters. David Rehr made sure to make every moment of his speech segment count, as he ripped cable providers for "downconverting" the signals of local channels in order to boost the bandwidth available to "their own high-definition signals." Mr. Rehr even went so far as to call the process "broadcast discrimination," and we can only presume that certain providers -- such as Time Warner, who has ties to HBO and Comcast, which is strongly linked to Versus / Golf Channel -- are the targets of recent battles. Unsurprisingly, anonymous cable services have reportedly denied the claims of delusion, but how do the actual end-users see it? Let us know folks: is your cable company giving preferential treatment to channels it has vested interest in?

[Via HiDefster]