Re: OT: Windows Media Center / PVR Experience
- From: Doug Jacobs <djacobs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:53:41 -0000
Journey <rainbow@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
OK, Tom and Barry... I am really confused by all the standards out
there. If course if I start Googling I'd learn more. Is there a set
out now that will be compliant with future standards... i.e. one that
won't turn into a betamax vs. VHS? 720p, and the other things are
greek to me right now.
What helps _a lot_ is to have pointers for me to start with.
It's not too hard. You can check the Wikipedia as it has some pretty good
articles on HD ranging from newbie to technician.
Basically, there are several TV resolutions:
480i - This is the basic broadcast resolution used today, also called
Standard Definition TV (SDTV). The I stands for interlaced, meaning each
time the screen is refreshed, only every other line is drawn. Odd
numbered lines one pass, even numbered lines the next.
480p - This is the same as above, except each refresh cycle draws all 480
lines every time. The P stands for Progressive Scan. It's the same as
"Non-interlaced", if you remember that term from computers back in the
90s. 480p is also called "Enhanced Definition TV" or EDTV. All computer
monitors use progressive scan/non-interlaced resolutions now-a-days.
There are some TVs that are EDTV.
HDTV has 3 resolutions: 720p, 1080i and 1080p. As before, the numbers
refer to the horizontal resolution (number of lines.) Most channels that
carry HD are in 720p. Only a few are in 1080i. At this time, the only
1080p video sources are the new video formats, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, as well
a very small number of video games for the latest Sony Playstation and
Microsoft Xbox. For this reason, if you want to save a bit of money,
don't worry about a TV that supports 1080p. There's not a big difference
between 1080p and 1080i, and even then, only larger TVs (50" or larger)
will truly benefit from the higher resolution.
If I were interested in getting a large TV, is there one that I can
feel safe with standards-wise? And, what would you recommend? I
could afford up to $1,500, and I also don't have the sound system part
of it.
I would make sure that the TV actually does the resolutions it
advertises. Some earlier sets would say they did 1080i, but in reality
did some sort of weird, non-standard resolution that was somewhere better
than 720p, but not quite 1900x1080i. I would reccomend looking at
Costco. They carry a number of sets at good prices and have a very
liberal return policy. Just be sure to do your homework. Go to the
store, write down the manufacturer and model# of the sets you like, then
look them up on the internet to get their true statistics (Costco's
stickers aren't very complete ;) and also try to find some customer
reviews.
The TV should have HDMI inputs, at least one. HDMI is a newer cable
standard that can carry both HD quality video and surround sound data on a
single cable. It is also the only "approved" connector for the copy
protection used by HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players. The studios have not started
producing discs with this copy protection turned on, as HDMI is fairly
new, and only HDTVs within the past 2 years or so have it. However, come
2010 or so, the studios expect to start enforcing this. When this happens,
if you try to watch a HD-DVD or Blu-Ray movie using another type of video
connection (say, Component Video) you won't get the full resolution. Even
though I don't reccomend buying either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray at this time, many
other devices are begining to use HDMI as well, so to future-proof your set as
much as possible, make sure it comes with at least one HDMI port.
You may also want to consider a DVD player that can upscale your DVDs to
higher resolutions. While many HDTVs have an upscaler built into them,
the processing that some DVD players do can produce a superior picture
compared to what your TV can do. An upscaler basically stretches an
incoming picture to a higher resolution, using mathematical formulas to
try to stretch then smooth out the resulting image. While not quite as
good as a true HD source, this will allow you to play your existing DVDs
with startling clarity on your larger screen. These DVD players are also
very cheap, ranging from about $80 to $230 for a "high end" player that
can do 1080p.
There's more to learn, but this should hopefully give you a good start.
Feel free to ask questions.
--
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