Choose a TV for Use Now and Later
Mar 16 '03
The Bottom Line Research, research, research. Think versatility.
Choose and enjoy the view!
I spent months researching and reviewing all kinds of TV's before making my selection of TV in September 2002. The technical issues I had to consider are important to buying any TV, but especially when deciding between buying an Analog(NTSC) or Digital(ATSC) TV. Some things have no doubt changed since then, more terms added, more features, content availability, maybe some new developments in copyright control issues, etc. so please do some more research before choosing. My notes should only be a starting point for those who are new to "digtial tv".
I chose a Toshiba 42HDX82 HD Capable-RPTV.
My review of this particular HD Capable RPTV is here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_88509681284
This review is very, very, very long, full of technical terms and concepts. It is the result of interviews, research, personal tests,comprised from sources from all over the internet, newspaper articles, books, magazines,newsgroups, chat groups, and my personal observations and opinions.
I suggest you copy and paste it to a new document, then print it and read it that way so you can go back easily and read a term if you get confused, add your own notes to it, and also take it along with you, when doing further research.
If anyone feels I have gotten a concept completely wrong, considering the date of the research, please write to me, cite a data source for the proposed correction, and I will change it asap.
Please research and check the specs of the TV you are considering buying to find out what your model of choice has on it, what it can display and what it cannot, etc. etc., they are all different. Use the manufacturers website, Call the manufacturer of the Tv and make them answer your technical questions, and then go to the store and look at it, then talk to the salesman about it. Talk technical stuff with him-he will enjoy having someone to chat with about this stuff. If he does not, then find another store to shop at.
HDTV-Choose It and Use it
Our Perception of TV Resolution
The resolution that the human eye readily detect is about the same as the quality of an NTSC picture on a 20 inch TV at the usual viewing distance of 8 feet. Therefore, High Definition TV systems with a four times increase in resolution may or may not have effect on the average viewer. A positive effect is noted where high-res images are displayed properly, but negative effects are more common due to lack of high quality content. (since broadcaster’s do not currently film very many programs in high res quality, and the upcovert processes used to display images at higher res inherently retain the artifacts of this inferior method of filming TV content) Quality can vary quite a bit with the production standards of the program. For example, The CBS HD programs originate on film and the quality of the film stock (graininess) and transfer (contrast and color) varies from show to show and producer to producer. The same has been said about other content sources.
Video based content has a decidely sharper appearance than film originated material. Much of the PBS content is going to be short informational and documentary type programs which were shot with portable video cameras (perhaps with a digital video cameras?) and not using standard film. While filmed content is spectacular in the movie theater, Video content on any TV is going to look much more natural and lifelike than film. Not necessarily better, just more real looking.
TV Screen Choices
Direct-View TV is the industry label for what most people think of as a standard TV configuration. Currently, 4:3 aspect-ratio sets range in size from 9 inches to 40 inches, while 16:9, wide-screen, HD-ready sets come in 30 to 40-inch models (all screens are measured diagonally).
CRT-CRT stands for Cathode Ray Tube. Both Direct View CRT based TV's and computer monitors are of CRT based display design, they just resolve and display image differently.
DLP-DLP is a technology made by Texas Instruments. It uses a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) which has approximately one million tiny mirrors to reflect light that creates a digital image. This is considered to be the best digital picture you can get! DLP is said to have a fill-rate of 88%. The fill-rate is determined by how much of the image is made up of elements compared to the space in between the elements. Thus, 88% means the screen is 88% full of color, while 12% of the image is in between those elements.
LCD-LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. It has millions of individual LCD elements that are turned on and off to create the colors Red, Green, and Blue. If an element is turned on, light is projected through that specific LCD cell and you see the corresponding color. The fill-rate of LCD is said to be 83%.
D-ILA is a type of LCD display that is owned by JVC. D-ILA, unlike LCD, uses a method of reflecting light through the elements twice before being passed to the lens. The fill-rate of D-ILA is said to be 93%
LCOS stands for Liquid Crystal on Silicon and is very similar to the technology of D-ILA. It is owned by Hitachi.
Plasma-A plasma screen is different in that it contains millions of compartments that contain noble gases such as Argon, Neon or Xenon. To turn these pixels on a current is passed into the compartment and they turn red, green or blue. This is the exact same technology that is used in Neon signs, except a neon sign usually only has one or two compartments of gas, whereas plasma screens have millions. 40" sizes are common, larger are available.
Rear Projection TV
A RPTV is simply a TV that uses either a smallish version CRT, LCD, DLP etc, or other display resolving device to resolve the image, then project that image onto the screen for viewing.
LCD based HD-RPTV's (Panasonic makes a 40" model) may provide higher resolution and refresh rates for viewing computer output and game output due to the way they are made. These Tv's may have a VGA input for connecting the computer directly to it.
Front Projection TV
Same thing as RPTV except the projection takes place outside the box and onto the wall or viewscreen on the wall
Projector System
Same as RPTV except the projector only does the display image on the wall part. You msut connect it to a device to resolve the image such as a computer.
Flat screen
Flat-screen direct-view sets benefits include reduced light reflections, and different geometry used to create the picture, over traditional curved tubes. However, most newer and good quality non-flat screen tv’s are only slightly curved; in some the difference is negligible. Let yours eyes and wallet decide.
Aspect ratio
Direct-view HDTV-capable sets come in either standard 4:3 or 16:9 wide-screen designs. The standard 4:3 design is optimal for viewing cable or off-air TV while the wide-screen design is optimal for viewing HDTV and DVDs. You can still watch standard TV on a wide-screen set, but if you want the picture displayed across the entire screen (as opposed to a 4:3 square with black bars on each side), it will have to be stretched.
