CNET's HDTV World

xerid writes "CNET.com has a collection of articles and videos on HDTV and related technologies. It looks like a good starting point for anyone interested in buying an HDTV in the near future. They also include Editors' Top HDTV picks. For top flat-panel HDTV plasma: Panasonic TH-42PHD7UY." From their Ultimate TV Buying Guide: "Since the first HDTVs appeared in 1998, high-definition television has been on the mind of every TV buyer. The big question is whether now is the time to pay a few hundred to a few thousand dollars more and take the plunge on an HDTV set. We can't answer that question for you, but we can provide some basic information that may help you decide."

Comments

I've heard it said...

[The Wooden Badger]

Once you watch a football game in HDTV, you can't watch it any other way.

Re:I've heard it said...

[Anonymous Coward]

I've heard that once you watch porn on HDTV, you won't have it any other way. Oh wait...

Re:I've heard it said...

[Fat Cow]

So your advice is to never watch a football game in HDTV? :)

Re:I've heard it said...

[Pollardito]

If your so head over heels about football go actually watch it in person.

1. location: you may not live anywhere near your favorite team, or be interested in road games too
2. economics: if you think HDTVs are expensive, take a look at ticket, vendor, and parking prices
3. sellouts: sometimes tickets just aren't available
4. it's firking cold out there

Re:I've heard it said...

[Anonymous Coward]

Not true. In 1080i you tend to find out more about stretch marks and anal hair than you really want to know.

Re:I've heard it said...

[VAXcat]

My advice is never to watch a foot ball game ever, under any circumstances. And that goes for all the other stick and ball games as well...

Is that so?

[jawtheshark]

Since the first HDTVs appeared in 1998, high-definition television has been on the mind of every TV buyer.

Huh? Really? HDTV didn't spring to mind at all when about a year ago the hand-down TV from my parents died. Well, I still wanted a TV at my place and these were the criteria:

• 16:9 screen
• Preferably big
• Good screen quality
• Price should be payable without a loan

In the end, I bought a CRT 83cm 16:9 "flat" screen for about 900€. The thing weights over 80kg, but I don't move it every day, do I? I understand that these days, such a TV is even less expensive because they're pushing Plasma and LCD screens.

In my eyes price/quality of a good CRT cannot be beaten by the newer technologies (yet). Of course, I could just as well not have bought a TV, because if I use it once a week it'll be a lot.

Re:Is that so?

[Osty]

In the end, I bought a CRT 83cm 16:9 "flat" screen for about 900. The thing weights over 80kg, but I don't move it every day, do I? I understand that these days, such a TV is even less expensive because they're pushing Plasma and LCD screens.

For us 'merkans, that's a 32" screen at $1600 weighing over 175 pounds. Pricing is certainly local to the market, but the same TV today in America would cost around $1000 (if not less), and IMHO is not a better deal than a 50"+ CRT RPTV for a couple hundred more. To really put things in perspective, my 46" CRT RPTV I bought nearly four years ago was $2000 (plus $$$ for the stand, and $$$ for shipping, and $$$ for tax, totalling around $2700 when it was all said and done). Now you'd be hard-pressed to find a CRT RPTV below 50", and at half the price (crap, maybe it's time for an upgrade ...).

Certainly there are other things to consider. Space is the biggest, as a 50" CRT-based rear-projection TV will take up considerably more space than a direct-view 32" CRT (though they'll weigh about the same). If you're in a dorm room, single-occopancy efficiency apartment, or just generally don't have the space, a smaller CRT or LCD display would be a better bet. Viewing angle is not as much of a concern with projection TVs as it used to be, but it's still something to keep in mind if you're going to have many people watching the same set at the same time.

I'll agree that LCD, plasma, and DLP just aren't up to par with CRT yet, but rear-projection CRTs are a much better deal in my book than a large direct-view CRT. That technology has advanced significantly in the past few years.

Re:Is that so?

[jawtheshark]

I ruled out rear projection CRT immediately because I find the image in general much "darker" than CRT. That is of course a thing of personal taste.

