What To Look For When Purchasing An HDTV
Ok, so you just got an HD receiver and you are
ready to rock and roll. But, wait...don't you want a TV that can actually
handle the HD signal? Of course! But, what do you need in an HDTV set? Let's
take a look at some of the important technical specifications so when you go
shopping, you go armed with knowledge. So what exactly is High Definition?
HD is an all encompassing term for a subset of digital TV that includes all
higher-resolution formats set by ATSC standards.
What is this "p" and "i" stuff mean? Well, this is an excellent question.
If you are shopping for an HDTV, this is one of the specs you should know
about and look for. "P" stands for "progressive scan". Progressive scan
format creates an extremely sharp picture, which many gamers swear by. The
progressive format keeps the image sharp by progressively scanning and
refreshing the picture.
Arguably, the 720p makes a much sharper image for gamers than 1080i.
Which brings me to the "i". The "i" stands for interlaced scanning.
Interlaced scanning refreshes the image half at a time, as opposed to
progressive scanning that refreshes all at once. If you have lower than
1080i, say 480i, you may notice the scanning lines as a flickering. This
does not happen with 1080i, but only because there are more lines for
scanning.
Here is a run down of some p's and i's for
you:
1080p - Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 pixels
-
Defined as HDTV
-
Widscreen
-
Progressive Scan for super sharp picture
1080i-
Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 pixels
-
Defined as HDTV
-
Widescreen
-
Non-progressive scan. At this resolution, scan lines are not noticable.
720p-
Resolution: 1,280 x 720 pixels
-
Defined as HDTV
-
Widescreen
-
Prorgressive scan for a sharp picture, despite having a slightly lower resolution
480p (widescreen)-
Resolution: 852 x 480 pixels
-
NOT defined as HDTV, but DVD and EDTV
-
Widescreen
-
Progressive scan. Even though the resolution is much less than the 720p and the 1080p, the picture is still sharp...just not HD
Regular TV-
Resolution: up to 480 lines
-
Not defined as HD
-
Not widescreen format
-
Not progressive scan. Grainy and blurry instead of being sharp and clear.
This simple chart pretty much shows you what you should look for in an HD TV. Your best bet is the 1080p. The problem is that HDTV isn't broadcast in 1080p, yet anyway. However, if you watch movies, Blueray DVD's are 1080p. You know that the broadcast technology will catch up quickly enough. The drawback to 1080p TV's is that they are EXPENSIVE. That's why purchasing a 1080i or 720p resolution set is the best option. Many of these HDTV's are affordable, especially if you forgo the ridiculously large ones (over 32 inches).
You also want to make sure that your new fancy HDTV set comes with an HDMI input, and if possible, the cable as well. The HDMI cable is able to transmit the signal from your HDTV receiver in full, for the sharpest picture your resolution can get. There are other cables you can use, of course. A DCI cable is better than nothing, but still doesn't have the same capacity as the HDMI. The HDMI cable comes in very handy if you want to connect a media center computer to your fancy new TV for computer gaming or for slideshows. |
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