The HDTV Decision Guide

Making an intelligent HDTV BIG SCREEN TV decision.

You are not alone.

MORE HIGH-DEF, then MORE

The good news is that high definition is here to stay, with more programming than ever. For example, in late summer 2005: David Letterman; then a bit later Good Morning America Are you old enough to remember when color TV was coming on - this is so reminiscent of that time when show after show would 'convert.'

ESPN2-HD will be on the air Sept 9 2005 (Pittsburgh vs. Ohio college football). It's a high-def simulcast of ESPN2 on DIRECTV. More HDTV: The Outdoor Life Network is planning on NHL games; the NFL's 2005 season will be covered in HD by ESPN, FOX, and CBS. Soccer fans can catch the 2006 FIFA World Cup live in HD on ABC, ESPN HD, and ESPN2 HD. 64 matches in HDTV. Glory.

720p 1080i... HDCP... WHAT ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT?

As the pages rip off the calendar, the page marked 2005 will be circled as the time when 1080P Hi-Def TVs hit our shores "en masse." (That's French for "while you were in church.") Are you confused by the P versus the I? Well, as explained elsewhere - the Ps are supposedly better than the Is. The Ps do the picture frame all at once. The Is do it half at a time, then combine halfs.

P = Progressive scan (everything in a frame at once.) I = Interlaced scan (two fields or half times two - make up the frame). Now the big buzz will be 1080P. What's it mean to you? Decisions, decisions! Is there an advantage to 1080P over 720P? Since the most common broadcast format is 1080i, we all can scream now. No, it's okay - go ahead.

All fixed-pixel HDTV displays - Plasma or LCD flat panels, DLP, LCD, LCos rear projectors... are Ps: Progressive scan. Most at 720P (the 720 stands for 'lines' of resolution.)

WHY are they confusing us?

Well, the 1080P 'engine' has more densely packed pixels - you get less "screen door effect" due to less space between pixels (picture elements.) (Put simply - a better picture is possible.)

And 1080P converts 1080i better than 720P displays do.

The Big Question: can you SEE the difference between 720P and 1080P? Maybe. Will it blow you away? I will guess no. It's evolution, not revolution (revolution would be standard def to high def.) I think an audio analogy is the SACD (Super Audio CD) vs CD (in stereo.) If you walk into a room playing music, you wouldn't go, "WOW - what's that?" if it was the SACD. It would sound good, but not SO good you'd think you just stumbled across something new.

Now for the confusing part. As if this wasn't so far.

Texas Instruments produces the new micromirror DLP chip used by Mitsubishi, Toshiba, Samsung and HP. It doesn't do 1080P really, but virtually. Go ahead, let it out - another scream of technofrustration - you'll feel better.

This new chip positions pixels in a diamond grid. A bright light shines off it onto what they call an optical actuator - a reflective panel - that wobbles every 8 milliseconds (as it shines the picture to the screen). Using "WOBULATION," TI achieves 1920 x 1080 "effective pixel resolution" using half that number of mirrors. They 'do' half the picture, shift a half-pixel-width and then throw up the other the other half of the image. Total time: 1/60th of a second. It's a P that works like an I. Scream again. You'll thank me.

Digital Roadblock!

This may appear on a DVI input or not. Without an HDCP DVI input, you won't be able to watch HBO-HD or SHOWTIME-HD in full quality - you'll have to use analog component inputs. These are of lesser quality.

Obviously, we've got some 'splainin' to do. Read on.

Size matters…

The first thing to realize is the new standard of TV will be a different aspect ratio, a wider picture. Though the outlets still stock the old standard aspect ratio, the day is fast approaching where there will be wasted space on that screen if you watch a wide picture on a narrower set. You’ll still be able to see it, but this effectively shrinks your screen size.

How fast is “fast approaching?” Hard to say exactly – the government has made that date hard to pin down. But soon. Many TV stations are already broadcasting a wide high resolution picture if you have a TV that can pick it up. At some day in the future, they will have to turn off the transmitter they’ve used for years, and switch.

In the United States, as of June 27, 2005, 1497 Stations in 211 Markets are broadcasting in digital. The change is coming. In 2007 or 2008? Again, the government is involved. Now they say 2009.

Many new generation HDTV and EDTVs are available in the 42 inch size

(NOTE: ALL SIZES ARE ALWAYS GIVEN AS DIAGONAL ACROSS THE SCREEN FROM, for example, top left to bottom right. – This is the SCREEN – the actual picture, not the surrounding bezel, or frame.)

Consider this rule of thumb:

Your distance to the screen should be about 3 to 5 times the diagonal of the screen measurement.

The Distance rule and Viewing angle. Making the decision on how far away to sit to minimize artifacts and maximize HDTV viewing pleasure.

Educate yourself with easy to understand HDTV details: picture quality; contrast; color; adjustments; resolution; aspect ratio

Why you CAN save money and when you should, by buying a HDTV monitor.

HDTV Hookup Confusion cleared: The Input and Output Panels broken down into what goes where. Plus, why you should turn off your built in speakers and never let them sway your purchase choice.

Valuable money-saving advice to arm yourself against a fear-based unscrupulous attack on your wallet, along with great news on how to get a free warranty extension!

Advantages and disadvantages. What must be crystal clear before you decide to buy a HDTV Home Entertainment system.