HDTV Report –
Finally – Acceptable HD Is Arriving

by Greg Gibson

APRIL 2005 – The number one question we receive is “What should I do, I am ready to buy an HDTV and what do you recommend?” Up until now, we have been the only honest reporters – we have strongly recommended that consumers WAIT.

Well, that wait is nearly over. Within the next 3 months, new technology will be released that will allow NEXT GEN ELECTRONICS to possibly make our first “EDITORS CHOICE AWARD” for recommending an HDTV.

As you are aware, we cannot in good conscience recommend plasma technology. If you are very wealthy, and it is just fine to throw away an $8,000 plasma set in 3 to 5 years due to picture fading or burn-in… then certainly the thin design is nice. But for the average consumer, plasma's problems with fade and burn-in are just not acceptable.

Similarly, we cannot recommend flat-panel LCDs. LCDs and LCOS panels suffer from the dreaded “red dot of death” – a single red pixel can fail in the “on” position and you get a constant “red-dot” (for example). It looks like measles and is incredibly distracting. At CES a $30,000 proto-type LCOS set, showing FINDING NEMO, had 4 failed pixels and the set was virtually unwatchable due to the distration.

Tube sets (direct and projection) are technically sound, but suffer from burn-in just as plasmas… plus they are incredibly bulky and heavy. My projection tube set take up an enormous amount of space in my living room.

So, what is this “new technology” arriving. THE NEW DIGITAL LIGHT PROCESSORS (DLP) ARE COMING SOON!

As we reported from CES 2005, Texas Instruments (TI) has the new HD3 and xHD3 chipsets in production and manufacturers are just now starting to roll out the new sets. From our articles, readers know that DLPs do NOT have any concerns about fade or burn-in, and the contrast ratios (2000+:1) are just fine.

The current HD2+ DLP (and indeed all plasmas and flat panel LCDs) display at 720 horizontal lines of resolution. This is less resolution than the full 1080 capability of HD. The new HD3 chipsets will have more micro devices (mirrors) and will provide a true 1080 display. Importantly, it will be annotated/marketed as 1080p and will provide a significant, “film-quality” picture.

Unfortunately, TI has stopped promoting the chipset number – so you will have to look to the resolution description (1080 versus 720) to check whether it is the new HD3 or old HD2+.

SAMSUNG is apparently poised to be the first manufacturer to release the new xHD3 chipsets in their product line within the next 3 months. The model numbers for the SAMSUNG will end in “88”… it is expected that SAMSUNG will offer models in 55” and 62”… with the set about 19 to 23 inches deep. Products will also be offered with cable cards and built-in HD tuners.

So, to all consumers – your wait is just about over… be patient.

As a sidebar note, we would also like to acknowledge that small LCD projection sets have been making significant technological improvements and are poised to make a run at the DLP technology. Specifically, in LCD projection systems, a set of 3 small LCDs are, with 720 horizontal resolution, configured with a light source, to reflect the three primary colors. The LCD projectors are similar in size to the DLPs: with a cabinet depth of 16-22 inches. Also similar to the new xHD3 cDLP chipsets, LCD projector manufacturers are preparing to release 1080p in late 2005.

We look forward to a Battle Royal between these two technologies (1080p DLP versus 1080p LCD projectors) because the winner will be the consumer in lower prices.

STAND BY – YOUR WAIT IS NEARLY OVER...

Commentary By: Greg Gibson - email