Cheap HDTVs

This time we want to give you a more detailed explanation of the symbols that are commonly found in specifications for High Definition TVs.

Unlike standard TVs, High Definition TVs aren’t standardized. When you buy a standard TV, you only consider price and size. In our parents’ time, you also had the option between color and black and white TVs (strange and archaic as it may sound to our children).

In any case, the quality of the image wasn’t in question. In fact, “quality of image” means “size of the screen” when you’re dealing with standard TVs.

Not so with High Definition TVs. Each manufacturer produces High Definition TVs that work in similar but different ways. That’s why you get specs that say 1080i when they talk about their image resolution.

If you don’t know much about High Definition TV technology, you might decide to ignore these specifications and just buy a HD TV of a size that you like. However, if you want to know what these specs are, here I’ll explain them a bit.

Let’s start with the letters p and i. These refer to the scanning method of the HD TV. The scanning method is the way the HD TV displays the image on the screen.

A few years ago, the amount that could be sent over cables or transmission wasn’t as big. This meant that the quality of the image suffered because not much information could be sent.

As a way to solve this, engineers came up with an original idea. Instead of sending the whole image, broadcasters would send only half of it at a time. So, you actually got only half of the video broadcasted at the same time. The other half would be broadcasted a few fractions of a second later and the cycle would repeat itself. Because you can’t detect images sent at fractions of a second, you don’t notice that part of the screen is static while the other part changes. This technology is called interlaced video and is referred by i.

As technology advanced, the amount of video that could be sent (especially by making it digital) improved. No longer did you have to send half after half of the screen. You could now send the whole screen at once. This is called progressive scanning and is represented by a p.

However, while progressive scan is superior, the difference is only noticeable if you have two screens side by side with objects moving really fast. Otherwise, any of these will certainly look much better than any standard TV display.

Ok, I’ll admit it. I’m a fanboy of Sony. I loved the Playstation 1 and the Playstation 2, and my favorite video game console of this generation is the Playstation 3. By the way, just to make it clear, I’m not the only fan of the Playstation 2, as that console is the best selling console ever in the history of video games.

Anyway, I’m not going to talk about video game console wars in this article. I prefer the PlayStation 3, although I understand why some people prefer the Xbox 360 (which I own as well). To be honest, I don’t care about the Nintendo Wii, but I understand that its motion focus and its exclusive games have created a fan base.

No, this is not an article about which video game console is better. It’s an article about which console is the best for a HD TV, and the answer, my friends, without any questions, is the Playstation 3.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. The Wii, for all its tricks, is not an image driven video game console. If moving things to see them move on the screen is your thing, then yes, the Nintendo Wii is the best console for you. But if you want to watch amazing graphics that make the most of your HD TV, then look somewhere else. Oh, and the Wii doesn’t play any kind of movies either.

This leaves us with two candidates: the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. They are both powerhouses that are capable of great graphics. However, in case you don’t remember, when they came out, each one bet their future on a type of High Definition format for playing movies.

The Xbox 360 bet on the HD DVD format, while the PlayStation 3 bet on Blu Ray technology. At the time, it was uncertain which of them would win out in the end. Today we know the answer: the Blu Ray.

Most people don’t want to spend money on a movie player if they have a video game console that plays movies. If you have an Xbox 360, then you’ll have to buy a Blu Ray player to watch new movies. If you own a Playstation 3, you can use it to watch them. It’s as simple as that.

Of course, there are many other factors when buying a video console, and that’s whey the console wars keep going on, but if you’re planning to get a console that makes the best of your HD TV, then the Playstation 3 is the way to go.

High Definition TV is becoming more and more popular. The quality of the image really stands out when compared with old standard TV resolution. In addition, we all like to play our videogames on a HDTV, because they just look much better. Then there are also blu-ray players (and let’s not forget that the Playstation 3 can play blu-ray discs), among other things.

Nevertheless, when it comes to buying an HDTV, many people get baffled by the technical specifications. What does 11920×1080p25 mean? And is it better than a HD TV that is 1080i30? Does it matter?

Aside from the ones that actually like getting into specification, most people ignore what these parameters mean, and which ones are better. Some of them just get the biggest HD TV they can afford. Others think that bigger numbers mean a better HDTV. Some just get the cheapest HDTV they can get for a specific size.

In reality, the best HD TV is the one that suits your needs better. But in order to shade some light about the nature of HD TVs, let’s study one parameter in particular: the scanning system of a HD TV.

