Widescreen TV Talk ...

[Kramer]

Widescreen TV Talk:

In the market soon for one.
I’ve done my research on plasma vs LCD , etc
and just wanted a Mall input on what you have and how you like it.


So far what I’ve read the biggest scam is when they try and get you to buy the $ 100-150
HDMI cables.


HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is generally the best connection between a source component and a high definition display. The cable carries digital audio and video with a copy protection. These wires are available in lengths from one and a half feet to over fifty feet. What the store salesmen will not tell you: no matter how much or how little you pay for a cable, you can only see one of two types of pictures –Perfect or Bad.
Perfect means no artifacts such as sparkles. Bad means artifacts or no image. Electronics store salesmen will tout you on gold plated connectors, thicker shielding, heavy-duty construction, name brands and so on, but it really wouldn’t make an iota of difference in picture or sound quality. It’s that simple. The signal running through an HDMI is digital, just a series of ones and zeros. No matter what anyone tells you, getting all the ones and zeros from one end of the cable to the other is all an HDMI cable is supposed to do. No matter how expensive and fancy the HDMI cable, the image can’t improve! The cable can only be good or bad.
So how much should you pay for an HDMI cable? As little as you can. A quick search of online retailers, found the lowest price at monoprice.com where a 6 foot HDMI cables start at $9.29 including shipping and handling, in single lot quantities.






The following is an interview I think interesting -

Q. What advice do you give people before they go out to a store to buy their first HDTV?

A. Be aware of the distance you sit from the screen, the amount of ambient light in the room and if you plan to get your HD programming from the cable or phone company, satellite, over the air (with an antenna) or a combination. This will help the salesperson guide you to the best choices.
Q. What are a couple of your favorite affordable big-screen (42 inches or bigger) HDTVs?
A. I like Mitsubishi’s 1080p DLP-based rear projection sets (starting at about $2,000) as well as 42-inch Hitachi ($2,500) and 50-inch Panasonic ($2,000) plasma models.
Q. Any simple tips for people to improve their picture without a DVD calibration disc?
A. First, change the factory default picture setting (usually called Vivid or Brilliant) to a less-bright one (sometimes called Cinema or Pro). Next, turn down the contrast (also known as “picture”) to around 50 percent to 60 percent of maximum. Picture quality will improve and the life of the display — or the bulb, in the case of rear-projection sets — will be extended. Many bulb-driven sets also include a low or “natural” setting, which should be selected for extended life.
Q. Is the picture supplied through cable boxes true hi-def, or something less (compressed)?
A. Depends on the cable system. Many cable systems transmit fewer bits than they’re sent by using an HD image-quality degrading technique they call statistical multiplexing, or “stat mux.” Stat Muxing sacrifices picture quality in order to provide more channels.
Q. What are your favorite networks for HD picture quality?
A. CBS consistently broadcasts the highest-quality HDTV pictures, but they have fallen behind in upgrading their live telecasts, showing only three out of eight NFL games a week in HD (Fox shows all the games in HD). On cable, HDNet and the “in studio” content on Wealth TV, currently available via Verizon’s FIOS system, look amazing.
Q. Are you a plasma guy? Or DLP, LCD, LCoS or CRT?
A. Each has particular benefits depending upon needs and desires. CRT offers excellent 30-inch and 34-inch images for less than $1,000, though the sets tend to be heavy and bulky and don’t produce as bright a picture as flat-panel LCD, the only alternative below 37 inches.
At 37 inches and bigger, LCD offers the brightest, highest resolution (1920×1080) performance, though color gamut (range and accuracy) and viewing angle suffer compared to CRT and plasma. Also, with the exception of the top-of-the-line 37-inch JVC and Hitachi and 42-inch Philips sets, LCD suffers from slow response time, resulting in “motion lag.”
Sports enthusiasts are better off with plasma, which is my technology of choice — at least this year — for flat-screen sets 42 inches and bigger (some new 1080p models are now available, too, for a heavy premium). The 1080p microdisplay rear-projection sets using LCoS (Sony’s SXRD and JVC’s DiLA models) and DLP (Toshiba, Samsung and Mitsubishi) offer the biggest picture and most performance for the money, though they lack plasma’s thin, sexy form and wider viewing angle.
Q. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the following on their move into HDTV: the federal government, TV manufacturers, cable and satellite companies?
A. The feds get a 7. They lose points for not mandating a “must carry” rule requiring cable to rebroadcast all local HD programming, in native resolution and at full picture quality.
TV manufacturers rate a 9 for producing an explosion of HDTVs in a wide variety of sizes, technologies and price points. They could do a better job explaining the merits of the various HD sources (cable, satellite and over-the-air), as well as how CableCARD operates along with built-in free program guides.
Cable scores anywhere from 1 to 9 depending upon the provider. Verizon’s new FIOS fiber optic system promises to deliver the best picture quality because the system has sufficient bandwidth to deliver full resolution. Some systems reduce bit rates to fit more channels into the system.
Satellite bottom dwells as 2. DirecTV and Dish Network seem to be racing to the picture quality bottom, delivering less than full HD resolution, or what I call “low hi-def.”
Broadcasters get a 7. They’re almost all broadcasting digitally as required by the government, with many having already converted their studios to HD and others about to. Unfortunately, they’ve done a poor job of promoting the transition to digital and inviting viewers to switch over for a much better picture and better sound.
Q. How long before1080p programming arrives? And who will be first?
A. Blu-ray and HD DVD discs already are 1080p. 1080p is within the ATSC (digital) broadcast standard but there has been no indication from the content providers as to when they may make the switch.
Q. Do you believe you should be able to make a copy for personal use of a DVD, a hi-def program or, for that matter, a CD?
A. Yes, though content providers can and do use digital rights management (DRM) to prevent legal copying. This struggle will not go away, and the public’s only recourse is to vote with their wallets and purses against overly restrictive DRM schemes.

