HDTV

[Dandy 0]

The 120 refresh rate will make a difference on fast moving pictures, no matter what the screen size. That dude is dumb if he says it needs to be a big screen of 56 inches or more. Most of the 120 refreshers are on your LCD TVs, and most of them are in the 27-42 inch range.

 

The QAM tuner allows for OTA signals without the necessity of a set top box. I have never heard it do option B, but I am not an expert on the QAM capabilities, so maybe someone can give a better answer.

 

 

Best answer I can give about CRT's not having a response time, etc. is that they consist of three guns (red, green, and blue) that are projected toward the screen inside your TV. LCD and plasma use a different technology and the screen is pixelated more and refresh rate, etc. factors in much more. Again, not a technical expert on this sort of thing, but CRT doesn't really have the technology that can be measured the same way LCD and plasma have.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

The QAM tuner allows for OTA signals without the necessity of a set top box.

 

Isn't that an ATSC tuner?

 

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

QAM is different than a ATSC.

 

With a QAM tuner, you can sometimes receive cable HD without paying for it.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

QAM is different than a ATSC.

 

With a QAM tuner, you can sometimes receive cable HD without paying for it.

 

But dont count on it.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

Right.

 

You can get them if your cable company is lazy or stupid.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I've noticed something unusual about Jeopardy HD.

 

Only the first two rounds are shot in HD. Final Jeopardy is not.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I've noticed something unusual about Jeopardy HD.

 

Only the first two rounds are shot in HD. Final Jeopardy is not.

More than likely it has something to do with how the HD version is fed to your station and them screwing it up somehow.

 

Syndicated HD is still very early but shows like Wheel and Jeopardy are the first ones to go. Most stations dont have any way to record the hd feed from wherever it comes from these days so even if they are HD they cant show syndicated shows like that in HD. The ones that do have the equipment can but it doesnt mean they cant screw it up.

 

When shows like Regis and Kelly, Oprah and Dr. Phil go HD it will speed up the upgrade process a lot.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

My local NBC HD station fucks up the feed SO fucking much.

 

 

They are seriously horrible.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I was wondering; an entire Jeopardy episode last month said HD in the bottom corner, was on an HD network, but not in HD.

[NoCalMike 0]

I have a question:

 

What, if any are the cost differences in manufacturing a 720p tv and a 1080p tv. I ask this because right now a lot of places are selling the 47" inch 720p Vizio TV for aronund $800, but the 1080p version is almost double the price. I could see a few hundred more, but DOUBLE THE PRICE? The only reason I see for this is if they are just selling the 720p on some type of clearance to get rid of all remaining 720p sets in order to make a bigger emphasis on newer 1080p sets. Does it really cost that much more to manufacture a 1080p tv or do they know they can still just get away with charging that much more because people are so enamoured with "1080p"

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Well, the 1080p technology is techically newer.

 

I don't think it has much to do with "the cost of manufacturing it." It's simply the fact that a 1080p set will give you a clearer and smoother (even if only slightly) picture than a 720p set. You may more for the higher quality picture.

 

My guess is, like most technology, the cost of 1080p sets are gradually going to keep coming down. (Remember when plasma sets were around 8-10 grand for a 42"?) Wouldn't surprise me if eventually all sets are 1080p, as that seems to be what consumers are gravitating towards.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

I have to hand it to fellow analyst Rob Enderle. Way back in August of 2005, he called the high-def format war in a piece titled "Blu-ray Wins or Nothing Does."

 

Logo of the Blu-ray Disc Association, winner of the high-def disc format war

(Credit: The Blu-ray Disc Association)

 

Then again, he also said in that article that "the more likely outcome is that the market will bypass both products and move to something else," so perhaps he wasn't perfectly prescient.

 

And come to think of it, a year later (in December 2006) he changed his mind entirely in columns titled "Optical HD Battle May Be Over: HD DVD Wins," "HD DVD Wins," and "Sony Kills Blu-ray."

 

And in August and even November of 2007, Enderle still believed HD DVD would win.

 

Well, if Rob Enderle couldn't predict the result, who could? Even just before the Consumer Electronics Show this year, when Warner Bros. Entertainment announced it would stop supporting HD DVD and join the Blu-ray camp, I was still hedging my bets: "Blu-ray wins, HD DVD loses. Probably.")

 

But when Wal-Mart--the Brünnhilde of modern retailing--took the stage last week to throw its weight behind Blu-ray, everyone knew it was over. And this week, Toshiba--leader of the DVD Forum, which developed HD DVD--officially conceded defeat. The company aims to end production on HD DVD hardware for home theaters as well as PCs by the end of March.

 

So we can all relax. Right?

 

Well, for a while, sure. But remember, DVD and Blu-ray were separated by only five or six years, so presumably we're due for yet another format three or four years from now. And a new format means the potential for a new format war.