DLP

[scapermoya]

so much for news... anyway I think the next big thing will be 'real' dlp (digital light projection) sets. The limited but increasing number of theater ones can produce trillions of colors, and they can change color around 1000 times a second. For the consumer these days, one can only get a single chip system that uses a weird color wheel to translate grayscale into color. It looks good, but it kind of reminds me of those sets before color came around that came with cellophane color screens. Also, there is a weird rainbow effect sometimes with fast moving images. TI, the makers of the chip, has a pretty neat demo on their site. Essentially, the chip is just an array of millions of tiny mirrors that are capable of being toggled on or off quite fast. In 1 chip systems, which are avaliable from mitsubishi and some others, the grayscale deal is used. In 'real' three chip systems, each chip gets a primary color all to itself. The more time per second each mirror is 'on', the more of that color will appear in each pixel, = really good image. check it out.

Re:DLP

[Androclese]

It's a Catch-22 situation at the moment... Crappy Picture at a Low price, or Great Picture at a High Price.

If you go with a Plasma or LCD, you can "get digital" but you get an image that looks worse and worse the larger the screen size gets. To my eye, I get the screen door effect with anything above 30 inches. However, prices are relatively cheap at this end of the spectrum.

Here's the Catch, DLP, has a *far* superior picture, the screen door effect is lessened greatly, if even seen at all. However, it is quite expensive, there is occasional Rainbow effects on the single mirror models, and they have some serious maintenance issues.

Let me explain the maintenance issues. I researched the purchase of a 1080p DLP TV for a few weeks. I spoke to salesmen at "large box" and independent stores , repair guys, and read every review on the planet. DLP is the superior picture, but it has a tendency to burn through the bulbs quite quickly. That is the nature of the beast. Problem is, when somebody buys it at a "large box" store, they are rarely told about the lamp, that it burns out, and that it has to be replaced. In addition, they are never told to monitor the fans that keep the lamps cool. If those fans get clogged with dust (look in your computer, same thing) or stop working, the lamps won't last more than 120 hours before burning out. Consumers get frustrated at the constant repairs that are quite expensive since they always happen outside of the warranty.

So... Go DLP, have a spare bulb sitting by in your closet, and at least every 6 months, unplug the TV and clean out those fans.

Re:DLP

[rnelsonee]

Yeah, the bulbs are about $400, and last about 2000-3000 hours if used correctly (which just means you shouldn't turn the thing on or off rapidly - most firmwares have a cooldown period where you can't turn the bulb back on for 60 seconds). Understanibly, DLP won't be a huge seller until bulbs are made to last longer.

DLP was perfect for me though, as I wanted a front projection system, and only for movies, which is to say about 6 hours a week. For under $1200 I was able to get a DLP projecter that puts up a 76" image, which is only limited by my small room :)

The other disadvantage is the rainbow effect. For those that don't know, DLP throws up an all-red image, then all-green, then all-blue. In these fractions of a second, if there is movement on the screen, you can sometimes see the seperation, and the edges become multicolored. But this usually happens on high-contrast areas with only fast movement. Plus, they're working on a new wheel that displays 1/3 red, 1/3 green, and 1/3 blue for 1/3 of the pixels on the screen (evenly spaced) and then get the other two thirds on the other two light flashes, which should solve the problem.

To see this, check out the old-and-busted color wheel: traditional color wheel

and the new hotness: SCR wheel

Why they haven't got to using all SCR all the time is beyond me. Maybe the math involved as to which pixels get turned at which time) is too tough :)

Computer parts

[FidelCatsro]

I have a 22" monitor capable of 1,920x1,080 (1080p) which cost me around 300 , a HDTV tuner card is around 150 . I already have a computer that has PCI slots .. Seems like a far cheaper option at the moment for those who have computers .

Re:Computer parts

[FidelCatsro]

I don't know if there any Firewire ,PCIMCIA or USB2 HDTV cards . but for a PCI card the specs for example that the ATI -HDTV wonder requires are--

System Requirements:
Intel® Pentium® 4, Celeron(TM), AMD Athlon® or compatible, operating at 1.3GHz or greater
256MB of system memory
Available PCI slot for HDTV WONDER(TM) card
Graphics card with 64MB or greater of frame buffer and Microsoft DirectX 9.0 support
Installation software requires CD-ROM drive
Interactive Program guide requires Internet connection for listing updates
Remote Control receiver requires available USB port
Sound card with speakers

Problem with that one is no Linux drivers , but it gives you an idea of the required specs
  The pcHDTV HD3000 has linux drivers I believe and MythTV supports it

redskins baby!