[pwherr]

Got a Plasma and an LCD. Plasma blows it out of the water.

[guzzi]

i allwayz say da wider da better...strap a board on...

[Kramer]

PW What sizes are each and how far is your viewing distance and
are they ea 720, 768 or 1080 p?
there's a dif on "optimum" viewing distance ...

For example a 50" 720/or 768 shld be 117 inches away or 9.75ft
if 1080 it drops to 78 inches or 6.5 feet
So depending on the seating arrangement of the LCD could be the difference ...

[pwherr]

Just bought my second Plasma today 50" 720p I mounted it 40in off the floor and watch it from about 10ft away.My 42in is a 1080 it is on a stand on a cabinet 31in off the ground and about 10ft on it also.My LCD is 32 720p in the bedroom on a Armour about 6ft off the ground and 20 ft from the bed so that distance might be some of the problem.Still think Plasma is the way to go.

[Kramer]

50" -720 = 117.5 " best view,
42" 1080=66"
32" 720 = 75" ....

[Gobbler's Knob]

Buying a tv in the fall, heard that plasma tv's don't last as long but I think the picture is twice as good as anything I've seen. Input welcome

[pwherr]

Originally Posted by Gobbler's Knob

Buying a tv in the fall, heard that plasma tv's don't last as long but I think the picture is twice as good as anything I've seen. Input welcome

Get the Plasma you won't be sorry

[Gobbler's Knob]

Originally Posted by pwherr

Get the Plasma you won't be sorry

What about the longevity of these things Paul, should I be concerned at all, and are they safe to play video games on

[pwherr]

Originally Posted by Gobbler's Knob

What about the longevity of these things Paul, should I be concerned at all, and are they safe to play video games on

I don't think I would play games on it.When I bought mine they said like 60,000 hours.I'll be ready for a new one after 60.000 hours anyway.LCD if you want to play games but both my plasmas blow my LCD away. pic wise.

[JohnnySmooth]

Wait for the 4Q of this year and get yourself a SED tv by Canon or Toshiba. These are going to be the new technology and are superior to plasma and LCD. You can look up some pics of how clear they are on searching images through a search engine.

[pwherr]

Originally Posted by JohnnySmooth

Wait for the 4Q of this year and get yourself a SED tv by Canon or Toshiba. These are going to be the new technology and are superior to plasma and LCD. You can look up some pics of how clear they are on searching images through a search engine.

Aren't there a lot of problems with the SED?Delays,lawsuits ect?

[pwherr]

Tokyo – Toshiba Corporation announced that the company will postpone the start of sales of SED TVs, which was originally planned for the fourth quarter of 2007.

The decision is based on information provided by Canon Inc., indicating that Canon will not be able to provide SED panels to the original schedule.

The specific timeframe for the launch of SED TVs cannot be indicated at this moment.

Let’s hope this isn’t the last we hear from Toshiba on SED television. Smarthouse reports that this may be the end of SED TV. I really wouldn’t be surprised, the way Canon has dealt with this whole fiasco. Keep your fingers crossed SED TV fans.

Technorati Tags: Toshiba, SED TV, Canon

[JohnnySmooth]

Ah, I heard it was delayed the first time. I didn't know they had been delayed yet again.

[mrwho]

i've got a 52 toshiba dlp and its beautiful.