Your survival guide to HDTV

The service contract question?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 01 Dec 2013 16:06:00 +0000

I know anybody who goes into a store and looks or buys new technology is always faced with one question during the sale. They are going to offer a service contract of some kind. A few questions come into play here. If you live in a large metropolitan area chances are you still have access to repair service. The consumer repair business has been on the decline since the mid-90's and shows no chance of recovering. So if your set does have a problem what will you do? That question has a lot to do with what the cost of the unit was. If the set cost more than $1000.00 then the choice to add a service contract becomes a choice you have to make. Keep in mind the average failure rate manufacturers expect is somewhere in the area of 7% failure rate. From working in various sectors of consumer electroncs I've seen good things happen and bad things happen even with the purchase of a extended warranty. So if your considering adding an extended warranty plan, be sure and ask what all it covers and if the set's repair cost exceeds the value of the set, will they replace it? If you have more question Consumer Reports offers advice regarding the subject.

The truth about all the technical mumbo-jumbo

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 21:57:00 +0000

If your in the market for a new tv then your sure to be hit with some of these technical terms and figures. Some are important and others value is overstated in my mind. 1. You'll hear a lot about resolution or the amount of scan lines used to make up the picture you watch. Keep in mind these figures are based on the total capability of your set and not neccessarily how good the actual picture is. It's like saying the odometer goes up to 150 mph. But in reality no one really drives that fast. Yes the resolution of broadcast equipment has come a long way but still you will have a wide variation in actual picture quality. For instance if "I love Lucy" comes on even thought it is being broadcast digitally, the program is not in high definition. At this point most HD signals coming from tv stations are based on 720 lines of resolution. I guarantee you if you take a set with 1080 specs and one with 720 specs and just show the picture very few if any would really be able to tell you which set is which. And after all at some point how clear is clear. You eyes can only see an image so good, beyond that you would have to have robotic eyes to distinguish the different. 2. 60hz, 120hz 240hz. In the lcd,led technology pixelating or freezing of images in motion is common. You can tell that simply by the fact they keep coming out with sets with higher numbers. Plasma on the other hands doesn't have that problem because it uses a phosphor screen like your old crt tv. Those sets also run at 600hz. Most people in the know prefer plasma simply for that reason. 3. Probably the most laughable spec is the contrast ration. First of all there is no uniform way of measuring it and second, the contrast ratio will very from program to program depending upon what you watch. I guarantee you if you take a set home and watch it in the store mode or demo mode, you will soon develop a serious headache. Those setting are designed to catch your attention from far away and not intended to watch on a daily basis. I hope some of this information is helpful, because more times than not the sales person at the store doesn't know much more about the sets than you do. They only know what they've learned thru the compaies e-learning courses.

Don't forget about off the air local channels

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 21:36:00 +0000

Most people either subscrible to cable, satelite or service thru phone companies. Keep in mind tv stations still broadcast digital channels over the airwaves. In fact most of the channel that broadcast also offer sub-channels which most national services won't included in your market area. For very little money you can add a local antenna to your set and take advantage of these broadcasts. For instance in our market the local CBS affiliate broadcast one main channel and two sub channels one of which is a 24 hour weather channel, which is not included in our satelite package. So if you haven't already, take the time to check into the broadcast of totally free local channels in your area.

Keep up with the lastest tv news at tvtechnology.com

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 21:21:00 +0000

What you put in is what you get out

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 18:45:00 +0000

When you go to stores and look at different HDTV's the sales person will want to tell you all about the 1080p resolution and contrast ratio. The problem with that is unless your viewing either a blue-ray disc or an actual HD program the picture you get will vary greatly. Probably the most over rated spec is the contrast ratio. That's like saying this car can do 140 mph. The problem with that is you'll get a headache if you watch some of these sets at maximum settings. When you ran everything at maximum settings your really doing yourself a disservice. Ask any movie producer and they will explain why most movies are subdued. It brings out the delicate colors and looks the way the producer intended. Most of the higher setting are great for sporting events. So next time you watch a hi-def movie try setting your contrast levels back and see the difference it makes.

CES 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 19:43:00 +0000

3D has been around for a long time. But it seems the public still hasn't warmed up to the idea of 3D.
Personnally I'm perfertly happy with my Panasonic Plasma with 1080.

http://www.cesweb.org/home This is the link to the 2014 Consumer electronics show in Las Vegas.
previewing all the new technology coming your way

Immediate improvement in picture quality

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:12:00 +0000

Even if you keep your old set and add a converter box, you will see an immediate improvement in picture quality. Since the signal is digital, there are no ghost, color shifts or fading out. The digital signal is either on or off, which means if you can receive a good signal the picture will be very clear, if your signal is weak the picture won't appear on the screen, there will be no snowy pictures or ignition noise. So everyone will benefit from the change.

