HDTV SuperBlog

After toiling for weeks (or has it been months?) I finally finished this HDTV super blog. First things first, if you are new to HDTV or just need to catch up on the latest technology take a look at the excellent CNet site called HDTV World. It covers everything from calculating the optimum screen size to providing a comprehensive HDTV buyers guide. I highly recommend you take some time to look this over before continuing. OK now that you have finished reading HDTV World I would like to give my 2 cents (or is that .02 dollars?) regarding the wonderful world of HDTV.

1080p vs 720p

Is a 1080p display better than a 720p one? The short answer is yes although only if your set is large enough and you sit close enough to see the difference. If you haven't already read it yet, check out the recommended display sizes based on your viewing distance article at HDTV World. Studies have shown that most people can't see the difference between a 720p display and a 1080p display under normal viewing distances unless the set is large enough.

What sources support true 1080p:

• To see 1080p in all it's glory you really need a pure 1080p source. You can scratch commercial broadcasts off the list since the highest resolution they support is 1080i. Although 1080p is in the ATSC specification, not a single broadcaster uses it since it requires twice as much bandwidth and they are already struggling with providing both analog and digital signals over their existing infrastructure.

• Next generation game consoles like the the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Sony PS/3 can output 1080p 60 fps but only a small subset of games support this (most titles only natively support 720p and 1080i).

• High definition optical drives like HD-DVD and Blu-Ray can output 1080p 60 fps but both formats use 1080p 24 fps sources and upconvert them to 60 fps so the quality is not quite the same (although its very close).

Consider 1080p depending on the size of your display you want:

• 42" or less = You probably won't see the difference in resolution at normal viewing distances.

• 50" - 60" = This depends on how close you are to the display. For example, if you are viewing a 50" 1080p HDTV more than 8 feet away you probably won't see the difference between it and a 720p set.

• Greater than 60" = You should see difference in resolution in a 1080p set.

Consider what you want to view with your HDTV:

• Game consoles = If you have a next generation console like the Microsoft Xbox 360 or the Sony Playstation 3 you should consider a 1080p display because you are generally close to screen when playing and because both consoles actually offer 1080p material.

• Blu-Ray/HD-DVD = Both these next gen players make purchasing a 1080p worth it since most can output 1080p providing that you are close enough to the screen to see the difference (again screen size matters).

• Regular DVDs = A good scaler (DVD player that upconverts standard DVDs) will help but it won't look that much better on a 1080p set vs a 720p one.

• HTPC = If you have a Home Theater PC connected to your HDTV then you will see the benefit of a 1080p display since your PC's video card can display every pixel in games and viewing photos.
  

Having said all of this, the HDTV industry is heading to a pure 1080p world. Even plasma displays which seem to have been stuck in 720p forever and now coming out with 1080p models. When I visited one particular showroom the sales guy showed me several LCDs one with a 720p feed, another with 1080i and the third with 1080p. I had a hard time telling the difference between the 720p and 1080i although the 1080p source did look better just not a whole lot better. It's true what they say that the big quality jump is going from 480i (standard definition) to 720p and not from 720p to 1080. I'm not trying to sway you one way or another, I just wanted to lay out the facts and have you know that 720p isn't necessarily last years technology. A good quality 720p set is nothing to sneeze at and if you can save a few thousand dollars in the process it's definitely worth considering.

LCD vs Plasma Displays

There is no one perfect HDTV display technology, each has their own pros and cons. I've attempted to list them here in regards to LCD and plasma displays. There are other technologies like rear and front projection sets that I just didn't have time to cover but if you are looking for a large display around 60" or higher, you should seriously consider these as well.

LCD Pros:

• Resolution - LCDs sport higher resolutions (most sets now come with 1080p) at lower prices than plasmas.

• Brightness - LCD's handle external light sources better than plasma. This is because they feature anti-glare coatings on their screens and because they are brighter than plasmas.

• Weight - LCDs are lighter than similar sized plasma displays. For example, 90 lbs for 52" Sharp LCD vs 164 lbs for a 50" Pioneer plasma.

• Burn in - LCDs have no chance of image burn in like some older plasma displays.

• Power - LCDs require less power to operate than plasma displays of similar size.
  

LCD Cons:

• Viewing angles - LCDs traditionally have had less of a viewing angle than plasma displays, however newer sets are much better. For example the high end ones boast about having 176 degrees viewing angles although I'm guessing this is only the horizontal angle and not vertical.

