• by Manning Field , January 25, 2007

I'll assume that most of the readers of this column have high-def TVs in their homes. I have three in mine, and I'm pretty sure that I need more.

But there are some issues we need to discuss about HDTV:

1). We need more content in HDTV. Switching between high-def broadcasts and SD content is extremely painful. It's like making me go back to dial-up. The cable folks need to step up their game here. As an advertiser, I can completely rationalize the network premium on the quality alone. Put up low-def content and commercials, get low-def pricing.

2) We need high-def commercial standards. There is an embarrassing lack of consistency on specifications for high-def content. This is really a problem when doing a major campaign across all the networks. It's inefficient, silly and holding back the high-def commercial business.

3). We need retailers to take the fear and snobbery out of the purchasing process. Hey, guy on the showroom floor: I'm not an expert; help me and don't make me feel stupid. If consumers didn't need help, then you wouldn't have a job. The most frustrating retail experiences are in the electronics, musical instrument, and record stores. Retail clerks look down on you as unworthy of the equipment you are buying (and they can't afford). We aren't a "phile" of anything. We just want our stuff.

That's the business side of it. On the flipside, we also need to be aware that some things aren't meant to be in high-def. Here is my top three:

1). State of the Union address: with the Cheney-Pelosi backdrop of smirks, lozenge shuffling, and eye-blinking distractions, enough is enough. I scrambled for the remote to change from NBC to MSNBC.

2) "Desperate Housewives": somehow they just look more desperate in high-def.

3). Sunday NFL countdown: I could fix the plaster crack in my daughter's bedroom with Chris Berman's pancake makeup.

What are yours?

Manning