TV Format Choices
NTSC-Analog Only TV
NTSC: Stands for National Television Standards Committee. The video standard in North America and other parts of the world for broadcasting video into the home and recording it on tape. Note: PAL is the standard used in Europe. Also SECAM is used in some places. It is not compatible with NTSC.
NTSC is transmitted via standard NTSC format, in which the signal information carries all of the picture data already constructed and ready for display, it is inherently noisy, susceptible to dropoff, requires a great deal of bandwidth to transmit, and has a short range. NTSC TV'' use the interlace method to draw onscreen images. That is, the electron gun at the back of the TV tube first fires off the odd lines of the onscreen image, then during a second pass, it shoots out the even-numbered lines. This all occurs within 1/30 of a second, and what you wind up seeing is an acceptable picture that has some occasional flicker or artifacts. Two fields make up each frame, with the first field containing the 240 odd-numbered lines of the frame and the second field containing the 240 even-numbered lines of the frame.
Lines of Resolution refers to the horizontal capability of the TV, which is an indication of the maximum number of equally spaced black and white vertical line pairs that can be resolved on a TV pattern.
Most analog television broadcast stations transmit a picture that contains 480 vertical interlaced lines with approximately 340 horizontal pixels per line. The Analog TV can receive at aboout 525H x 330
Those lines refer to horizontal lines (or the 2nd number in computer monitor resolutions).
For example, 480i (480 horizontal lines interlaced) may be 640x480 when using 4:3 aspect ratio, 720x480 with 3:2 ratio, or 852x480 with 16:9 ratio. Thus, the aspect ratio determines the number of vertical lines.
The number of lines has something to do with aliasing (jagged edges included), but it’s not the only factor. The display device (the TV or monitor) has a resolution, and the source (TV signal, DVD movie, game console, etc.) also has a resolution. A game console with 240 horizontal lines displayed on a TV capable of 720 horizontal lines will still only have 240 meaningful lines shown. In other words, the lower of the two determines the final viewable resolution.
Analog NTSC TV 4:3 aspect ratio resolution=525i-H x 330i-V
Some newer NTSC analog TV's claim higher resolution than this.
NTSC Analog Only-TV sets can resolve/display VHS, S-VHS, Std. DVD (480i).
NTSC Analog only TV sets cannot natively display any true HD digital off-air antenna signal, HD cable signal, HD sat. dish signal, Progressive 480p DVD, HD-DVD 720p player signal, HD-VHS signal, nor or any HDTV signal such as 480p/540p/720p or 1080i. However, DTV signal can be displayed on Analog NTSC sets if the signal is down-converted (made into a lower resolution which the analog TV set can display) by a set-top convertor box. NTSC Analog TV’s cannot do this on their own. (these downconverting boxes do not exist today, but may be available later as TV stations convert to all digital broadcasting)
A "top of the line" flat screen Analog TV may technically output the same resolution as a low-end DTV but the DTV picture will still look better due to technical features’s of DTV’s such as progressive scan.(The practice of most DTV's to line double and enhance all input content and display it at 480p or higher)
ATSC Digital TV (Digital & Analog is Combined in one TV set)
ATSC: This is the government committee appointed by the FCC to document recommendations for digital television standards set forth by the ACTATS (which is another government advisory committee.) The ATSC works with DTV Equipment Manufacturer’s and the MPAA (Motion Picture Association) to come up with standards for DTV.
DTV: The Industry terrm “Digital TV”, is commonly refering to any TV that is able to scan and display, at minimum, double the frequency of the standard NTSC (480i? or less) television, signal of SDTV standard definition 480i, EDTV Enhanced definition (480p). It should not be called digital unless it can do at least that. At best, a Digital TV's may display HDTV quality high-definition (720p or 1080i) signal.
Common Digital TV Resolution (similar to Computer monitor resolutions but still an analog display)
SDTV 704 x 480 in 16:9, 640 x 480 in 4:3
EDTV 1280 x 720 in 16:9
HDTV 1920 x 1080 in 16:9
The digital broadcasts are transmitted in the MPEG-2 format ( which is unlike the standard NTSC format, where the signal information carries all of the picture data already constructed) the digital signal is sent as data bits over the air or cable to be constructed by the HD decoder-tuner box at it's destination.
The HD Ready TV set’s can accept signals at the resolutions used for display of Digital images, but it accepts them only after they've been converted from the transmission method of digital (Mpeg-2) back to analog form by the decoder-tuner box or HD-satellite receiver box.
CRT's, which are used to create the image projected in the vast majority of Direct-View Intergrated and HD Ready TV's and HD-Capable RPTV and Integrated HDTV's now on the market, operate in an analog fashion as well.
Only Plasma TV's and LCD based TV's accept digital signal as well as display in digital form( like a computer monitor does.)
Industry Labels and Categories of DTV's
SDTV: Standard Definition TV (480i? Or less), about the same technically as our current analog TV broadcasts, but DTV’s provide improved picture quality over NTSC analog only TV's due to the way the signal is transmitted, received, and the new ways the DTV’s have been created to convert/resolve/display the image.
Digital-ready sets - They should really be called SDTV sets. These TVs are normally 480i (Std DVD quality) displays with an analog tuner (for the TV channels 2 through 83) built in. The problem with these sets is that their maximum resolution is normally restricted to the lower 480i resolution, which eliminates the ED 480p or HD 720p 1080i resolutions.
SDTV Compatible/ Ready: These TV's often have component video inputs to the unit for viewing standard definition programming broadcasts in 480i formats, but it sometimes has a built-in digital tuner that can down-convert down an HDTV 720p/1080i signal to display the picture in 480i or 480p. A decoder box can be used to decode Progressive DVD 480p scan input.