[evildogeye]

Yes, which makes it all the more frustrating when you pay a fortune for DirecTV, the HD package, the NFL Direct Ticket package, and then the Monday night games aren't available in HD because ABC's local affiliate won't let DirecTV give me the HD ABC channel. DirecTV is the only way to get HDTV in my condo, even though I am in the heart of Scottsdale, AZ. ARGGGGGGGGG.

Of course, it was all worthwhile to get every game my hometown Redskins play on TV every week without having to drive to a bar and spend 3.5 hours sitting on an uncomfortable chair. I was just frustrated last week when I couldn't get HDTV for their Monday Night Football game versus the Cowboys. I also won't be able to get their December 12th game against the Cardinals because the game will be blacked out.

Anyway, this is probably the least audience appropriate comment ever written on Slashdot; feel free to moderate me down. If it makes you feel better, I sometimes ramble like this to football loving meatheads about the wonders of open source software.

Re:redskins baby!

[doughrama]

All is not lost. In fact, you situation is much better than you think. In regards to your HD setup I envy you and wish I had it. (I recently moved from Phoenix to a basically dark area.) In fact I percieve that the OtA HD broadcasts are of better quality than what DTV broadcasts. (I attribute this to the mpeg2 encoding DTV does to their video)

Phoenix metro broadcasts (iirc) everything major network in HD OtA (over the air), free.

So, being the super fan that you are I will assume that you have the DirecTivo. If that's the case you're golden. Simply buy a cheapie antenna from radio shack or bestbuy ($30-$40) plug it in (to the tivo box) and tell Tivo you have it. It'll add the channels right in-line with your regular DTV channels. It's a really slick set up.

If you don't have DirecTivo, I'm not sure exactly what you can do (but it can be done you'll just need to do some research), but you probably needs to start buy purchasing an OtA HD decoder. I recommend forgetting about all the hassles and just buying a DirecTivo. Though it's my understanding that DTV will be obsoleting the DirecTivo (which does mpeg2 HD) in favor of a unit that does H.264 HD. So take your tech chances there... I did.

When you get the antenna all you need to do is point it towards South Mountain (that's where all the networks broadcast from.) If you have an attic simply put the antenna in there, you can lay it down on the flooring if you like. (thats what I did, yeah it was ugly, but who goes into the attic/crawlspace?)

I don't know what kind of HOA rules you have to deal with or anything, but there are tons of different ways for you to solve your problem.

Hope this info helps get you started...

HDTV is as significant as BW - COLOR

[ThresholdRPG]

There is no comparison.

Sports in regular definition looks like garbage.

I watched the Super Bowl 2 years ago on a friend's TV in HD. It ruined me. I couldn't watch non-HD ever again.

Re:HDTV is as significant as BW - COLOR

[FidelCatsro]

I don't think most people will mind .The amount of beer drunk whilst watching sporting events is sure to compensate for a low resolution; by adding motion blur and increasing the TVs attractiveness

Re:Projector

[Osty]

So how much for a HDTV projector? Shouldn't that be a bit cheaper, and ultimately a better buy?

I assume you're referring to front projection, as most HDTVs are projection in some form (DLP and CRT rear-projection). Anyway, front projection has its pros and cons, and you still have the same hoops to jump through. Do you go CRT, which is cheaper, but also bulkier and requires periodic calibration? Do you go with DLP and risk rainbow effects from color wheels? Do you go LCD and risk screendoor effects? Prices aren't too bad, in line with rear projection TVs (generally a bit cheaper), but you're not done once you've bought the projector.

Before you even consider front projection, you need to look at your viewing area. Is it sufficiently dark? Front projectors wash out very easily with very little ambient lighting. If your viewing area isn't dark enough (or can't be made dark enough), don't bother with front projection. Do you have the room for a projector? Theoretically, the size of the image is limitless (within the bounds of the projector's focusing ability and your ability to ignore huge pixels), but if you don't have enough space you're not going to get any larger size that what you could get with a cheaper rear-projection CRT. Did you budget for a good screen? A flat, white wall is a start, but most walls aren't that flat (go look at your walls -- chances are they have some amount of texture, which will cause weird shadowing) and a wall will never be as good as a purpose-built screen. How do you plan to mount everything? If you mount the projector to the ceiling it's no longer easily portable, but if you don't then it's susceptible to vibrations and the image can easily be blocked depending on where you place it.

