 Enjoy a Big Screen Digital Television
Wide Screen Plasma and LCD Digital TVs
What is the Digital TV Revolution?
TV broadcasting is going digital. Digital Television (DTV) is a new broadcasting technology that will transform television viewing. DTV enables broadcasters to offer television with movie-quality picture and sound. It can also offer multiple programming choices and interactive capabilities. This is the first time the TV broadcasting standard has ever been changed.
 What Is the Digital Television Revolution?
Right now, television in the United States is based on the NTSC standard, National Television System Committee. NTSC runs on 525 lines/frame. Digital broadcasting will replace the analog technology and NTSC. Analog programming will be discontinued on February 17, 2009. After that date all NTSC standard televisions with analog tuners will go dark.
Converter Boxes for Your Existing Analog Television
When TV broadcasting goes all-digital in 2009, your analog TV will require a converter box to receive digital signals. Converter boxes will allow analog TVs to receive digital broadcasts over the air and will be available in retail stores. These boxes receive digital signals and convert them into analog format for display on your analog TV. Beginning in 2008, the government will provide you with a coupon worth $40 toward the purchase of a converter box.
If you are using an indoor or outdoor antenna to receive TV signals over the air, your antenna will also work for digital TV. HDTV signals will still be broadcast over the airwaves.
What is HDTV, High Definition Digital TV?
High Definition TV, HDTV, is just ONE of 18 formats included in the ATSC Digital TV Standard. ATSC stands for Advanced Television Systems Committee. HDTV is digital TV with a built-in High Definition TV Receiver. An HDTV is able to receive and display all 18 of the ATSC TV signals, including HDTV signals. But of all the digital formats, HDTV offers the ultimate in TV picture quality. HDTV provides high resolution programming in a widescreen format. Today’s analog TV picture has a resolution of up to 480 horizontal lines. An HDTV picture can provide resolution of up to 1080 lines, with better picture quality and detail. HDTV programs include Dolby digital surround sound, similar to the sound used in movie theaters and on DVDs.
What is the Aspect Ratio for Wide Screen Televisions?
Aspect ratio is a comparison of screen width to screen height. Aspect ratio can refer to the measurement of the screen or it can refer to the number of pixels. Analog TV has an aspect ratio of 4 by 3, which means the screen is 4 inches wide for every 3 inches high. The new HDTV format has an aspect ratio of 16 by 9 for a wider screen.
The switch to digital television systems became an opportunity to change the standard television picture format from the old ratio of 4:3 to the new aspect ratio of 16:9. This brings TV closer to the aspect ratio of modern widescreen movies.
There’s more to the subject of aspect ratios. The wide screens for computers and laptops have an aspect ratio of 16:10, rather than the 16:9 ratio of television sets. If DVDs seem distorted when they play on your computer, it is because the DVD software is not up to date.
All your favorite shows, the Super Bowl, the Wizard of Oz, Shrek, It’s a Great Life, Masterpiece Theater, will look better in HDTV. Perhaps you’re in the market for a new TV, but are flummoxed by the jargon. Now that prices and technology have settled down, the time for decision is at hand. Set your budget, choose your screen size and the quality you need.
LCD Flat Panel Wide Screen Television
The LCD flat panel TV is the best option for a screen size under 40 inches. It provides the brightest HD picture at the best price and are also the most energy-efficient. High-end models can be used for serious gaming and for computer monitors. You can hang them on the wall, or put them on a stand. Flat panel LCD displays can have narrow viewing angles and so may not suit everyone for home use. On LCDs fast-moving objects might seem blurry and jumpy, and sometimes you can see the gridlines that separate each pixel. Prices $250-$6,000.
An active matrix liquid crystal display, LCD, uses a grid of transistors and capacitors (which are called the thin film transistors) with the ability to hold an electric charge for a short period of time. LCD displays are used in laptop and notebook computers because they are lightweight with very good image quality.