EDTV-Enhanced Definition TV-480I,480p Most all DTV’s include a line-doubler chip which takes Analog 480i NTSC signal and up-converts it to 480p which can dramatically improve the quality of the picture. (depending on the quality of the source) The TV must be connected to a DTV set top decoder box to decode anything of higher resolution such as HD-DVD 720p or 1080i HDTV signal.
HDTV Ready/Compatible/Capable, Progressive Scan TV: These TV's usually enable you to hookup STD 480i or a Progressive 480p DVD players using the HD component inputs without a set top decoder box. The TV must be connected to a HDTV set-top decoder box (or a PC video card with an HDTV decoder) in order to receive any other HD signal. An external over the air antenna/ with HD decoder box, HD satellite dish convertor box, HD cable convertor box may also be used.
HDTV 720p
Very few sets offer the ability to scan/display natively in HD 720p and much of today's high-definition programs are transmitted in the 1080i format or in 480p, because many consumer electronics manufacturers have decided to forego the more expensive circuitry required to scan in 720p. This is unfortunate because 720p would be a really good resolution to view computer ouput in. Most TV manufacturer’s provide circuitry which can receive 720p input directly such as D-VHS and HD-DVD input without an additional convertor box, but cannot display the image natively, so it upconverts to 1080i or downconverts to 480p.
HDTV Ready/Compatible/Capable/Monitor: 4:3 or 16:9 style
Requires set top box to decode 720p or 1080i or higher resolutions but is capable of displaying most all resolutions, some natively, some up-converted or down-converted to a native format. They display NTSC 480i (usually line doubled for a 480p resolution of NTSC input) and ATSC formats 480I, 480p.
HDTV Integrated: High Definition TV refers to TV sets that displays all the resolution picture formats defined by the ATSC standard which is NTSC 480i, ATSC 480i, 480p, 540p, 720p, 1080i. The aspect ratio for HDTV is 16:9 (wide screen). These TV’s have the HDTV decoder built in. They display NTSC 480i (usually line doubled, cleaned up and upconverted to 480p/540p/or 960I depending on the TV manufacturer) and all ATSC formats sometimes natively, sometimes up-converted or down-converted to a native format. They may be Plasma $$$$$, Rear Projection $$$ or Direct View $$.
DTV Industry Terms
Line Doubling
A method, through special circuitry, to modify an NTSC interlaced picture to create an effect similar to a progressively scanned picture. The first field of 262.5 odd-numbered lines is stored in digital memory and combined with the even-numbered lines. Then all 525 lines are scanned in 1/30th of a second. The result is improved detail enhancement from any NTSC source. Some TV makers do a better job of this than others.
Does this work for VHS or Std. DVD(480i) interlaced input? Most times –yes.
Some TV’s Internal line doubler’s diminishes the need for a progressive-scan DVD player, but usually you can bypass the internal line doubler by feeding the TV a progressive scan source via a progressive scan DVD Player. Some TV’s line double only the incoming signal from antenna, coax cable, composite and S-video inputs and not the incoming from HD component connectors. Some TV’s let you control these features on the different connectors and some don’t.
Native Resolution- the resolution at which the tv will display a given source. Displaying the signal at it's native resoltuion means the signal remains in analog form all the way from the inputs to the (CRT's) device or in digital form all the way to the LCD or Plasma display.
Up-convert or down-convert:
You want to know which DTV format’s the tv handles natively and what it does when faced with a non-native DTV format. Does it display it natively, up or down convert it. Up convert is preferred as long as the tv does a good job of it.
You want to know how the set processes non-HD signal as well.
All HD-ready and integrated sets on the market at least line-double (i.e. de-interlace) NTSC sources; but some do more, and some do a better job of it than others. The only way to know is to look at the TV when it is processing the signal you are interested in evaluating.
Some Sony sets up-convert all interlaced analog signals to 960i, some Toshiba’s to 540p (half of 1080i), some Sharp HDTV’s up-convert everything to 1080i. Your eyes and research results must decide which is best.
Sony says:
Line doubles and then some-"Unlike most high-def CRT based RPTV's, which line-double 480i NTSC-standard analog input (such as broadcast, cable, VHS VCR, S-VHS VCR) up to an effective resolution of 480p, the 51HW40 doubles the interlaced resolution, resulting in a 960i image. In terms of total lines on the screen, they are actually identical and both require the same projection bandwidth of 31.5 kHz. Unfortunately, because of inherent drawbacks in the interlaced method of projecting images, bumping it up to 960i preserves some of the problems the signal starts out with at 480i (as well as the lower horizontal resolutions of NTSC sources such as 330i-Std coax wired cable tv, 250i-VHS, etc) Sony HDTV’s up convert to 960i instead of 480p like other sets.
There should be no problem using a progressive scan DVD player. DRC employs bit-mapping techniques based on pattern recognition to "predict" what a high-resolution source should look like.
This sets it apart from the line-doubling circuits in some other sets, which basically fill in the gaps in interlaced images by multiplying the existing scan lines.
Two DRC resolution settings are available on your Sony set (960i and 480p).
You cannot disable the DRC function on your set, however, you can disable the reverse 3:2 pulldown by changing your DRC-Cinemotion mode from "interlace" to "progressive".
All non HD signals (480i) Cable TV, Antenna, STD DVD, VHS, will be up-converted to 960i.
If you use a progressive scan DVD player for your input, your final output will be 480p.
Some issues observed by salesmen at a local Conn’s include-problem with 16:9 mode always on when input signal viewed is from component in. therefore, even the regular TV stations from the satellite dish will be at 16:9 aspect ratio which make the image smaller than what is expected.