The scanning system is one of the most obscure (for the regular person) specs of a HD TV. There are two systems, progressive scan and interlaced video. The reason why scanning systems are so obscure is because they are usually represented by a single letter: p for progressive scan, and i for interlaced video.

And what are progressive scan and interlaced video? They are the ways that your HD TV uses to render images. Of the two, interlaced video is the oldest technology.

Imagine a page from a notebook with horizontal lines. Now number those lines from 1 to 20 and imagine that’s your screen. A while ago, the information you could send at a time (bandwidth) was more limited that it is today. So, in order to save it, not all lines were broadcasted at the same time. First, only odd lines were broadcasted, then, a fraction of a second later, even lines were broadcasted. This allowed a good image without increasing bandwidth by much.

Then, when bandwidth was improved through digital compression, progressive scan came to be. In this case, ALL lines are displayed at the same time. This allows for a much better image, especially when dealing with movement.

So, all other factors remaining equal, progressive scan is better than interlaced video. Of course, that’s just one factor among many. But at least you know now what the p in 1080p means.

We have come a long way since the days of Pong. Even the original Nintendo is now something that is associated with a distant past. Today’s video game consoles are a completely new breed. With the technology to literally create a small world inside a CD, players can now spend hours exploring a magical word filled with warriors, spaceships, magic, treasures, and all sorts of things you can imagine.

These digital worlds are stunning, with scenes that can easily pass for a high budget movie for the casual viewer. However, for these effects to be impressive, a person needs a good HDTV. Otherwise, the impressive snow mountain and its wind currents becomes a black and white triangle that shakes a bit.

This is no small matter. Part of the appeal of certain games is the attention of detail that makes them look realistic or impressive. For example, driving games now allow you to see how the painting on your car shines. And the most advanced ones can actually show the reflection on their windows of the things that it passes by, giving the impression that the car is actually going through a course, rather than being just a model on a digital arena. Without a HD TV, this effect is greatly lost.

And I’m not only talking about aesthetics here. Having a good display can actually improve gameplay. Let’s take a videogame that uses two displays, like Dynasty Warriors 6. It has a display that occupies the whole screen, where you can see your warrior battling hundreds of soldiers, and a small display that shows the map and the direction your warrior is moving. Now, if you are using a HDTV, there is nothing worth noticing. However, if you are using a regular TV, good luck trying to see the tiny, blurry map without straining your eyes. And that’s not the only example. There are several games that have white or small text that is incredibly difficult to read without a high definition display.

Lastly, at this moment, there aren’t games that require you to have a HDTV to play them, but that’s not a guarantee that this won’t change in the future. After all, in some countries, TV is only broadcasted in HD, so don’t be surprised if in the near future, your favorite videogame comes with a sticker that says “needs a HD TV to be played.”

Buying a new HD TV is a big event for many people, especially if it’s the first one they get. They imagine how much better the experience will be compared to their old TV and they like to think about all the HD movies that they will watch. However, many times, their excitement makes them overlook two basic aspects.

• Measuring the space where the HD TV will be. When people think of a new HD TV, they think “bigger.” However, it’s surprising how many people just assume that they will place their new HD TV in the same place where they had their old TV. The result? Many times, it doesn’t fit. This is especially true if they want to place it in an entertainment center that has a place for a TV. Most likely the entertainment center was bought to accommodate their old TV, but with the years, people get so used to think of it as the “TV place” and just figure they will put their new TV there. A less frequent case is a supporting piece of furniture that for some reason can’t handle the new TV and has to be replaced.

So, in order to avoid last minute surprises, take a measuring tape and see how much space you really have before buying your HD TV.

• Taking into account the number and type of devices that will be connected to the HD TV. HD TVs are popular because you can connect to them some devices that you can’t connect to a regular TV, or because you get a much better experience with those that you can connect to a regular TV. If you plan to connect your Xbox, your Playstation 1, 2, and 3, your Nintendo Wii, your old VCR and your DVD player (in addition to your regular antenna, of course), then you might run out of connectors. You’ll be forced to connect and disconnect cables if you want to play a specific game. If you have your HD TV mounted on a wall, this makes it difficult and inconvenient. Alternatively, you can just avoid using some devices, which means the money you invested on them will be a waste.

The solution? Make a list of all the devices that you really plan to use, in order of priority. For example, most people will prefer to connect a DVD player before a VHS player. You can also reduce the number of connectors needed by seeing which devices can do more than one function. For example, the PS3 can play blu ray discs, and the Xbox 360 can play DVDs, so that’s two devices less to worry about. Finally, take note of what type of connectors you need and check that the HD TV you want has them or that you can get an adaptor.