Plasma Flat Panel Big Screen Television
For big rooms, a Plasma HDTV gives you the best price-to-performance value, although LCD’s are catching up quickly. Plasma TVs have a wide viewing angle. They have better color saturation and contrast than DLP TVs. Like flat panel LCDs, plasma displays are about 3 inches thick and can be hung on a wall like a picture. Plasma TVs can also be used with computer input. Earlier Plasma TVs had screen burn-in problems, which have been solved. If you live at a high altitude, some plasmas might overheat because there’s not enough air. Prices $1,000 - $8,000.
A plasma screen is used for large TV displays, above 32 inches. In the space between two panels of glass are many tiny cells that hold an inert mixture of neon and xenon gases. The gas is turned into a plasma which excites phosphors that emit light.
The lifetime of a plasma display is about 60,000 hours or 7 years, running full-time. After 7 years, the picture brightness will have degraded by 50%, although it can still be viewed.
Rear Projection Wide Screen Television
There are three types of rear-projection TV. The most popular type is DLP, Digital Light Processing, which uses a reflective micromirror chip. The other types of rear projection are CRT and LCD-based. DLP screens are bright and have a moderately wide viewing angle of about 100 degrees. DLP TVs are more affordable than plasma, but are also much bigger and heavier, and the picture fades noticeably when viewed from the side. DLP TVs are about 15” to 17” deep. They come in 40-, 50-, and 61-inch and also will be available in 72” and 84” sizes, too.
DLP technology is not affected by altitude. DLP TVs have a long life. After 80,000 hours of use, the backlight bulb, a $200 item, may need to be replaced. However, on some units you can change the bulb without a service call. Rear projection screens do not perform as well in daylight or bright lighting. DLPs are usually not designed for computer input. Prices $1,000 - $5,000.
DLP technology utilizes a small Digital Micromirror Device, DMD, to tilt more than 1.3 million micromirrors toward or away from the light source inside the DLP. Each micromirror is smaller than the width of a human hair. This tilting process creates light or dark pixels on the face of the projection screen. The light then filters to a color wheel, which rotates 120 times per second, producing the correct color.
Front Projection Wide Screen Television for a Home Theater
If you have plenty of wall space, and want to go for the best, a high-definition front projector makes moviehouse magic. You’ll see front projectors in sports bars and fitness clubs, sometimes with the projector hanging from the ceiling. Plan on the extra cost for the screen and the speakers, which are both sold separately. Prices $1,000 – $35,000.
CRT Cathode Ray Tube
If you don't need a screen larger than 34 inches, consider a high-definition TV with a conventional picture tube. The picture quality is superb and the prices will go easy on your pocketbook. It's the best bargain in HDTV.
What is resolution?
In a digital world, resolution is the number of pixels of digital data on the screen. There are three levels of resolution for high-definition televisions. They might have 1,080 lines with interlaced scanning (1080i) or 720 lines with progressive scanning (720p). The newest resolution, 1080p, gives the best viewing and is still very expensive. More lines give a more detailed, color-saturated picture. Progressive scanning creates a picture that moves more smoothly. Cable and broadcast programming will not use1080p for years to come. Unless you’re a hard-core gamer, or flush with money, 720p is fine resolution. If you see the resolution given as 1080p30, it refers to 30 frames per second.
What is the Contrast Ratio for Wide Screen Digital Televisions?
Contrast ratio is a measurement of the difference between the darkest black point and the lightest white point on the screen. The higher the contrast ratio, the better looking the picture is in terms of richness, depth, and shadow detail.
How Big a Screen Do I Need in a Wide Screen Digital Television?
Viewing distance should be 1.5 times the screen size measured on the diagonal. If you sit closer than that, the image looks bad. Don’t splurge on the 72-inch set unless you can sit 9 feet away.
What is HDMI?
HDMI is a new standard that allows a device to communicate with a digital television. It can apply to any compatible digital audio/video source, such as a set-top box, a DVD player, a digital video recorder (DVR), a stereo, a PC or a video game console. HDMI is also a feature on HDTV camcorders and high-end digital still cameras. The more HDMI connections on your HDTV, the better.
HDMI sets electrical specifications for the signaling, as well as the pin-out, the cable and the connectors. HDMI enforces Digital Rights Management so it is difficult to make unauthorized copies of the media.
I hope life brings you much success. I wish you a very happy day.
----- Surfer Sam
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