When it's all said and done, unless you're really hardcore and plan on building a full home theater or portability is a huge priority and you don't care about sacrificing image quality to get it, you're better off with something else. What that something else might be will depend on your budget and the research you do (e.g. even if you can afford it, you probably don't want to buy a plasma TV since plasma is very susceptible to burn-in and has a relatively short lifespan compared to other technologies and can't be extended with a simple bulb change).

Ignoring all of that, front projection isn't any better or less hassle-free than rear-projection or flat-panel technologies. You're still going to have to do your homework on display technology (LCD, CRT, DLP, or plasma), you're still going to have to deal with idiot manufacturers configuring their sets to push red because it's more eye catching in the showroom (good sets let you calibrate that out, bad sets don't), and you'll still want to have your set professionally calibrated after a break-in period (I'd give it about 6 months based on my own viewing habits), and every year or two thereafter.

Re:HDTV

[nacturation]

Something I've noticed about HDTV is that you almost have to look at the screen from a distance to see the most quality difference.

Having your face pressed up against the glass does make it difficult to judge quality differences.

Where are the Editor's Choice CRTs??

[Babbster]

I won't argue with the picks themselves except for one, and that's their description of the 34" Sony direct-view tube being a "good value." $1,900 for a 34" screen is NOT a good value. For $1,900 you can have your choice of 50+-inch CRT rear-projection sets. If you have to go CRT direct view (because of size concerns - too big for a room) you can get 30-34" 16:9 HD CRTs for well under $1,200. A $700 premium for whatever Sony's sticking into their XBR unit just can't be called a "value."

If we're talking about value, why couldn't they take a look at some of the 30" CRTs that are out there from Samsung, Toshiba, Panasonic, etc.? They manage to get sets out there for well under $1,000. And, again, the complete omission of CRT RPTVs from their Editor's Choice list leaves out a lot of VERY good-looking sets (my parents' 57" Hitachi puts on a NICE show) that give more screen size bang for the buck.

I know flat-panel sets are cool, much easier to move around, and much easier to locate within a room, but it seems like a lot of folks have blinders on and assume that these are the only HDTV-ready sets on the market. This contributes to the notion that HDTV is still super-expensive. When you can get a Samsung 26" 16:9 CRT with HDMI input and an integrated HDTV receiver for $600 at retail, that's just not the case...

Re:Where are the Editor's Choice CRTs??

[cheinonen]

The value option comes in as the Sony XBR tubes have aroudn 50% more resolution than any other Direct View CRT out there, and are universally reviewed as the best CRT's ever developed. Sure, a RPTV CRT can be larger, but it has the problems of RPTV CRT (bad viewing angles, convergence issues, also very heavy), I think the value comes in terms versus plasma in the same size, which will have far less resolution, worse contrast, etc... If you want the single best picture of almost any set, buy the XBR. Of course, if you want the absolute best picture, try to track down a Sony Qualia 006 before they stop selling them.

Now that you got your HDTV plasma,

[timecop]

Time for a HDTV camcorder!

I picked me up one of the Sony's new HDR-HC1 HDV camcorders and holy shit it rules.
http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/handycam/PROD UCTS/HDR-HC1/
The video quality is awesome, native resolution being 1440x1080i with nonsquare pixels,
and even though its only 1 CMOS imaging sensor (as opposed to 3CCD in the $4000 HDR-FX1), it still looks damn good. For $1500 you can't go wrong :D

BTW, while the plasma screen linked in teh article isn't all that "bad", consider the fact that most low-priced plasma "HDTV-ready" displays are hardly even "HD" to begin with. Pay close attention to the panel resolution, as some plasmas can be as low as 480 horizontal lines of resolution (definitely not HD) while claiming to be HD-ready (including component input and having a hardware scaler).

The panel in the article is 1024x768 rectangular pixels, so it somewhat passes the "HD" requirements, though barely.

