I want a new HD TV!

Re: I want a new HD TV!

Tomkitten wrote:

I just read that WalMart will stop selling HDTV sets, and go with Blu-ray. What are the implications there? Does Blu-ray refer only to playing movies on the TV set, or is it a different kind of high definition? What limitations are there, comparing Blu-ray and HD?

Tomkitten- Do you remember when there was a war going on concerning Betamax and VHS?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamax

Eventually, Betamax lost, and became obsolete. The same thing is happening between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. They are two different systems for playing high definition DVDs. Blu-Ray is winning THAT war, and HD-DVD will go the way of quadraphonic stereo, and 8 tracks.

It does not matter what brand of TV that you buy. To play Hi-Definition DVDs you need a DVD player. Right now, I am not impressed with the DVDs that are out. The old films were not recorded in high definition, so that doesn't matter.

So right now, we have a player (Oppo) which upconverts regular DVDs. It is not as good as high def, but it is pretty good nonetheless. By the time that enough DVDs come out in Blu-Ray, I would suppose that the players will go way down in price.

As far as size is concerned, to really enjoy the TV, I would not get anything less than 32". (I have a 32" & a 52"). The 32" is only 720, but at that size, it really makes no difference. When you get high def stations via cable, IMO the larger size shows up much better, especially when looking at scenic stuff.

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kickycan wrote:

Just so you know, if you're buying an HD TV because you've been hearing the ads about what a far superior digital quality picture they have, you may be disappointed. I have one and I don't think it looks any better than the picture on my old TV. It looks a little different, but not necessarily any better. The fevered hype of superior quality is mostly just another bunch of horseshit that advertisers have put out there to sell more TVs, in my opinion.

I must disagree, Kicky. There are hi-def sets, and there are hi-def sets, and there ARE differences. The best way is to go into a store where they are playing the same thing on multiple sets, and check out the clarity.

What is very interesting, is that as I had mentioned, I have 2 high def sets, both Sonys. The 52" is in the XBR series, which is top of the line. The 32" is in a lesser series. I like the picture 32" better!

I think that what I have to do is calibrate the larger set.

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2 things with Hi-def.

1080 will look better than 720 which looks better than 480.

But that assumes that the TV is getting a signal that matches the screen output. Many stations and cable companies produce digital signals that are not Hi-def. Digital only means that the signal is digital not that the signal is hi-def. A 720x480 signal is digital but it won't look any better on a 1080 screen than it does on a 720 screen or a 480(EDTV) screen. A 720 signal might look worse on the 1080 screen because the screen is trying to upconvert the signal which can distort during the conversion process.

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That up-converting is most notably on TNT HD and even more so on TBS HD.
They're are distortions of the ratio of the picture because of trying to fit a non-interlaced 420p into an interlaced 720i. A 420p broadcast or DVD up-converted to 1008p (both progressive scans, in other words, a straight line scan across the pixels with no interlacing) will look somewhat better.

All of this is moot if you have a screen 42" or smaller as I've stated before -- no salesperson in an audio/video outlet is going to tell you this unless they are trying to convince you to go to a larger screen. Just remember, the larger the screen, the less the contrast ratio which is a significant loss on larger LCD screens.

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Butrflynet wrote:

Hey Lightwizard,

I have a question for you on the HD converter boxes. The prices I've seen range from $40 to $80.

The question is what are the differences between the low end of the price range and the high end of the price range?

Don't they all have the exact same binary ability to convert or not convert the digital signal?

If so, what makes them different enough to cause the price differential, the materials the box is made of?

Bells and whistles -- the main electronics are virtually the same but the more expensive models I believe have some adjustment features, and likely more reliable quality control on the assemblies, and a more expensive chassis (which is not necessrary if you're hiding it away).

I know you probably know, but all these units will do is receive hi def signals broadcast off the air with an antenna -- that is, some HD programming from CBS, NBC, ABC, the CW network, FOX and the PBS stations. You have to have the satellite, cable or new fiber optic Verizon and AT&T (for now) boxes to get the extended HD programming only available on their system.

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If you are just to use it for your normal viewing then suggest you go for the Samsung LE19R86BDX. I found the piece at http://www.checkcost.co.uk/samsung-le19r86bdx-19-widescreen-lcd-tv/p/159671/ for my PS3.

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I want a new HD TV!

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