CNET says of this feature:
The set can detect wide-screen sources and automatically switch to the 16:9 Enhanced mode, but there's a catch: the auto-detection doesn't work on the set's component video inputs. That's a shame, since component video is the best way to connect wide-screen sources such as DVD players and HDTV decoders. You'll need to manually engage this feature in the Setup menu instead.
Toshiba HDX82 series:
CRT based RPTV HDTV’s upconvert to 540p which in theory is a higher resolution than 480p. This number is also significant because 540p is half of 1080i. Using these numbers to display most content allows users to calibrate the alignment of the phosphors to the same spot for both non-HD, SDTV and HDTV content which may translate into less trouble keeping your regular analog signals looking as good as they can (cable TV, std vhs, std dvd) while your HDTV signal looks good too. It’s a good compromise, and it probably keeps costs down too.
Sharp's 61RWP5H and 55RWP5H rear-projection widescreen LCD based (not CRT as the others so far) HDTV monitors feature 61" and 55" screens (respectively). Both models are compatible with all HDTV signals up to full 1080i resolution and use Sharp's proprietary circuitry to upconvert all analog signals to full 1080i resolution. Other features include a 10-bit 3D-Y/C comb filter. The 61" model is available now for $4,999, while the 55" model sells for $4,499. An alternate model available in March 2002 for $4,999, the 55RWP4H, is identical except for a different speaker design and the inclusion of an DVI input.
Panasonic's built-in Progressive Scan Doubler all non-HDTV signals to progressive scan (480p) giving images a smoother, more 3-dimensional appearance. Like most "line-doublers," it is most effective on DVD, but it has the potential to make an ordinary analog cable signal look noticeably better.
Velocity Scan Modulation
VMS/SMV/SVM is designed to increase the apparent sharpness of images. However, since it can produce ringing around certain objects, it is sometimes desirable to be able to turn it off when it is causing a problem. Sony TV’s have adjust /off setting. Newest Toshiba’s have high/low/off. Check for this on the TV in the store, or look online for the manual to the TV you are considering.
Anamorphic-squeeze mode
Most newer 4:3 HDTVs have an anamorphic aspect ratio that yields 30 percent more vertical resolution from anamorphic DVDs. This is often called anamorphic squeeze, but some set manufacturers call it 16:9-enhanced mode. 16:9 enhanced v-compression, Whatever they call it, it’s a must-have feature if you're buying a set with a 4:3 design. If you are buying a 16:9 aspect TV then it’s not an issue.
About half the DVDs out are in this format now You get 33% more horizontal lines of video AND they're closer together. The result is dramatically better.
Some DVD players already have a 16:9 enhanced mode setting, but If you don't have this setting on your TV as well the image will be a little squished.
Aspect ratios(or screen shape):
Do the math.
4:3 reduces to 1.33:1 and 16:9 reduces to 1:78:1. You'll often see the reduced numbers on the backs of some VHS videos and most DVDs. There, these numbers refer to the aspect ratio that particular film was shot in. These will vary, but the most common are 1.78:1, 1.85:1-will fit a 16:9 television screen perfectly, while 2.33:1, and 2.35:1. will have some degree of black bars at the top and bottom on a 16:9 TV. You can use some of the stretch modes on the TV settings to fill up the screen to avoid screen burn or the zoom function on your DVD player. Some TV’s send a dark grey signal in the black bar area’s to help with edge burn in, some don’t.
When any film that is shot at an aspect ratio higher than 1.33:1 and it is formatted for a 4:3 television, this process is referred to as 'pan and scan' or on some DVDs as 'Fullscreen'or ‘this movie has been formatted to fit your screen'. The image will be cut off on the sides to fit the standard 4: 3 tv. Use the stretch modes to fill up the screen just like you would for the non-HD cable tv channels.
Comb Filter
There are four types of comb filters: two-line digital, two-line adaptive, three-line digital, and the king of the category, 3D-YC.
A comb filter takes the NTSC video signal and separates it into individual components, sharpens the separation of the brightness (luminance, or Y) and color level (chrominance, or C). A really good quality comb filter will help reduce artifacts such as dot crawl and give you a sharper, clearer picture when viewing NTSC analog TV broadcasts via cable inputs as well as any source you hook up to the TV via a composite RCA or antenna RF connection. The comb filter only acts on video that enters through the RF or composite inputs.
Because S-Video, STD Component, and HD Component inputs are already seperated via a different method, the comb filter, and most likely any other NTSC signal manipulation techniques (such as Toshiba’a CableClear DNR, etc.) designed to clean up analog signals are not performed on any source connected to the S-video, Std. or HD-component inputs.
Connectors/Inputs
Standard component video (Y-Cb-Cr)- inputs-
Very good quality inputs but they accept only NTSC (analog)-format signals from standard DVD players.
The best quality analog only NTSC direct-view sets and most HDTV units have at least one set of Std. Component-video inputs, which provide the best video quality from any Std DVD player with like outputs.
HD/Wideband Component input ( Y Pr Pb)
These inputes can handle signals in several formats, including a Std DVD player 480i, a progressive-scan DVD player 480p, HD-DVD player in 720p (if the TV can display it) or an HDTV tuner box for 1080i. Some DTV’s have HD component inputs which do not allow 4:3 input to be displayed correctly.
Some HDTV’s also automatically do things to anything coming into the HD component inputs (ex: only displays images in 16:9 even though the program you are watching was filmed in 4:3 format which makes it look stretched and distorted) also any source component input is assumed to have be of premium quality so the line doublers, and comb filter manipulations are not used on those sources.