Re:Now that you got your HDTV plasma,

[The Clockwork Troll]

It is a neat camcorder, but before anyone buys one thinking their home movies are going to suddenly rival the video quality of network HDTV, know that the HDR-HC1's actual measured resolution is closer to 656x480: http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sony-HCR-HC1- Review.htm To be fair this is better than any DV camcorder but set your expectations properly.

I'll keep looking...

[Biomechanical]

But I'm having a bit of trouble finding the parts of the articles where they say just how little, if any, Digital Rights Management are built into these televisions.

That would be one of the key factors to which HDTV to buy, for any geek, I would think.

Re:I'll keep looking...

[Technician]

That would be one of the key factors to which HDTV to buy, for any geek, I would think.

Just remember, in the future, no DRM = no content. A non-DRM set will not play DRM content. Are you expecting non-DRM content in the future? It will be as mainstream as NON-Macrovision VHS tapes, NON-CSS DVDs, NON-Reigon coded DVDs, etc. Sure you can play your old VHS stuff you recorded off analog TV in the 1990's, but not in HDTV.

For new content and the new format, not geting something that can play DRM would be a waste of money unless you use your HDTV camcorder to produce all your own content.

Most of my content comes over the Internet, not from traditional TV sources.

Re:I'll keep looking...

[bubba451]

But I'm having a bit of trouble finding the parts of the articles where they say just how little, if any, Digital Rights Management are built into these televisions.

That would be one of the key factors to which HDTV to buy, for any geek, I would think.

Here are a couple of reasons why the Panasonic "commercial" displays like the 7UY mentioned in the summary make good "geek" sets.

Panasonic makes two lines of plasma displays. The consumer line is what you buy at places like Best Buy, and they feature what you'd expect in a "television": built-in speakers, tuners, inputs, and a decent remote control. The commercial line is technically a "monitor": there are no built-in speakers or tuners, and the remote control is bare bones.

So here's what's good about them:

• They're much less expensive than their consumer counterparts, by around 30%. So if you have a 5.1 setup, you don't pay for the built-in speakers. If you have a universal remote, you don't pay for the Panasonic one that you'll never use. If you have a TiVo/Set-top Box/HTPC, you don't pay for the tuners.
• They usually have newer technology: Panasonic updates the commercial sets first, then incorporates that technology into the consumer lines.
• They have a much smaller bezel, and are dark-gray, so they are much cooler when mounted on a wall.
• But here's the real geeky part: the inputs are on user-replacable boards. Sets have three slots for boards, and ship with a board that handles s-video and composite inputs, a board that handles component inputs, and a non-replaceable VGA input. You get an empty slot into which you can install a DVI board (no DRM) or an HDMI board (which will handle HDCP). In other words, you can install what you need based on what you're sending it.

HDMI, by the way, is just DVI+digital audio on one cable. HDMI also will handle signals with HDCP, but for backwards-compatibility, doesn't require it. So, to answer one of your questions, the sets themselves will usually handle (HDCP) DRM, but the presence of DRM depends on the source (and the connection).

Re:Projector

[Osty]

Just a quick rule of thumb.. if you can see the pixels, MOVE BACK! :-) you have either got the picture too big, or you're sitting too close!

It's a rookie mistake. People buy a projector because of its "limitless" size, and then maximize the distance between it and the screen without adjusting their normal seating position. They do the same thing with other TVs as well. Consider that the optimal seating position for a 50" TV is somewhere around 10 feet away from the screen, and then see what most people do -- they replace their old 25" CRT with a screen twice as large or larger, and then sit in the same position. Then they complain that SD content now looks like crap, even though the signal itself hasn't changed. Duh. The image would've looked just as bad if you stuck your nose up to your old 25".

also, not forgetting that the closer you're projector is to the wall, the brighter the light / contrast.

You still need a relatively dark room. And moving the projector closer to the screen negates one of the prime reasons for buying a projector in the first place :) (come on, you know everybody wants to have a 100" image!).