 

The basic parameters are easy to predict. As I described last August in "After HD, what's next?" the heir apparent to HDTV is what's called "4K"-- that is, a display resolution with about 4,096 horizontal pixels and 2,160 scan lines. Sony already makes projectors that support this resolution. Red Digital Cinema makes 4K cameras. Director Peter Jackson has made a short film in 4K, and the "Final Cut" of Blade Runner was remastered in 4K.

 

So 4K is coming, and it isn't far away.

 

But why should there be a format war?

 

Well, there's always a format war. There was even a DVD format war, although we're all fortunate that it was resolved well before discs or players hit the market.

 

Sony will want to lead the transition to 4K, but the DVD Forum will still be around in five years. That's a recipe for a format war right there.

 

Will it happen? I sure hope not. Our best hope for a lasting peace is that Sony, Toshiba, and the rest of the DVD Forum members settle their differences and start working on the next generation immediately. If you have any influence within these companies, now's the time to start cooperating on technology development. The future won't wait.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I have a question:

 

What, if any are the cost differences in manufacturing a 720p tv and a 1080p tv. I ask this because right now a lot of places are selling the 47" inch 720p Vizio TV for aronund $800, but the 1080p version is almost double the price. I could see a few hundred more, but DOUBLE THE PRICE? The only reason I see for this is if they are just selling the 720p on some type of clearance to get rid of all remaining 720p sets in order to make a bigger emphasis on newer 1080p sets. Does it really cost that much more to manufacture a 1080p tv or do they know they can still just get away with charging that much more because people are so enamoured with "1080p"

 

a 1080p tv has more lines of resolution (1920x1080) vs 720p (1280x 720) and fitting the increased number of lines of resolution into a the same sized set using the same technology (LCD/DLP etc) makes it expensive.

 

1080p sets technically are only being sold because they're the best available..I doubt most people would buy them if they realized to utilize the extra resolution they would have to also purchase a Blu Ray Player (or an X Box 360 for gaming purposes only) since there are no broadcasts via OTA or Cable/Sat that are 1080p and nor with there likely be within the next 10 years given bandwith constraints. On the absolute best 1080p set, you'll only see a slight improvement in 720p signals over a 720p set, with more of an improvement in the 1080i signals over a 720p set, but still neither really being worth the extra money. Bottom line is unless you plan to buy a Blu Ray player Id stick with the 720p sets.

 

As far as 4k goes, its a middle step to Ultra HD (7,680 × 4,320) so I dont see it being that big, however I can see 4k becoming common place in theatres to give people a reason to go back to the theatres to see movies instead of watching in HD at home since the tech for 4k projectors is available now and the extra resolution would make a large theatre screen look better. Ultra HD is probably at least 10 years away for 2 major reasons. They havent been able to create a camera that record such a high resolution picture yet and also the raw signal would require 28 Gbps bandwith for the video alone. It has been compressed so far to about 600 Mbps, which would still be too much to fit on any current optical media format and would fill even the largest hard drives available currently for just one 2 hour program. The other major fault of 4k and Ultra HD is that the screen sizes needed to be able to notice a difference in picture quality are much larger than whats available today for homes. You'd probably need a 200 inch tv for 4k and honestly thats not going to fit in anyone's house...though its good for large screens like theatres and sports stadiums.

[NoCalMike 0]

Yeah see that is the thing. I am pretty happy with the TV I have, and I have blu-ray(ps3) and a nice surround sound system. I know the blu-ray would look THE BEST on 1080p but it doesn't look too shabby at all on my 1080i set. It does seem that the trend in stores is that maybe within a year all the sets available are going to be 1080p, and then the prices should be dropping faster. I think I should hold off on getting a new tv until 1080p is the HD standard and not just the "premium option" Instead, I should use this extra cash coming on upgrading my computer's memory(not like the cost is measurable to buying a new tv, but I mean I will probably upgrade my computer and then save a bunch of money, I think my wife wants a new bed....)

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

A friend of mine and I were just arguing about this the other day. He was looking in Wal*Mart at the sets we sell, astonished that none of them were 1080p. I told him it was overrated, not from a practical point, but as a selling point. How long before programs become regularly broadcast in 1080p? I'll say ten years before they become commonplace (outside of Blu-Ray and what, 5 video games?), and probably 25 that there's a mandate that they have to be broadcast, let alone in 1080p.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

My understanding is that 1080i and 720p are the government set standards for HD. I really doubt you'll ever see broadcasts in 1080p. I could be wrong, though.

[NoCalMike 0]

If a TV has a 1920x1080 ratio does that mean it is pretty much 1080p? I was at Samsclub and a 56" flat panel Panasonic w/stand was $901. That is about the cheapest I have seen a TV of that size that is a flat panel and includes the stand....the advertising label had everything labeled on it, except whether it was a 1080p or not.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

You're both right.