This is a drawback when viewing non-HD content input through HD component input connector. [such as the current configuration of Cable digital channels (any above 100 which require the box) and HDTV channels (which require the digital box and an HD box wired in series)] For example: Satellite HD feed which is connected via the HD component inputs will display all incoming signal at 16:9, stretching the 4:3 programs to fit the 16:9 screen. Cable TV via HD componet inputs are sometimes affected this way also. It may have something to do with the way the decoder box handles the signal as well.
HD Component signal bypasses your TV's tuner, comb filter, and NTSC decoder. It is delivered to your TV via three cables and keeps all of the picture elements separate, which increases colour resolution. This type of connection provides you with a very clean picture, eliminating noise and crosstalk between colours. This is fabulous if the signal source is excellent to start with, but if it’s Std. wired Cable TV, VHS, or Std. DVD you may actually get better picture by using less than superior connections, letting the TV apply some additional manipulations to the picture before displaying it.
In projection HDTV Monitors, Toshiba includes IDSC™ Pro (Pro is for projection), which is optimized for projection televisions. IDSC Pro chooses 540p, not 480p, for its SD progressive display. This change allows the set to operate at a single scan rate, with a single, no compromise, point of focus, for the sharpest pictures possible on an HDTV monitor product. New widescreen projection models include an Improved IDSC™ Pro system. This new design allows these sets to accept all four main SD and HD television signals. 480i and 480p are both displayed at 540p, while 720p and 1080i are both displayed at 1080i.
S-Video Inputs- Separated video. An encoded video signal which separates the brightness from color data. S-video can greatly improve the picture when connecting TVs to any high quality video source such as satellite feed and Std DVD players, S-VHS player, Video Games, Digital Camera, PC linkup, etc.
Coaxial – Std Cable TV jack. This cable is terminated with a single pin inside the connector. This is either screwed or slid on the connection terminal. Quality is only slightly better than composite inputs.
Composite A/V Std RCA inputs-This cable usually has 3 connectors at each end and is used for both audio L and R and video transfer. These cables are usually color coded red(audio)/white(audio)/yellow(video).
DVI-Digital (DVI-D) - supporting digital displays only
DVI-Integrated (DVI-I) - supporting digital displays, and backwards compatibility with analogue displays.
The simplest way to buy a tv with a VGA input already on it, often found in very expensive direct view plasma, LCD based RPTV’s, DLP RPTV’s.
CRT based RPTV’s HDTV can display PC output too but at lower res than LCD based RPTV’s. If you plan to purchase such a set, make sure to check the PC resolution capability of the television. TV’s that accept 720p input are most likely to be able to resolve PC output at a variety of resolutions, but 60 Hz refresh is still the limit of CRT based RPTV’s due curren technical constraints. This could change at any time.
Accessories
Extended Warranty
Toshiba backs up the 42H81 with a decent one-year parts/labor warranty that includes in-home service. Many credit card companies have offers where they will double the time period of the manufacturer’s warranty coverage if you buy the thing using their card. Check this out. It’s free.
If you do choose to purchase an extended warranty, research it carefully to make sure there aren’t all kinds of exclusions lurking in the fine print. Also, remember that these warranties are a product just like any other product. There’s no need to buy one at the same place where you purchase your TV. J&R Music World has competitive prices on extended warranties.
Cables and Splitters
There is great debate among video and audio buff’s concerning the need for expensive premium compoiste, s-video, and component cables. The moderately priced products available from groups such as Audio Research, Recoton, Radio Shack, RCA, and other reputable companies are sufficient to start with. Heavier cables ususally indicate more sheilding which may help with interference from peripherals. Until HD programming content and cable TV transmission methods are of better quality, these middle of the road cables should be fine. In fact, HD content will most likely be transmitted via DVI inputs as HD quality increases so current HD cabling schemes will be obsolete.
Coaxial Cable is of several grades. RG-59 is most commonly sold for home video use on NTSC TV’s but you should get RG-6 (sold mostly in the satellite dish section) for connecting splits and coax connected equipment for your HDTV. The cable guy uses only RG-6 for all cable tv installations these days. Ask him nicely, and tip him 5.00 to make you a few 3 foot cables to use for the connecting peripherals which need it.
As for power conditioners, current includes a built-in, high-quality circuit which will turn your wall current into highly-regulated, perfectly-conditioned DC, it’s power supply does this job just fine. some people think an additional conditioner is need. If you have an interference problem, this is an option to try to resolve it.
You will absolutely need a good quality surge protector from a well known reputable manufacturer, with coaxial cable protection. Coaxial cable protection is especially important if you use a satellite dish since lightning strike is very common.Note: I recently had trouble with the cable HD signal dropping out frequently and the cable tech said the surge protector was most likely the problem. It was. Even the most expensive surge protector can cause this problem with coax cable. He said the cable wire was well grounded at my house so there was little risk for lightning strike damage. I am searching for a solution to this problem now. I do not trust them with this expensive peice of equipment.
Find a surge protector that says it covers lightning strike on the box, has a lifetime warranty (not just a few years), and insures against loss up to an amount suitable for your equipment.
Belkin (well known company-should still be in business when you need it) makes a surge protector that covers lifetime lightning, and other surges, has coax protection, a $15,000 warranty ( the least amount I could find with a coax connector-my TV only costs $2000.00 so that's plenty). I paid 29.99 for it at Home Depot.
Coax splitter some in different GHz throughput ratings, and with silver or gold connectors. I have had good results using 2GHz silver connectors with Std cable, then I got HD service and I decided to use 3 GHz with gold connectors. The cable Co had used less than 1 GHz silver connectors outside for splits so technically this maybe overkill but I already had them.