Looking

[Spy Hunter]

I was just looking at TVs today. At Best Buy there was a sweet 37" LCD TV I was seriously thinking about buying. Unfortunately the picture quality in LCDs still doesn't seem that great. I'm not talking about motion blur; everyone claims it's terrible but the new panels really have that problem licked IMHO. The problem now is the black level is way too bright, so the picture is washed out. Plasmas have insane contrast ratios and great black levels and it really shows when you put them side by side with LCDs in a showroom. Don't buy an LCD TV until you've seen it next to a plasma.

I noticed the LCD TV claimed to have a 1000:1 contrast ratio. The picture didn't look any better than last time I looked at LCD TVs, but back then they only claimed 400:1 ratios. Did they just start lying, or what? Do any LCD TVs out there actually have a decent black level and actual good contrast ratio, or is the tech just not there yet?

Re:Looking

[pe1chl]

Note that many TVs have a "store demo mode" that is not really what you want to use at home.
As a good proportion of customers judges picture by brightness (geee look! that one is bright!) they always are set too bright and tend to wash out.
However, once you reset them to typical home conditions, the picture becomes much better.
You need to set both contrast and brightness in your own environment (preferably using a testcard) to make sure that the whole greyscale and colorscale are displayed correctly.

Still there is a definate small upperclass of screens that are way better than the rest.
Philips makes the "ambilight" models (37pf9986 and now 37pf9830) but I think they are not available in the US. Those really stand out when they are put between other LCD panels in a showroom. So much that you wonder why you would want to buy any of the others.

LCD also has some advantages over plasma.
- the power consumption is much lower (does not seem to be of interest to Americans, but still...)
- the front surface is dark and does not tend to mirror objects in the room
- there is no danger of burn-in of static displays

Re:Looking

[BenjyD]

Some LCD maufacturers have started claiming huge contrast ratios based on the TVs digital signal processing software - they call it "Dynamic Contrast" or something. I've seen ratios of up to 3000:1 claimed for TVs that are acually only 800:1. That said, I just bought a samsung LE32r41, which seems to have very good contrast.

I have a cunning plan

[Mr2cents]

Just throw out your TV and do something better with your time. And believe me, everything is better than watching those horrible reality shows, sitcoms with predictable jokes, news that makes you feel there are terrorists living in your basement, and soaps that seem to be designed to to make you stupid.

Really, TV is an insult to your intelligence. I'm boycotting them since 2004.

Re:I have a cunning plan

[nacturation]

Just throw out your TV and do something better with your time... I'm boycotting them since 2004.

So you're that guy!

Re:I have a cunning plan

[Tim Browse]

Just throw out your TV and do something better with your time.

...says the man posting to slashdot.

Terrestrial HDTV receiver

[hey]

I just got one and its really cool. No static in the receiption (because of error correction?) and no paying a monthly fee.

Re:Terrestrial HDTV receiver

[_|()|\|]

For those wondering whether over-the-air DTV reception is an option, check out AntennaWeb.org. It tells you the direction and distance of your stations' transmitters, and gives an estimate of the type of antenna required.

If you want to know what content is actually HD, one option is CheckHD.

TH-50PHD7UY

[davidpfarrell]

I just recently purchased the 50-inch model 50-PHD7UY, based in large part on CNet's review. I couldn't be happier with the the product. In fact I'm not sure why CNET didn't mention that TV in their article? Perhaps they are trying to stay within a certain price range.

The hard part was finding the product at a reasonable price, with reasonable shipping (I live in Hawaii) from a respectable source. I had read numerous accounts of ppl who tried to order their Plasma TV from sites that advertised lower prices only to have "problems" with their oder, requiring them to call customer support, at which time they would be pressured into buying a different/bigger product or buying accessories.

Indeed this is what happened to me. I placed an order with LCDTVS.com and recieved a message saying "There was a problem with your credit card." . I immediately canceled the order and decided to bite the bullet on a higher price and get it from Amazon.com ... Well I guess they farmed it out to TigerDirect.com which turned out great for me, because for whatever reason, the shipping, which was guessed to be at around $300, ended up being only $78 vs the $430 that LCDTVs was going to charge... So even though I paid more for the TV, I saved about $100 on the total expense.

Another hard part was worrying if I had chosen the wrong time to buy...The *7UY is an older model. I wasn't able to verify if an *8UY was on its way, but I got freaked out because the tiger direct page for my product was "page not available" right after I bought mine.

