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- Nov 22, 2007
Since HD and HDTV is slowly and finally becoming the norm, I thought it would be a good idea to have a thread talking about what the technology is, whereit's going, and what brands/shows/media is the best.
Some quick FYI's...
HD Resolutions
The resolutions for HD are 1920x1080 (1080p/i), 1280x720 (720p)
EDTV's are NOT HD! They are only 852x480 (480p)
The p in 1080p and 720p stands for progressive video and is the best quality of picture you can have. The reason that it's the best is because each line insuccession is refreshed.
An example is lines 1,2,3,4,5... are refreshed in this order
The i in 1080i stands for interlaced video. Interlaced is exactly the opposite from progressive because every other line is refreshed.
An example would be line 1,3,5,7,9... Then lines 2,4,6,8,10... would be refreshed.
Here is a very good video for some more information...
HD Connections and Cable Types
The way you connect to an HDTV can determine what type of resolution you can display on the TV. The TV's native resolution can also determine what type ofresolution can be displayed.
The most common HD connections are (in order of picture/audio quality):
HDMI (Can display 1080p, 720p, 1080i, 480p, 480i). This digital cable carries both audio and video through just one cable.
DVI (Can display a variety of resolutions but is varied by TV, generally used for PC connections). This digital cable carries just video through the cable, butis usually attached with an audio cord similar to a PC audio cord.
Component (Can display 720p, 1080i, 480p, 480i, and SOME HDTV's support 1080p but this is very uncommon and rare). This analog cable carries both videothrough Red/Green/Blue and audio through Red/White.
Stay away from higher costing cables for HDMI and DVI. It is a digital cable, it either works or it doesn't. Monoprice.com is a very good site to purchasethese cables from.
HD Sources
There are many ways to receive HD.
You can get HD through just a regular antenna and pick up locals like ABC-HD, FOX-HD, NBC-HD, CBS-HD, and PBS-HD.
You can also subscribe to cable or satellite and use their DVR service and obtain cable channels in HD like ESPN-HD, HBO-HD, and Discovery-HD.
The Sony Playstation and Xbox 360 offer HD gaming and HD movies. The Playstation has a Blu-ray drive built-in, and the 360 has a HD-DVD add-on (discontinueddue to HD-DVD being discontinued) and HD movies through the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Blu-ray and HD-DVD both offer movies in 1080p, the highest resolution available. One of these along with a surround system and a quality TV, you will see whatHD was made for.
HD Displays
Some of the more common HDTV's now are LCD and Plasma flat panels. There is also DLP and projectors, use light and mirrors to project theirimage.
Pros and Cons of each...
LCD Pros
Variety of sizes
Resolution
Light weight
Energy consumption
No risk of Burn-in
PC Friendly
LCD Cons
Price for larger sizes
Limited viewing angle
Refresh problems with fast images
Plasma Pros
Superior picture quality vs LCD
Size (Generally 42" and up)
Price for size
Plasma Cons
Burn-in risk (Although newer panels are less prone to this, it is a technology issue)
Size (If you're looking for a smaller set than 42", good luck. There was a 37" available at one time)
Large glass panel
Weight
Energy usage and heat
DLP Pros
Larger Sizes
No Burn-in or refresh issues like Plasma and LCD
Easily repairable
DLP Cons
Size if you're looking for a smaller set
Bulb replacement, no bulb = no TV
Limited viewing angle
Some top brands to consider are: Sony, Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic, Pioneer, LG, Westinghouse, JVC, and Vizio
I'll add more later... Hope this helps some people...
Some quick FYI's...
HD Resolutions
The resolutions for HD are 1920x1080 (1080p/i), 1280x720 (720p)
EDTV's are NOT HD! They are only 852x480 (480p)
The p in 1080p and 720p stands for progressive video and is the best quality of picture you can have. The reason that it's the best is because each line insuccession is refreshed.
An example is lines 1,2,3,4,5... are refreshed in this order
The i in 1080i stands for interlaced video. Interlaced is exactly the opposite from progressive because every other line is refreshed.
An example would be line 1,3,5,7,9... Then lines 2,4,6,8,10... would be refreshed.
Here is a very good video for some more information...
HD Connections and Cable Types
The way you connect to an HDTV can determine what type of resolution you can display on the TV. The TV's native resolution can also determine what type ofresolution can be displayed.
The most common HD connections are (in order of picture/audio quality):
HDMI (Can display 1080p, 720p, 1080i, 480p, 480i). This digital cable carries both audio and video through just one cable.
DVI (Can display a variety of resolutions but is varied by TV, generally used for PC connections). This digital cable carries just video through the cable, butis usually attached with an audio cord similar to a PC audio cord.
Component (Can display 720p, 1080i, 480p, 480i, and SOME HDTV's support 1080p but this is very uncommon and rare). This analog cable carries both videothrough Red/Green/Blue and audio through Red/White.
Stay away from higher costing cables for HDMI and DVI. It is a digital cable, it either works or it doesn't. Monoprice.com is a very good site to purchasethese cables from.
HD Sources
There are many ways to receive HD.
You can get HD through just a regular antenna and pick up locals like ABC-HD, FOX-HD, NBC-HD, CBS-HD, and PBS-HD.
You can also subscribe to cable or satellite and use their DVR service and obtain cable channels in HD like ESPN-HD, HBO-HD, and Discovery-HD.
The Sony Playstation and Xbox 360 offer HD gaming and HD movies. The Playstation has a Blu-ray drive built-in, and the 360 has a HD-DVD add-on (discontinueddue to HD-DVD being discontinued) and HD movies through the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Blu-ray and HD-DVD both offer movies in 1080p, the highest resolution available. One of these along with a surround system and a quality TV, you will see whatHD was made for.
HD Displays
Some of the more common HDTV's now are LCD and Plasma flat panels. There is also DLP and projectors, use light and mirrors to project theirimage.
Pros and Cons of each...
LCD Pros
Variety of sizes
Resolution
Light weight
Energy consumption
No risk of Burn-in
PC Friendly
LCD Cons
Price for larger sizes
Limited viewing angle
Refresh problems with fast images
Plasma Pros
Superior picture quality vs LCD
Size (Generally 42" and up)
Price for size
Plasma Cons
Burn-in risk (Although newer panels are less prone to this, it is a technology issue)
Size (If you're looking for a smaller set than 42", good luck. There was a 37" available at one time)
Large glass panel
Weight
Energy usage and heat
DLP Pros
Larger Sizes
No Burn-in or refresh issues like Plasma and LCD
Easily repairable
DLP Cons
Size if you're looking for a smaller set
Bulb replacement, no bulb = no TV
Limited viewing angle
Some top brands to consider are: Sony, Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic, Pioneer, LG, Westinghouse, JVC, and Vizio
I'll add more later... Hope this helps some people...