Game Consoles
X-Box?-I have seen some advertisements for 1080i enhanced games and 480p for xbox-x box requires special cable for component inputs to achieve 1080I quality. Out of all the new game systems, Microsoft's hulking Xbox clearly has HDTV-ready sets in mind. Don't get me wrong--the PS2 and the GameCube are no slouches either when it comes to video performance. If you buy the optional component-video output cables for either system, you'll get a sharper image. In time, however, the graphics-performance gap will widen for those who also own an HDTV-ready set because the Xbox supports 480p (progressive-scan), 720p, and 1080i resolutions; the other platforms do not.
PC to TV Video Cards
Many Pc vidoe cards have TV out. most imes it is via s-video cable. this does nto produce very good resolution but is fun to play with. If you have this on your PC you can usually safely connect it to your NTSC or ATSC Tv and view PC contnent on the TV at low-res.
PC to TV Convertors
“Audio Authority”-VGA to HD Component (Y-Pb-Pr) Transcoder
The easy-to-use device simply converts the incoming signal into Component, providing the set is compatible to the incoming signal. 640x480 (480p) or 960x540 (540p/1080i) running in 60Hz Refresh Rate (Vertical Scan Frequency) is common.
You need special output control software to make these conversion or you can fry your TV.
Research the intricacies of this thoroughly before attempting it.
RCA and Key Digital make these units too.
Here are some common sources for TV content, their theoretical resolutions, inherent problems with each, and then how I perceived their quality as output by my Toshiba 42HDX82 HD Capable RPTV and other RPTV's I looked at while shopping for my TV , and some suggestions for problem reception workarounds.
Important Note on HD Quality:
Some programs that appear on the HD channels are shot with expensive HD equipment. Alot of PBS Nature and Art Programs(PBS specials which says they are in true 1080i HD on the schedule, and not SD) on the HD channels and the HD Discovery Theatre programs, some Prime time Network Shows, are shot with HD Equipment. The Superbowl was shot in HD this year. These programs will take your breath away!
Most other programs are just shot with standard equipment, then line doubled/upconverted by the TV stations, and broadcast on the HDTV channels. These are very impressive as well.
To know which is which you must contact the creator of the program and ask.
720p–Some ABC HDTV, (Same scenario as above.)
720p-HD-DVD Player, HD-VHS Player
I don’t have an HD-DVD or VHS yet but I am looking forward to it. This probably looks even better than 1080i due to it being progressive rather than interlaced. Of course if there are no HD-DVD's or VHS tapes to watch then its useless. If copyright protection makes it impossible to tape broadcast HD programs then it's useless for that too. We shall see about this.
1080i-off air antenna HD content should theoretically look better than anything due to no bandwidth limitations of 3rd party transmission methods, no compression. Need an expensive HD box and a special antenna to get it. C-band satellite service should be just as good. I do not have this yet.
1080i–From Satellite Dish or HD Cable TV company.
HD programs on CBS and NBC and Satellite Dish-HDTV Channels, HDNET Channels-
I have HD Cable TV service from Time Warner. It requires 2 convertor boxes wired in tandem to receive it.
They say it is 1080i. It is compressed to transmit via coaxial cable tv wire of course, and the component video cables they give you are of poor quality, and when I put better cables on its not much different, so it's probably not the very best it could be. It is impressive though.
480p-A lot of potential HD content on the networks is broadcast in this lower resolution due to company policy regarding use of bandwidth. This content looks great on my TV, but it's not true HD.
480p - Progressive Scan DVD on a DTV using the HD component connectors. I do not have this yet.
My TV upconverts my STd DVD player to 540p so it is similar to what a progressive scan DVD player might look like. Progressive DVD (480p) should look even better because the DVD player specializes in doing the display work for DVD’s only. In the store they were using progressive DVD to demo the TV's and it was impressive.
480i and all lower resolution sources are upgraded by these HDTV's to progressive display level using eaach TV manufacturers proprietary upconverter’s\line doubler’s\manipulation circuitry, filters, etc. to enhance the quality of the displayed picture.
The non-hd channels show some things at the same time as the hd channels. These “HD simulcast” programs are good examples of what you might see on a DTV if the TV stations decide to broadcast most programs in SDTV 480p resolution only after 2004 instead of HDTV 720p/1080i due to costs of shooting programs HDTV, bandwidth limitations, and broadcasters financial considerations, which I think is very likely. (Six (6) SDTV signals can be broadcast in the same bandwidth as only one (1) HD signal so you can see the benefits$$$ of using SDTV for the Tv stations)
480i-Std DVD(assumed to be upconverted by the TV from 480i to 480p or better) looks great when using HD component in, and quality component cables on my TV. My user manual says you are expected to connect your Std DVD player using the HD component in, but it does not specify what manipulations, if any, are actually performed, on this non-progressive signal. I used the HD-component in for my Std DVD (480i) player and found the quality to be very good but plan to try some other connection methods to see what improvements are is possible by letting the TV do some additional work on the signal.I have read some articles, and discussed it with some Tv manufacturers- that leads me to believe that most RPTV HDTV’s made recently only perform this wizardry on non-HD component input sources. HDTV maker's most likely assume you are connecting an HD capable device to any HD component in. It makes sense really. Therefore, all signals you want to be fully enchanced manipulated must be connected via Std. Component in, S-video, composite, or coaxial.
450i-Digital Coaxial Cable using “Digital” Converter Box (theoretical resolution)
Digital cable is technically only analog cable signal which is digitally compressed for transmission and then uncompressed and upconverted by the cable box. this causes it's own set of problems. The "digital" cable channels 100-600 can only be tuned through the cable box using HD-component in connectors and do not look as good to me as channels 1-99 through coax inputs, because I suspect they do not get to take full advantage of NTSC signal manipulations.
425i –Laserdisc
I do not have one of these.
400i -S-VHS Player using S-video cable connector, and viewing an S-VHS ET mode recorded on a Std VHS tape or viewing S-VHS mode on an S-VHS tape.