• Contrast ratio - LCDs feature lower contrast ratios than plasma. Because LCD's always has the backlight turned on they have a hard time displaying a truly dark black, usually the best it can do is a dark gray. Newer (and the more expensive sets) have technology which improves on this greatly, although still not as good as a quality plasma.

• Response time - Traditionally LCDs suffered from a "ghosting effect" where it couldn't display fast moving action quick enough. This problem has been all but eliminated on higher end sets that feature 4-8 ms response times and/or 120Hz refresh rates.

• Longevity - Although LCDs can dim over time (although still better than plasma displays) the backlamp will need to be replaced well before that happens. Newer LCD backlamps are rated at 60,000 hours before they might need replacing. This translates to 27 years @ 6 hours/day so by then you might be ready for your next set.
  

Plasma Pros:

• Better contrast ratios than LCD, which means a plasma with a high contrast ratio can display truer blacks than a typical LCD.
  

• Better viewing angles, typically 175 degrees at both horizontal and vertical settings.

• Plamas don't suffer from the "ghosting effect" so they are great for live action sports and video games.
  

Plasma Cons:

• Price - Most affordable plasmas are "only" 720p models. Full 1080p plasma sets are expensive, especially when compared to 1080p LCDs. The street price for a 50" Pioneer Elite PRO-FHD1 1080p display is $7000 and that's without a HD tuner or speakers. However prices are already dropping as Panasonic just announced new 50" 1080p plasmas starting at $3,500 that should be available this summer.

• Burn In - This is largely a plasma myth that never seems to die. Modern plasmas have improved to the point where it's extremely difficult to produce burn in, even under heavy use. However this myth is rooted in truth, a lot of older sets did have this issue.
  

• Brightness - Plasmas are typically less bright then LCDs but newer sets have improved in this area.
  

• Reflections - Plasmas use a shiny glass surface which causes annoying reflections with various light sources. Because of this and the fact they are less bright, they are not recommended for well lit rooms where you can't control the lighting. Some of the newer high end models have anti-glare coating which helps quite a bit with the reflections.

• Weight - Plasmas are heaver, often twice the weight of an equivalent sized LCD. For some people this is a concern although not so much for me as either most 50" plasmas or LCDs are still a lot lighter than my 36"Sony Wega CRT which tips the scales at 236 lbs.

• Power - Plasmas generally use more electrical power than LCDs at a similar size. The power ratings of different plasma models varies greatly, from 236 watts on a 50" Panasonic TH-50PHD8UK to a whopping 414 watts on a 50" Maxtent MX-50X3 model. To see how other models compare, check out the CNET Quick guide to TV power consumption website. Although plasma manufactures are often reluctant to publish their power ratings it makes sense to find out what it is before you buy. Compare this figure with what you currently own to see how it will affect your electric bill. For reference, my 36" Sony CRT uses 200 watts of power.

• Longevity - The plasma gas dims over time so your nice new set will be at its full brightness when you first take it out of the box and will slowly get dimmer over time. However this is less of a concern with new models as many are rated to last 60,000 hours (27 years @ 6 hours/day) before losing half their brightness. Changing the factory settings from "full torch" to a more normal brightness setting will help increase the life of a plasma.

Nice features to get on either system:

• Mulitple HDMI ports - Get a display with at least 2 HDMI ports, 3 (or more) is better. HDMI is the defacto standard port for connecting HD equipment (like audio receivers, game consoles, Blu-Ray/HD-DVD players) to your displays so the more your set has the better. If you end up running out of HDMI ports as you can buy a HDMI switch box but then you end up with another piece of equipment in your living room. Also keep in mind you can typically connect equipment with component, composite or S-Video to your display if you are hurting for spare ports.
  

• ATSC tuner - You might be thinking why get a HDTV with a digital tuner if you already get HD service from your cable company or satellite service. One good reason is cost, most people live within range to pull over the air HD broadcasts all for free. You need an antenna for this (either internal or external depending on where you live). Another reason to get a ATSC tuner is for quality. Since these are digital signals once you get a lock on a HD signal you will get clean and uncompressed HD content that is often better than what your satellite or cable company provides you with (since they all have to compress their content). Check out the AntennaWeb.org site to see what HD channels are available in your area.

• Multiple display settings per input - Unlike most CRT sets, you really have to calibrate your HDTV in order to get the best quality based on your viewing room. Since different sources (like your DVD player, Blu-Ray, cable box, ect...) may have different display options it's nice to be able to set each input to a different calibration and have the HDTV set remember them all.