 

 

 

I'm sure someday there'll be broadcasts in 1080p, but I'm not holding my breath waiting for it.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

If a TV has a 1920x1080 ratio does that mean it is pretty much 1080p? I was at Samsclub and a 56" flat panel Panasonic w/stand was $901. That is about the cheapest I have seen a TV of that size that is a flat panel and includes the stand....the advertising label had everything labeled on it, except whether it was a 1080p or not.

 

 

My CRT is 1920x1080 but its interlaced (1080i) since its a CRT. Odds are good on a flat panel that would be 1080p. and it will be at least 10 years, if not longer before 1080p broadcasts happen given bandwith constraints on OTA, Cable and Satellite. It will almost certainly never happen OTA since the government sets limits on the bandwith a station has (19mbps) and the amount needed for 1080p is higher than that. A satellite company would probably need to launch an entire satellite just to handle 1 or maybe 2 1080p channels. Cable doesn't have the bandwith either due to high speed cable internet and technological barriers.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

If a TV has a 1920x1080 ratio does that mean it is pretty much 1080p? I was at Samsclub and a 56" flat panel Panasonic w/stand was $901. That is about the cheapest I have seen a TV of that size that is a flat panel and includes the stand....the advertising label had everything labeled on it, except whether it was a 1080p or not.

 

 

My CRT is 1920x1080 but its interlaced (1080i) since its a CRT. Odds are good on a flat panel that would be 1080p. and it will be at least 10 years, if not longer before 1080p broadcasts happen given bandwith constraints on OTA, Cable and Satellite. It will almost certainly never happen OTA since the government sets limits on the bandwith a station has (19mbps) and the amount needed for 1080p is higher than that. A satellite company would probably need to launch an entire satellite just to handle 1 or maybe 2 1080p channels. Cable doesn't have the bandwith either due to high speed cable internet and technological barriers.

 

 

Two Words....

 

 

 

 

Fiber Optics.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Verizon is having trouble running FIOS..Fiber Optics might solve the problem if they could actually roll fiber optic cables out to more than 900,000 people. It'll still be 15 years before they have enough cable run.

 

 

[Craig Th 0]

Nah, Cable companies are too damn cheap anyway. Half of them are multicasting anyway, so the channels we get now are compressed as a motherfucker.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Right. Cable HD tends not to be quite as good as OTA, since it gets really compressed during transmission. At least that is my understanding.

[NoCalMike 0]

With the way cable overcharges for their programming, just imagine how much will get passed onto to the customer once they start offering "Exciting New Fiber Optic Cable"

[garfieldsnose 0]

is this a good investment?

 

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/ele/541469600.html

 

 

 

my co-worker keeps suggesting I get a vizio when I finally get a new TV after I move. What are everyone else's thoughts?

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

is this a good investment?

 

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/ele/541469600.html

 

 

 

my co-worker keeps suggesting I get a vizio when I finally get a new TV after I move. What are everyone else's thoughts?

 

 

Looks good.

 

32", 720p native, 2 HDMI ports, $475.

 

 

How much are they new?

[garfieldsnose 0]

I'd think about between 600 and 700.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

That is a bargain, even refurbed. I've heard nothing but praise for Vizio so far.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Two more things about resolution:

 

First: Is 1920 x 1080 really that necessary? Are that many things broadcast in 1080i, compared to 720p, especially considering how many sports I watch? If the native res is 1920x1080, and I watch a lot of 720p television, aren't they going to be stretched out, ala an upconverting DVD player (which I have still been recommending, even with the HD DVD news). I mean, as I've eluded, I didn't notice a difference. Is my Asian friend going to complain that my TV's native isn't 1080p, even though it's capable of 1080p input?

 

Second: Same Asian friend (who, by the way, sucks at DDR and photography, as long as I'm stereotyping) claims that Xbox 360 only is capable of 720p input, and as such, need its signal re-routed by a 1080p output....Is that right? How many TV's actually have 1080p output? My Toshiba 37HL57, which I'm more than happy with, doesn't have HDMI out....should it?

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Im just going to list channels that are 720p, so anything I havent listed is 1080i as far as I know

 

FOX

MyNetworkTV

ABC

ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNews (coming 3.31)

Big Ten Network

FX

A&E

History Channel

National Geographic

Speed

Fuel

Most Local Sports Channels

 

 

A common thread with most of the channels in 720p is fast action via sports or nature programing (FX and A&E ??) which looks better in 720p. Of course NBC and CBS which have sports do 1080i so its not a prerequisite to have 720p for sports.

 

There is far more 1080i programming available. All premium movie channels (HBO/Starz/Showtime/etc) for instance are 1080i which right there is more than the list of 720p.

 

As far as the XBox goes, I dont know enough about them to say.