Theoretically S-video connection should look better than anything else for s-VHS, but I found that coax wire connections looked best on this TV for this too. I plan to try composite as well. There is not much out there on S-VHS to buy to watch but you can record some high quality content it is good when using S-video in to record and then Coax out to the TV using RG-6 cable.
330i –Strong signal Off-Air Antenna signal
Very weak signal (more than 50 miles from tower), using cheap rabbit ears, and only 5 channels to choose from; acceptable picture obtained-the tv does do a very good job of cleaning it up I think. It looked at least as good as the worst looking channels on a cable. If a roof antenna was used I suspect it might look as good as the equivelent channels on cable.
300i –Strong signal-Coaxial wire connected Std Analog Cable TV-No Converter Box
This looks the best using RG-6 cable wire straight into the TV. Non-cable box non HD channels look best to me on this TV when using RG-6 coax wire into the tv; channels 1-99 only.
Keep it mind, though, that no amount of manipulation by any TV’s circuitry can perfectly fix all the problems associated with the quality of the incoming sources such as: static weak cable TV signal, heavily compressed “digital cable” signal, satellite dish signal dropout, or watching programs (old sitcoms, movies, etc) which were shot years ago with non-HD equipment or sub-standard filming equipment, or broadcaster’s who transmit in low res. Today's TV's are very good. Picture quality is now mostly in the hands of the creators of the content (television producers), broadcasters (the TV stations), and cable TV and satellite service providers (Time Warner Cable and Direct TV) now. If you want it to look better than this, you must get on their individual cases (each individual TV program creator/producer, national and local TV stations, cable TV company, satellite dish tv channel producers) about it.
Std VHS (250i) is upconverted to 540p and it looks awful compare to DVD, but, like cable TV signal; there are limitations due to the resolution of std. vhs recordings to start with. It's not the TV, it's the source. I have spent some time adjsuting the picture for viewing std vhs and had best results when turning the color up and the sharpness down.
PC to TV
This is possible for playing computer games in high res, on a huge screen if you have a high end video card in your PC, a VGA to component convertor, proper PC software for controling the output to the tv, and good cables.
However, most Tv manufacturers indicate in the user manual that this is not recommended.
This “No PC” policy will likely void your warranty.
They no doubt have their reasons for not wanting you to do this- copyright issues, burn in problems, may top the list.
What's the Deal with Digital Cable & Digital Broadcast Satellites?
How television signals get from their source to you on the various cable-satellite systems.
Programmers originate the TV signal, send it to a satellite, these signals are sent back to Earth, where they're received by satellite dishes or off-air antennas.
With C-band, you receive the original signal directly from the over 20 orbiting satellites that the original programmers use! No signal compression, no re-transmission, just the most direct first generation signal you can get. Unlike the small dishes that are fixed on one satellite position, a C-band dish is steerable. You can steer your dish toward over 30 different satellites offering a wide variety of programming. This opens you up to a world of choices that is just not possible with cable and fixed small dish systems. Satellite TV can already adapt to digital signals. It will also be one of the first transmission methods for true full bandwidth, uncompressed high definition TV (HDTV) broadcasts.
Cable TV- the cable company receives this signal from the same satellites as C-band, then processes, compresses and re-transmits the signal to customers through cable wire.
Further confusing the issue is the introduction of "Digital Cable".
Digital Cable uses digital compression technology to squeeze more channels into the cable system's limited frequency spectrum allocation in order to compete with digital broadcast satellites that offer up to 500 channels. The majority of cable channels are still broadcast in analog format - it is the additional channels above channel 100 (usually premium channels) that utilize the digital compression, and require the use of the digital cable box to decompress the signals so they may be viewed on a TV.
Subcribing to one of these digital cable services does not mean you have Digital TV. In fact, coax cable service of any type cannot currently pass the new frequencies allocated to digital TV uncompressed. The bandwidth is simply not available to them over coaxial cable wire.
While DSS and Dish Network Digital Broadcast Satellites are digital, they are not the same as digital HDTV signals. Similar to digital cable, these services create a digital transmission of the analog stations and use data compression in order to transmit as many as 500 channels to subscribers. Digital HDTV signals are available through these services with the addition of a High Definition Satellite Receiver and a different dish on your roof. However, satellite companies have bandwidth limitations as well.
In order to receive uncompressed, full bandwidth digital HDTV signals in your home, you must use a high quality outdoor UHF antenna to receive terrestrial (off-air and local) digital HDTV broadcasts.
Excerpt's from TWC Houston Website
What is the difference between analog cable, digital cable and cable HDTV?
Analog cable is the same signal that has been there for years, originating as a relatively low bandwidth signal (since it is still obtained from their own off-air satellite dishes), composite signal (all video information, brightness and color together). Digital cable is: digitally encoded and compressed for transmission standard definition video.
Digital can (in theory) provide superior color resolution, particularly when used with component or S-Video connections, and it is not susceptible to things like Radio Frequency and Electromagnetic interference that causes ghosting and video hum.
Cable HDTV, like standard digital, is digitally encoded video, but at roughly 6X the spatial resolution of standard definition television. This (can) mean startlingly clearer, crisper images plus wide screen viewing. ( It is compressed for transmission)
Digital Cable TV-Cable's Little White Lie-
Excerpts form A Recent Newsgroup Article I found on the internet
The advertising by the cable companies for "digital" cable is very misleading. In fact, although the use of databits can provide picture without the analog noise (ghosting, snow, etc.). The purpose of digital cable is for the cable company to be able to use higher compression to fit more channels into the same bandwidth (using high video compression, which tends to degrade the signal so the picture is usually not that much better than analog, you can just receive more channels). Theory: Perhaps the digital cable box you must use to receive “digital cable” and the additional channels is really only a channel tuner and a signal booster.