TD didn't have a problem with the credit card, but they did mess up the order tracking, so I never knew for sure where my TV was.

Also it took a month to arrive, so the anticipation was killing me!

It was a lot of stress but like I said, I could not be happier with the product.

-D

Re:budget hdtv?

[Technician]

Where are the options for smaller, cheaper sets?

I second that important question. (Set includes the required tuner, otherwise it's just a monitor)

Dorm dwellers, RV'er's, apartment renters, homes with kids (Dad has no interest in the purple dinosaur) and such. A one TV home theatre solution is not a solution for a house with a family. A multi thousand dollar set in each bedroom, kitchen, den, living room, etc are also not a solution.

Just where are the cheap small sets? Where is the over the air demo at the local electronics store? I keep looking. The demo is either for a subscription Satelite or Cable pay TV service, or from an in-store demo loop.

If it won't work in the store, how the heck do I expect it to work at home?
Show me the sets in operation! Don't show me a 5.1 sound system, monitor, tuner package. I have a good stereo. I'm just looking for a few small inexpensive TV's to replace my analog stuff for the local news. Don't try to sell me components. I just want a TV for after analog does dark.

If the sets don't show up, then the Internet will be my TV of the future.

Re:Projector

[mooglez]

And if you didn't mean a front projection tv, but a real projector. Sony Qualia 004 will set you back 27,000$, and 3,000$ for each lamp.

Not me, matey, not me

[miketheanimal]

Since the first HDTVs appeared in 1998, high-definition television has been on the mind of every TV buyer.

Actually, no. I have replaced a dead TV since 1998, and HDTV has *never* been on my mind. 90% of what is on TV is crap (and I'm a Brit, so I guess if I was in the US then that would be 98%) so I've no desire to pay a shed load of money for the latest techno toy.

Can I recommend psychiatric councelling as a cheaper and longer lasting alternative?

Interested in a 37" monitor for your PC?

[DeepEyes78]

I purchased the Westinghouse LVM-37w1 a few months back from Best Buy for the then-low price of $1850 (I also got 18-months same-as-cash and $120 in gift certificates).

Most slashdotters would probably be surprised to find out that connecting their PC using the RBG or DVI inputs of most HDTVs isn't all it's cracked up to be. I probably spent a year or so researching my next television and something I learned (by visiting AV Science forums) was that using the analog input on most TVs limits you to to a 4:3 resolution of 1024 x 768 or 1280 x 1024. Using DVI was hit and miss: Depending on the make and model of the television, you'd either get a blank screen or be limited to 4:3 resolutions.

There didn't seem to be a television that was completely PC-friendly. Samsung DLPs seemed to be the closest to plug-and-play as you could get. You had to change some settings on the TV and mess around with your display drivers, but you could make full use of every pixel on the screen. The same couldn't be said with most other HDTVs on the market.

Until I'd come across this thread.

Anyway, when I went to check the Westy out it was next to a 37" Sharp AQUOS which is considered by many to be "the best" in it's category. But you know what? After I spent 40 minutes twiddling around with the settings on both televisions I came to the conclusion that while the Sharp had the better picture quality, it wasn't $2000 better. (The 37" Sharp was being sold at $4000 at the time.) There were other factors as well. The native resolution of the Sharp was 1366 x 768 (whereas the Westinghouse runs at 1920 x 1080) and from what I've read at the AVSForums, all the Sharp LCDs are unable to be used as PC monitors without purchasing a Gefen HDCP compliant DVI switch which "fixes" the EDID data coming from the display.

As a television, the "Westy" doesn't have the best picture quality I've seen. (It's black-levels could be better.) But it's not bad, either. As a PC monitor, it's untouchable. It's useful to have so much screen real-estate for coding. And for gaming? Well, Half-Life 2 at 1920 x 1080 is incredible.

Note: The westy doesn't have a tuner (HD or otherwise), hence why it's labeled as a "Video Monitor".

Green Field in HDTV

[dunc78]

The only problem I have with football in HD is the fairly uniform green field seems to cause problems with the compression algorithm. You get large blocks where it trys to make the field the exact same color green. But with that being said, watching football (or anything) in HD is always much better than standard analog broadcasts or even SD digital broadcasts.

