Quote Originally Posted by Alan
He says that if you focus at the hyperfocal distance, the background will be disappointingly blurry.

He's doing it wrong. The "old standards" for hyperfocal distance (like the ones printed on lens barrels) are based on small print sizes and low resolutions. These days we view images at 100% on the monitor up close, which simulates a print size of 6 feet wide. The hyperfocal distance varies by the acceptably sharp CoC, which is smaller for 100% crop viewing than it is for a 8x10 print, for example.