The result is that standard digital cable comes through at a resolutions of 400i (similar to Std DVD 480i or S-VHS 400i.) (but std cable is unconverted to 480p or more by the HDTV’s line doubler). But this his is still not Digital TV.
Digital cable refers only to how signals are transferred across cable. Moreover, because there are not yet universal interoperability standards, a digital set that is plugged into a digital cable set-top box will only receive an analog signal, withholding all the advantages of digital television from a consumer. While inter-industry cooperation is yielding some progress on these issues, digital cable does not yet deliver digital signals into digital television sets.
Some cable operators that are testing High-Definition cable, but shortages of time, research staff, equipment, media limitations, bandwidth, and motivation are hamstringing HDTV user. While their new “digital” service may be a little cleaner than “non-digital” service, the signal transmission when viewed on today's large screen and projection TV’s, often results in pixelization and blocking (creates a very big, but also a very ugly image.)
Notes from Minnesota TWC website and other cities regarding HDTV and digital cable:
How does digital cable compare to DVD?
Digital cable, DTV, and DVD movies all use MPEG-2 compression, however, DVD will almost always look better than any other non-HD source because it is not limited to the same bandwidth restrictions as broadcaster content. Where broadcast television is restricted to roughly 3Mb/s for standard definition TV, DVDs can vary their rate typically between 3 and 10 Mb/s, providing complex scenes the extra data necessary to avoid noticeable artifacts, etc.
Why don’t my regular digital and analog channels not have the same clarity as the HDTV channels on my HDTV?
To date, Little has changed about the method of filming most TV programs, the true source of signal (2nd generation satellite dish), cable tv operator’s transmission methods (full bandwidth analog or digital mpeg-2 compressed then and tranmitted over coax cable wire). Most, if not all consumer HDTVs will manipulate standard analog signal by line doubling, manipulation, and/or upconverting to SDTV resolution, which makes the picture appear clearer. (The Explorer 3100HD digital converter will upconvert standard analog channels through the component output only.) The reason the quality sometimes seems to have been degraded is that the higher resolution reveals the inherent flaws of standard broadcast television, (as well as magnifying the drawbacks of the compression which is used to transmit digital cable tv over coax cable) on both analog and digital signals. These flaws have always been present, however, they remained "hidden" on traditional lower resolution NTSC analog televisions. Until broadcasters actually film their programs using a higher quality method, and cable operaters are able to transmit full bandwidth, upcompressed signal the quality of the picture will remain as it is today.
Is the HDTV programming true HDTV or converted?
Both.
What kind of connections do the HDTV terminals support?
HD Component-YPrPb and Std component for high definition video, S-Video, composite Video, and RF (cable out) for standard definition, stereo analog audio, and Dolby Digital™ audio (coaxial). Time Warner Communications' high-definition set-top box/decoder can be configured to output HD Component-YPrPb or Std Component signals. Also provided are horizontal and vertical syncs. In addition to these component outputs, the set-top box allows for S-video and composite base-band video connections. Audio connections include both AC-3 (six channels) and stereo audio (left and right channels).
Conversation with Time Warner Houston HDTV Sales Rep 10/2/2002 Regarding HDTV and Digital Cable Service:
TWC Tidwell at 290 Payment Center has a Panasonic 42”? HDTV set up with HD Cable for customers to view.
Rep says they also have this setup in their breakroom. The employees watch soap operas at lunch. Some are in HD some are not. He says the regular cable channels and the HD channels look really good to him on the HDTV, Using the two boxes. HDTV cable setup works like this; cable wire to HDTV box to Digital Cable box to HD component inputs. The Cable TV coax Signal is likely upconverted to 1080i inside the HD box?
To solve the component in 16:9 stretch of 4:3 programs you might be able to put the digital cable box on another connector, and the HD box on the HD component in; or maybe split the cable wire and put the cable coax into the coax connector for channel 1-99 for analog regular cable TV (and let the TV’s advanced filters resolve the picture) then put the other coax cable into the two boxes for HD channels and cable channels 100 up.
HDTV Live Install is $49.95, then 5.00 a month for the HD box rental and the rights to view the 5-Network channels-abc13, cbs11, pbs8, nbc2, WB39.
Time Warner Cable has also launched a new digital tier for HDTV.
What channels are available in HDTV?
HDTV channels are available with local broadcast stations and cable networks. Local broadcast stations can be received off-air with an antenna, but you’ll only get local signals, or with cable service, which carry additional networks also. Cable channels can only be received with cable service. Time Warner HDTV Channels
Do all HDTV channels broadcast in high definition?
You will only see programming in high definition if the channel transmits the program in the high-definition format. This is most commonly indicated during the program with a small HDTV logo or shadow at the bottom corner of the screen. Not allHD channel programming is transmitted in the HDTV format, however, as this technology becomes the industry standard, more programming will be available in the HDTV format. HD quality can vary quite a bit with the production standards of the program. The CBS HD programs originate on film and the quality of the film stock (graininess) and transfer (contrast and color) varies from show to show and producer to producer. The same has been said about many other content sources.
Can a Std VCR record HDTV broadcasts?
No, you will need a special HDTV VCR, and they are not yet available in the market.
Are there any special TV requirements for HDTV?
Yes, there are several requirements to receive HDTV, and there are many options in the market right now. At a minimum to receive high-definition local channels off-air from an antenna, you will need a HDTV set and HDTV decoder. Or, to receive HDTV channels from Time Warner Digital Cable, you will need a HDTV-ready set and Time Warner’s HDTV decoder.
I hope this information helps you choose a TV.
Good Luck!
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