HDTV Tips
Okay, seriously – if I'm going to get an HDTV, what do I have to watch out for? I've already got HDTV for Comcast, but no actual HDTV TV. Jake has a few HDTV tips posted, and his first one is probably the most important:
Before you produce your plastic in the checkout line, make sure you know what you're buying. This seems like good advice for any purchase in the $1000+ price range, but few home electronics purchases are as confusing as HDTV. Many of the screens at the lower end of the price spectrum are actually Enhanced Definition TV screens, rather than being truly HD capable. EDTV is limited to 480p progressive-scan image quality, which looks better than standard definition and is the same resolution found in most DVD material available today. These screens can play HDTV signals from higher resolution sources like HDTV cable boxes or HDTV tuners by down-sampling the image from 720p or 1080i to 480p. HDTV-ready screens are exactly that, ready to receive an HDTV signal from an external source. These offerings rely on the cable box from your local provider or an external HDTV tuner to handle the signal processing before sending it to the screen and are capable of rendering HDTV resolutions. A true HDTV contains a built-in ATSC tuner/decoder capable of translating an HDTV signal at 720p or better resolution without requiring additional hardware. If you plan on getting all your HDTV content through a service provider, this may not be a major concern, but it's still something to consider in the purchase process.
It's only HDTV – how hard could it be?
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10 Comments
Funny video
December 5th, 2007
at 12:00pm
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Anonymous
February 4th, 2005
at 9:20pm
Just 480p EDTV is pretty damn impressive. 720p HDTV is the best right now IMHO. 1080i sucks because of the interlace, as you effectively get the same quality as you would from 540p (which is why 720p is the best).
I'd recommend looking at the various XGA/WXGA projectors out there too. Sure, you got to fork over a few hundred bucks once in a while for a new bulb but you get a PORTABLE 100″ television set for about $1500!
The Optoma 739 (576p EDTV DLP) and Panasonic AE700 (720p HDTV LCD) are pretty good. It's also freakin amazing to play a game of life-size HL2. :-)
Anonymous
February 5th, 2005
at 5:13pm
Ideally you want a display that can show both 720p and 1080i signals. Many HD displays, especially those that aren't brand-new, only support 1080i (or 540p). However, contrary to the above comment, 540P and 1080i are NOT the same thing.
1080i is the highest resolution you'll find in an HDTV “television” set. You can get higher… there are standards now for 1080p and 1280p – but they're generally only supported on computer monitors (like my 23″ HP f2304).
If you have an Xbox, you'll find that several new games support 720p, and some support 1080i (they all support 480p). In order to view everything at the best quality, you'll want to support BOTH of those standards if at all possible. If you have to pick one, I'd go with 720p, only because that's what Soul Calibur uses :)
Anonymous
February 6th, 2005
at 12:36am
EDTV is a horrible movie.
Anonymous
February 6th, 2005
at 6:56am
Make sure you get a DLP. Get anything else and be prepared to be disappointed.
Anonymous
February 7th, 2005
at 4:54pm
The latest issue of Consumer Reports has ratings for big screen TVs. I haven't received mine yet, but I would be surprised if they didn't have ratings & info for HDTV. If you decided to go for it, get the real thing and spend the money. My other half thinks a 27″ Sony color TV is a “monster”, so I won't be getting HDTV anytime soon, but HDTV picture is awesome. I say “do your research and go for it.” After all, every geek needs HDTV.
Anonymous
February 8th, 2005
at 12:09am
Forget DLP. Get either an LCOS (LCD Projection) or get the Sharp 45″ Aquos. No DLP can touch the 2 mil pixel resolution of the Sharp Aquos.
Anonymous
February 24th, 2005
at 7:16am
Yeah, EDTV is a very horrible movie…
-jessica
Cassandra
November 29th, 2007
at 6:47am
You should read and re-read, research about what you want to buy and be sure it is what you really want. Resolution is important.
Anonymous
November 29th, 2007
at 8:12am
1080p is now the standard for HDTV. The real trick is looking at the contrast ratio. At the low end it is 700:1 Anything over 7000:1 is acceptable. The high end is 25000;1. You will notice the the price is usually higher for the higher end models Choose wisely when spending. As more people choose HDTV the prices will come down.