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hdtv - questions answered
by Greg Gibson
July 19, 2004
 NextGenElectronics'
resident HDTV expert Greg Gibson answers your questions
about HDTV and what you should do about this exciting emerging technology.
If you have a question or comment you'd like Mr. Gibson to comment on,
please feel free to email him personally by clicking
here. All inquiries are subject to publication, however, no personal
information will be given away or published.
Mike W. : I have a dvd player that upscales
to 1080p at 60 and 50hz the manual doesnt mention the difference...(that's
how I found your site-trying to find the difference). I notice, when hooked
up to my computer moniter at 1080p (moniter set to this resolution), Joe
Kane's Digital Video Essentials DVD (and other well produced DVD's ) are
absolutely stunning....makes me never want to watch tv again...at least
not till I get full HDTV... no, not the broadcast, I mean the TV monitor.
Which begs my question which might be simple, if not
ignorant. If my computer monitor can display 1080p, how come the best
a modern HDTV can do is 720p (DLP) or 1080i? Wouldn't it be easier to
just create a 65" computer moniter?
Greg Gibson: The problem is in the manufacturing
of large screens - there are new 1080p LCDs being released in September
(Samsung) so the large screen are getting there (i.e., above 720p)...
keep watch, as we have seen 1080p LCD, LCD projection, and 1080p DLP!
They have not been released publically, but will be within the next 12
months.
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Adam A. : I want to buy an HDTV. It says
that it requires an optional HDTV decoder to recieve and display HDTV
Broadcasts. It is a Mitsubishi TV and my cable service is Cablevision.
I would like to know more information on HDTV decoders and what the general
prices are.
Greg Gibson: You are going about it the
wrong way - since you apparently have decided you will be using your local
Cablevision (vice satellite) - give them a call and ask if they provide/require
their own HDTV decoder... most likely they do - therefore, get theirs
and you are set... If you buy a TV with a built-in decoder, be sure it
is CABLE CARD compatible - as of July 1, all TVs are required to have
a digital cable card slot so you can access your cable system.
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Lyle K. : Can you give me any insight into
the above RCA TV. The sales people are saying value for dollar "there
is nothing like it. Can you comment? Much appreciated!
Greg Gibson: Sorry - but the Texas Instruments
HD2 DLP chipset (the micro-mirror device) in this particular HDLP61W151
model has been replaced by the HD2+ chipset... frankly, the HD2+ is brighter
and better... but not as good as the higher resolution HD3 and xHD3 chipsets
due out early next year. Wish I had better news, but the HD2+ is a better
chipset... check SAMSUNG and compare (they and Optama have been out for
several months).
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Bimal S. : I would like to know about HDTV
and what are the differents between normal colour TV and HDTV. I heared
about Blu Ray Disk. It is specialy for recoding and play of HDTV programme.
Why HDTV's programme need lots of space and such types of disk ( Blu Ray
Disk).
Greg Gibson: The US television was formated
in the late 1940s at around 400 lines of resolution (Europe is at a higher
level using the PAL format). HDTV provides 1080 lines of resolution. DVDs
provide a 480 lines of resolution (not HDTV obviously), and therefore
one DVD will only hold 20 minutes of HDTV content (not enough for a movie)...
Blu-Ray is the next standard in DVDs, and uses a laser with a shorter
wavelength to compact more data onto a disk... so the HDTV movie will
fit onto a Blu-Ray disc!
-------------------------------
Bimal S. : I would like to know about HDTV
and what are the differents between normal colour TV and HDTV. I heared
about Blu Ray Disk. It is specialy for recoding and play of HDTV programme.
Why HDTV's programme need lots of space and such types of disk ( Blu Ray
Disk).
Greg Gibson: The US television was formated
in the late 1940s at around 400 lines of resolution (Europe is at a higher
level using the PAL format). HDTV provides 1080 lines of resolution. DVDs
provide a 480 lines of resolution (not HDTV obviously), and therefore
one DVD will only hold 20 minutes of HDTV content (not enough for a movie)...
Blu-Ray is the next standard in DVDs, and uses a laser with a shorter
wavelength to compact more data onto a disk... so the HDTV movie will
fit onto a Blu-Ray disc!
-------------------------------
Andre S. : I bought a Sony 46 inch RP HDTV
and I want to know if those black horizontal bars that appears when we
watch a DVD movie will burn the TV if I watch a 2 hour movie ???
Greg Gibson: No - they won't burn in after
2 hours... prolonged exposure however, will do that - so don't leave it
in the letterbox version for a long time (wish there was a set time to
avoid, but there isn't)...
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Joe S. : We are about to replace our 14
year old 34 inch Sony Trinitron (it died). We watch about 14 hours of
TV a week. We have basic cable( no premium channels). Is it worth the
extra expense to get HDTV? Not just the initial price but the doubling
of our monthly cable bill. If we don"t get HD where will we be in
two years when every thing is broad cast that way?
Greg Gibson: I stongly advise everyone
to "do their homework" as found on our PRIMER article to identify
exactly how you will be receiving the broadcasts and what you will be
watching. That will define your needs and whether you should go cable,
satellite, or OTA... and whether you need an HDTV with a built-in HD tuner.
To answer your exact question - if you don't buy HD now,
in two years your 4x3 resolution screen will have top and bottom bars
(and likely burn in those bars) as FCC is mandating the conversion to
HD and its attendent 16x9 aspect ration. You will still get a picture
(not HD obviously) with a downconverter.
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Mike M. : I have recently bought an HDTV
and plugged my DVD player into the 780p slot in the TV using three cables
as directed in the HDTV manual. What is the highest resolution that DVDs
can put out? Are my DVDs less clear than digital cable HDTV which comes
in at 1080i? Could my DVD player be hooked up to the 780i/p/1080i/p jack
on my HDTV (which the manual prevents) or would that just confuse the
TV and make it default to 780i/p? ?
Greg Gibson: DVD is 480p and as such, will
not do 720p... Yes, movies converted on cable directly into 1080i will
look better - in fact, you will (as you view more and more 1080i) become
very disappointed in many DVDs and the poor quality of 480p. Blu-Ray is
coming in about a year - it will be a TOTALLY NEW HD-DVD and will provide
1080p DVD quality... see my article on CES. You will be able to buy a
new Blu-Ray machine and into into the 1080 inputs for really incredible
DVD quality.
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Dean W. : In a high-end electronics store
recently, we were given a ton of information on plasma TVs/HDTV and are
now a bit confused. We were told that there is a difference between a
set claiming to be
HDTV-ready and one that will actually broadcast the HDTV signal in its
intended resolution (HDTV-capable). How can we decipher the lingo and
what should we be looking for?
Greg Gibson: An HD-capable set means that
the TV does not have a built-in tuner for High Definition reception. Yes,
it can get the traditional lower resolution broadcasts iwth the old NTSC
tuner, but it does not have a built-in HD tuner. To receive HD you must
either buy an HD tuner (for satellite and over the air broadcasts) OR
get an HD tuner from your cable TV company. If you intend to get your
channels via cable, then by all means get their cable box and just buy
the HD-capable set - you will save money since the cable company is providing
the tuner!
An HD-ready set means that the TV has a built in HD
tuner. However, if you use premium channels HBO/SHOWTIME/Etc. then you
should see if the tuner is compatiable with your satellite/cable provider
(VOOM, DirecTV, Dish, Cox, etc.)... it might be that you have to use the
cable system's box anyway.
Commentary By: Greg Gibson - email
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