Nice features to get but I wouldn't necessarily pay more for it:

• CableCARD slot - These slots are used to connect your HDTV directly to your cable (or FIOS) service. It eliminates the need to rent a set top box from your cable company however there are some caveats to consider. There are currently 2 standards for CableCARD, 1.0 and 2.0. Version 1.0 is uni-directional only, which means that you can't send any information to your cable company so you can't order pay per view titles (although you can still call them and order a title over the phone) and you won't get their interactive TV guide. Version 2.0 is bi-directional but is so new that I haven't seen a single HDTV set implement it yet.

• HDMI 1.3 - There are different versions of HDMI, version 1.2(a) is the most common but version 1.3 has been recently approved and some newer sets already have this spec. It supports greater bandwidth than 1.2 in addition to supporting all the latest audio codecs from Dolby, lip syncing and something called Deep Color. Of all these features on Deep Color will make a significant impact in quality since the other benefits already exist with other source equipment. If future proofing your HDTV set is of the upmost importance to you then go ahead and put this in the must have column.
  

• PC Input - HDTV sets with this feature have a VGA port built in. Although this may seem handy if you are planning to connect your computer to your HDTV set you'll get better quality using your computer's digital DVI connection. Although HDTV sets with a DVI connector are now hard to find (early HDTV displays typically had this connector but has since been replaced by HDMI) you can easily connect your computer with a DVI to HDMI connector.

My Personal Buyers Guide:

• Don't shop on price alone, usually the main difference between a $1500 unit and a $2500 is often the video processor. A cheap processor won't deinterlace as well as a more advanced one and the higher end ones usually cost more money. You'll notice this most with sources like standard DVD's and 1080i broadcasts as well as standard definition TV.
  

• If you plan to watch a lot of standard definition TV (because the channels you watch are not yet broadcast in HD or you don't yet have HD service) be sure to read the following article. It's a good idea to ask the salesman to show you how analog SD content will look on the set you are considering before you buy.
  

• Generally a tier 1 manufactures produce better quality HDTVs than a lower tier company. Examples of tier 1 Plasma makers are Pioneer, Panasonic and Hitachi. Examples of Tier 1 LCD companies are Sharp, Samsung, Sony, LG and. There's nothing wrong with buying a set from a lower tier (Westinghouse, Vizio, ect...) as long as you do your homework, read the reviews and most importantly look at the set before you buy to be sure it has the quality and features you are looking for. Also don't assume a name brand means that is what you are getting. My brother in law just bought a 42" Toshiba plasma that's really made by LG and manufactured by Orion. Again, nothing really inherently wrong with this as long as you research before you buy.
  

• If you plan on getting a 1080p set make sure it has 1080p inputs. Some lower end models don't which means it will upscale 720p and 1080i sources to 1080p, which isn't the same as displaying a native 1080p source.

• Watch out for exaggerated claims of high contrast ratios. Some companies will predominantly display the set's dynamic contrast ratio which is rated higher than the static contrast ratio. There really isn't any standard for measuring contrast ratio so its more marketing than science with either number. Nothing beats looking at the set yourself to see how it handles dark blacks against the whitest whites.

• If you are shopping for a plasma display make sure you aware of the resolution. The 720p spec is technically 1280x720 pixels but most plasmas smaller then 50" can only display 1024x768, which is not quite enough pixels to display the full 720p (although some say its hard to notice the loss of resolution at that size display). Manufactures can call these sets 720p because the label requirement for HD is only measured by the vertical resolution, not the horizontal. Plasmas larger than 50" typically have a 1366x768 resolution which is enough for the full 720p experience. New plasmas just released on the market now feature 1920x1080 displays which of course support the Full HD 1080p resolution that LCD's have enjoyed for a while.
  

• Take a look yourself. Visit various showrooms to see how the sets actually look. Don't view HDTV displays with Pixar type 3D animation. The reason is that every set looks great with this type of movie. Bring in your own DVD that you are intimately familiar with like any episode of the Lord of the Rings. Fast forward to a busy scene with lots of action to see how well the LCD handles motion or jump to a dark scene to compare the visible details in a shadow against your favorite plasma. Remember your "old" CRT at home is your best reference source since it handles most everything (except resolution and screen size) better than any HDTV. Beware of the video loops at the showroom floor. They are designed to make all the HDTV displays look good (you typically won't see a lot of fast action motion) and they typically have these running from a hard drive using ultra high bit rates.
  

