# Rave?

- Site: Analog Industries
- Author: Chris Randall
- Date: 2006-09-14
- URL: https://analogindustries.com/2006/09/rave/

This is really skirting the perview of Analog Industries, but it's vaguely music-related. Last weekend, my wife and I got a 42" HD plasma TV. Obviously, there's no point in having an HD TV if you don't have HD content, so we upgraded our Dish Network system to the HD package, and that happened today.

"Please, oh, please let him have a point," you're saying. Well, yeah. There's this channel as part of the Voom HD lineup that's called "Rave." It's all concerts, all the time, in HD and Dubbly. I've only had it for like 10 hours now, so it's hard to get a handle on what they're all about, exactly. I'll say the following, though:

1\. HD is not very kind to people that aren't, say, Halle Berry. The camera may add ten pounds, but in HD it also adds about 20 years and a nasty case of smallpox. I caught a bit of Cheap Trick, and Rick Neilsen, whom I've met several times, and looks fine in person, looks in HD like he's just walked off a George Romero set, in full zombie makeup. It's harsh.

2\. The Pretenders still kind of rock. I liked them better back when they were too fucking Precious (fuck off!), rather than just Special, but that's just me. Unlike a lot of bands that still make a living off old songs, they are incredibly non-pompous. Something to be said for that.

3\. Paul Rogers can sing. No one will deny that. But Paul Rogers singing for Queen in place of Freddie Mercury is just strange. I sat through that whole thing, because I kept thinking the next song would be pretty fly. I thought that all the way to the end. Those guys should probably stop.

Never mind all that bullshit classic rock, though. There's a two-hour Ryuichi Sakamoto concert on at 2am. I'm gonna PVR that shit, so if you're wondering what I'm doing tomorrow, well, you know how at least 2 hours of it will be spent.

## Comments (17)

**boobs** (2006-09-14):

HD is great. i watched hockey playoffs/stanley cup in HD and what a difference! it's just so much better. movies, cartoons. everything just looks better.. finer resolution.. no pixelation.. but then.. i didn't notice any pixelation when i had rabbit ears either.. hmmmmm... digital looks way better.. seriously though.. i think it's the only reason CSI miami is still on the air.. because all the miami folks can watch it in HD on giant screens and see miami in all its sexiness in super fine resolution.

even the simpsons look better. homer is even funnier in HD

**moyashi** (2006-09-14):

Which Sakamoto concert? The "early electronica/World Citizen" Japan tour with Cornelius, Skuli Sverrisson, and some other European cats, or something totally different, i.e. the Brazillian stuff?

**Jaysen** (2006-09-14):

I read a story from Drew Carey about how he purchased a 50" tv right after the D.C. Show got renewed for another season. He bought it for the purpose of watching 'intellectual' and 'important' movies of the 20th c, i.e. Ben Hur, documentaries, criterion type releases, etc.

So in the end with his large collection of important dvds, what does he really only watch on his big screen tv? Porn.

**ortho** (2006-09-14):

Does your PVR record in HD as well? Yah, the Pretenders are pretty solid, except for Chrissie's umm 'outspokenness' about the war and fur. Man, i used to dig that eyeliner.

Anyway, enjoy that pimp home-theater, 42 inches ain't no joke!

**noisegeek** (2006-09-14):

I had the same reaction seeing Queen recently. Musically they sound great. Brian May still rocks. But something just sounded "off". Kind of depressing actually.

**Downpressor** (2006-09-14):

Somehow I dont think HD is gonna be kind to porn starlets.

**Wade Alin** (2006-09-14):

>>The Pretenders still kind of rock

absolutely.

W

**meeglosh** (2006-09-14):

Which HD set did you settle on (in a weak effort to steer this post back towards gearlust)? Pioneer is the best I've seen, imho.

**Chris Randall** (2006-09-14):

I got this TV:

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Panasonic-42-Plasma-HDTV-TH-42PX60U-/sem/rpsm/oid/146417/catOid/-12869/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

And to answer the other question, the Dish Network receiver has a built-in PVR. It'll record something like 300 hours of normal TV or 40 hours of HD, or any combination thereof.

I just got up, so I haven't watched the Sakamoto concert yet. The info just said "The Artist Performs." Judging from the normal content of Rave, it's going to be a recent concert, though. It had to be filmed in HD to be on there in the first place.

-CR

**brandon daniel** (2006-09-14):

Yeah, we got last year's model of that TV as an xmas gift to ourselves, it's pretty sweet. We haven't quite gone HD on anything yet (save the not-really-HD 480p XBOX), though, as we're loath to give up our hacked series1 tivo for something with less flexibility of content.

**penzoil washington** (2006-09-14):

Did Diamond Dave order it for ya?

**javahut** (2006-09-14):

Good choice, CR! Panasonic is well known for having about the best pic quality and deepest black level of all plasmas.

I guess you know about their commercial models that are monitors only. Since we never use TV speakers, we opted for the commercial monitor only version, which I guess you pretty much have to order online, cause I never see any in the typical electronics stores. Back when the HD versions were still an arm and a leg, we settled for the ED version, which still has outstanding pic quality with an HD signal. Thinking about trading up to the HD version... but then again, it's only TV... and I need more studio toys! ;-)

Here's the commercial version of Panasonic's plasma monitor... hanging on the wall they look great!

http://www.plasmadepot.com/panasonic_plasma_tv/th42ph9uk.php

Wouldn't mind one of those new 40" 1920 x 1080 LCD monitors, though, either.

**Chris Randall** (2006-09-14):

We got a killer deal on the one we got, otherwise I'd have opted for that monitor version. It was on sale to begin with, and an open-box model to boot, so it was so cheap I couldn't pass it up. We had a fantastic CRT to begin with, but my wife found that deal and talked me in to it. (Like that was hard.)

-CR

**Lindon** (2006-09-14):

Yeah Paul Rogers is still the biz vocally. He should dump the pomp-rock crew and dig up Andy Fraser, I'm sure he's still got Simon Kirk's number, find a spikey guitar player and re-form Free.

I'm still proud that the first album I bought with my own money was "Fire & Water", but then again I am reduced to this level of minor comfort in my old age due to high career-based-failure levels...YMMV.

..trying to stay "on" topic(music related stuff) here, I went on to buy EVERYTHING Free ever did(including each and every version of Alright Now where the only difference was the song on the b-side; a song which in all cases, by the way, I already owned). What other bands did people get obsessed about in their youth?

**Porco Rosso** (2006-09-14):

If you have good light control, front projection is pretty hard to argue with. I've got a sony projector that's 720p HD and a screen that's 92"x52".

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly was looking fine on HD net.

Sadly, DVD's are starting to look a little soft now that we've got the Dish 622.

**tom vx** (2006-09-14):

in rick nielsen's defense, stage lighting (as you know) can be pretty fucking harsh, and i doubt he's caked in makeup like the halle berrys and tom cruises would be in a feature film.

just a little devil's advocate here. i certainly don't ever want to be seen magnified 30x in HD!

**Chris Randall** (2006-09-15):

Actually, stage lighting is not harsh at all. _video_ lighting is harsh.

-CR