Re:Green Field in HDTV

[ibennetch]

I don't watch much TV at home, but I'm guessing that SDTV suffers similarly -- even when you think you're watching something in analog, the fiber or satellite transmission from the event to the broadcast stations may well be digitally encoded rather than analog, which would theoretically produce the same effect, depending on how heavily they compress it.

That said, I wonder if your problem is more a function of the overcompression that cable and subscription satellite TV companies do to squeeze more channels in to their systems. If you watch anything these days on cable and DirectTV, you're likely to see some compression artifacts and colors jumping around like you describe.

Anyway, I suppose to sum up what I'm saying, it's really not the Hi-Def that's doing that, it's the compression they're using somewhere along the signal path..could be at the last couple of hops before it gets to you, or it could be before leaving the broadcast compound at the football field...but somewhere along the way they're pushing the compression just a little too much. Which -- I agree with you 100% -- bugs the heck out of me.

DVR Yet?

[Joe U]

Does anyone know of a way to build a DVR for HDTV yet?

Something to plug into the cable box and get HDTV cable piped over to your computer's HDD in HD quality.

Re:DVR Yet?

[Jeremy Erwin]

Perhaps your cable box has a IEEE1394 port. If so, you might be able to record the digital signal using VirtualDVHS

Re:DVR Yet?

[tji]

There are many options for HDTV DVR.

- Get it from your cable company, for $5 to $10 more per month. The simplest solution.

- MythTV works great with HDTV. I have two HD receiver cards plugged into my cable TV system, so I can record two shows while watching a third that was recorded previously. It's not the easiest thing to set up, and it takes some decent horsepower to do HDTV display. But, once it's set up it's great.

- MythTV can connect to the firewire port on your cable box and record shows that way. I've not done this, but others are using it. The advantage is, it offloads display work to your cable box.

- Commercial DVRs. DirecTV has an HD Tivo, LG sells a standalone HD DVR, I think there are a few more that Google would turn up.

- Windows Solutions. Microsoft XP Media Center Edition supports HD, SageTV and a few other PVR apps have some HD support, PCI cards are available with standalone software apps for HD viewing (e.g. MyHD MDP-130).

Re:DVR Yet?

[Wesley Felter]

Try the Sony DHG-HDD250. It actually replaces your cable box.

observations. . .

[Zobeid]

I have a 44" Mitsubishi rear-projection CRT set in my workroom. The picture is good, the set didn't cost too much, but it's really bulky and overly large for my room. Plus it's a hassle keeping the convergence adjusted. Plus there's the worry about "burn-in" when watching too much 4:3 aspect ratio material. And it's necessary to turn out the room lights before it can look really good.

Recently we got a new Mitsubishi LT-3050 for the living room, a 30-inch LCD panel. Man, I've been blown away by this set! I started to adjust it using my AV test DVDs and color filters -- but all the adjustments were already dead on the money, as it came from the factory. No "torch mode" like CRTs usually have, there wasn't even any red push in the color decoder. I've never seen that before, never imagined I'd see that. It just plain looks better that my old set, and HD material looks stunning.

Somebody complained that LCD panels have crummy black level, it makes them look washed out. That is true if you try to dim the lights in your room the way you would with any conventional CRT-based set. The LCD is so bright, it looks great in a normally lighted room, in the daytime. Then the black level is not a problem, glare and reflections aren't a problem. You have to take a completely different mindset, you actually want the room lit up, not darkened like a movie theater.

Having said all that. . . I'm not thrilled with HDTV in general. Yes it looks fabulous when everything comes together -- when you actually get some HD content showing, and it hasn't been compressed to Hell and back. But there are still no HD videodiscs (and when they arrive, they'll have crazy DRM). HD channels on the satellite are very limited, and they all cost extra. HD broadcasts over-the-air are often messed up in one way or another. And there's still not a whole lot of good stuff to watch on TV, going to high def doesn't really solve that age-old problem.

The transition to HD has gone a lot slower than I hoped and expected, and it's really been a disappointment so far. I think the lack of HD videodiscs is the worst, but the whole thing is just going badly.

Re:Stand alone receivers for regular NTSC televisi

[kb7oeb]

Radioshack has a close-out tuner on sale for $89, a lot of stores are out so call around before you drive.