• Read reviews on the sets you are interested in. Pay attention to the readers comments to see what they like and dislike about the set. Take everything with a grain of salt, some people's idea of a good set may be different than yours, again nothing beats looking at the set yourself. The granddaddy of all user submitted reviews is the AV Science Forum (AVS).
  

• Educate yourself with podcasts on HD. My absolute favorite is the weekly HDTV podcast from the HT Guys. These are two down to earth ex-Sony employees that love HD and can explain things in simple terms. You can subscribe to their RSS feed using iTunes.
  

Now that you got your brand new HDTV set...

• Calibrate the set. Take the time to change the default settings to match your rooms environment. At the very least turn off the default "vivid" setting that the manufacture configures out of the box in order for the display to stand out in the showroom. For a modest amount of money you can buy a DVD calibration tool like AVIA: Guide to Home Theater or Digital Video Essentials. For basic calibration on a budget you can use the THX Optimizer that comes bundled with many of the Pixar DVD titles. If you bought a plasma display you should first wait for the break in period (usually the first 100 hours) before calibrating your set.

• Actually watch HDTV with your new display. You'll be amazed on how many people end up returning their brand new HDTV set because they they complain that the quality is bad. For some strange reason they never knew that you actually need to view high definition content to see the true benefits of a HD display. Most standard definition broadcasts looks no better (or sometimes worse) on an HD set because it has to upscale standard definition content to HD resolutions (high end HDTV sets tend to do a better job of this than the less expensive sets).
  

• Keep in mind that some HD broadcasts (via satellite or cable) may look better than other stations. The reason for this is that certain stations will compress their HD content more then others because of bandwidth constraints. If you are a stickler for broadcast HD quality and you're not happy with whats coming out of your cable or satellite box then install an HD (ATSC) antenna so you can pull OTA HD content from your local affiliate.

• Read the adventures from this guy who had a rude awaking to HDTV simply because he thought it worked exactly like his old regular TV. A little research goes a long way.
  

Time to wrap this up:

So what HDTV display do I want to get? Well as you can probably guess from my blog I'm looking at a set in the 50" range ( I measured the distance from my couch to the back wall where my future HDTV would be). I'm still torn on LCD vs plasma since either technology would fit my specific room environment. My living room never gets too much light except in the early morning when I'm typically not at home. I love to watch movies where plasmas do well but I also want the option to hook up a Xbox 360 (no I haven't bought one yet) and play Gears of War in full 1080p glory (where LCD's typically are more affordable). I like the wide viewing angles of plasma but I dislike the fact they use more power than LCDs. I've spend quite a few hours in various showroom floors looking at all kinds of different sets but I think I'm probably going to ask to see some standard definition content first before I make up my mind. My girls watch the Disney Channel a lot (which wont be in HD until 2008/2009) so the set that displays SD content the best may be the tie breaker. At any rate here are the displays I'm currently looking at.

Pioneer PDP-5070HD PureVision 50" Plasma HDTV - $2,499.99 at Amazon. Yeah I know its "only" a 720p set but its getting rave reviews for it's quality. I've looked at live comparisons between 720p source on this display with 1080i sources on a LCD and I honestly had a hard time telling the difference. Also at my distance to the couch (12 feet) I'm not supposed to be able to see the pixel difference with 1080p vs 720p (I'll have to judge this for myself at the showroom floor).

Samsung LNT5265F 52" 1080p LCD HDTV - $3,259.99 at Amazon. I saw this set at Circuit City on a wall full of HDTV displays that included the high end Sony KDL-52XBR2 1080p LCD as well as various plasmas and it looked better than all of them. It displayed blacks that were just as dark as any plasma plus it features 3 HDMI 1.3 connectors and a stylish case. If it wasn't for the price I would probably have pulled the trigger already.

When I started researching a HDTV set for myself I had it in my mind I didn't want to spend more than $2000 for a set and to a degree I still feel that way. As much as I like the high end stuff I can't seem to justify spending that kind of money on a pure entertainment device. Perhaps I'm being too much of a penny pincher as someone commented that people have no problem spending thousands of dollars on their living room furniture only to spend $300 on the TV that goes in it. I'm currently in wait mode as I'm interested is seeing the reviews for the 1080p Panasonic plasmas that are due out this summer.