What will happen if I don't do anything?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:07:00 +0000

There are two basic reasons for the change to the digital format. First the digital format allow many improvements to be added as time goes on. If you remember the 2nd version of Back to the Future, they had tv screens that would have multi-media displays, you could watch tv, view your computer send and receive messages on screen. The uses for digital are endless

At the same time when the conversion takes place. all the old analog transmitters will be shut off. Then according to the FCC, those frequencies will be sold for use as communication frequencies, use for cell phones data tranmission and misc.

Will my old tv set still work?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:04:00 +0000

The simple answer is yes, if you purchase a digital convertor box, you will be able to continue enjoying all of your favorite programs with you existing tv. If you have satelite services such as Directv or Dish network, you don't have to do anything. The signal being produced is already down-converted from the digital format to analog.

Is digital tv also HDTV?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:01:00 +0000

This is probably the biggest misconception of the whole digital broadcast picture. First of all in order to received a program in hi-definition, you must first be able to receive digital broadcasts. However not all digital broadcasts are not in Hi-definition.

The main reason for changing to digital is that this is the first major change to television since color was introduced back in 1953. If you want to know more about how tv came into the modern age the link about is an excellent source of information.

Have questions? Fcc Q & A page

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Here is the official page from the FCC regarding the changeover to digital television. This is the government agency responsible for all broadcasts in the US.

Q & A from the FCC on the subject of HDTV

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:03:00 +0000

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html This website will provide further information on the changeover to HDTV

Dvd formats reach an agreement

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:07:00 +0000

It seems that Sony has won the battle over formatting for the hd dvd format. Sony's Blu-ray technology has been chosen by a number of large retailers over the Toshiba system. We went through a similar problem when video tape formats were introduced. You have the Sony Beta format and the Vhs format developed by JVC corp. At this time the dvd format is so new there should be little or no problem for those who have already purchased the products.

What's in the future?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:01:00 +0000

Right now Hd is only in it's infancy. Eventually your tv set will become an information center. With multi-screens running simataneously, you'll be able to do your banking, send emails watch multi-broacasts and send and receive data.

One of the main reasons for the change is the fact that analog tv was developed as far as it could go. In order to provide some of the services mentioned above, the technology would have to shift from analog to digital. If you've ever seen Back to the Future II, you see one of Marty's friends with a screen similar to what the future may look like. It is a very exciting time for those of you who love television and strive for state of the art performance. We will be updating this blog as news comes down the pipe.

The connections

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:23:00 +0000

Now we come to the meat of the subject the connections. The back of an hd set can be very confusing if your not fimiliar with the different types of connectors. Here we will discuss the differences between the connectors and the benefits to you.

1. HDMI, hdmi stands for high-definition multimedia interface. This is probably the best connection on your hd set. You will find this connector looks like a computer connector, which basically what it is. You will find this connector on HD satelite receivers and dvd players. In most cases you have to buy that connector separately.
2. Component video: What component video does is break the video signal down to the three primary colors of television (red,green and blue). This connection helps insure proper color registration for more detail and more accurate colors.
3. S-video: Although s-video has been around for sometime if you don't have either of the previous connectors on your unit s-video gives you an improved picture from just composite video. S-video basically breaks the video signal in two parts, the video signal comes in one connector and the color information comes in the other connector.

Hd is like a high power race car

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:15:00 +0000

As we discussed in earlier threads Hd can produce amazing pictures, but remember if your hooking up other devices to your new hd set, it's the connection that's critical. With analog upgrading connections resulted in very minimal picture differences. With that being said, hd is like a nitro burning race car, but the critical parts is putting the proper fuel in to get the results out.

With hd, you best signal sources are going to be:

1. Live sporting events broadcast in hd and received in hd (remember you need either a good outside antenna or satelite hd receiver.
2. Dvd are coming along nicely in the hd technology, platforms like blue tooth, and there again the connection is the critical link.
3. Satelite tv (with hd receiver) Satelite can produce excellent signal sources but keep in mind even though you have an hd receiver not all program sources are in hd.

So now what?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:15:00 +0000

Keep in mind digital television is still in it's infincy. Eventually you will be able to access the internet, receive phone calls, watch multiple broadcasts and much more.

The question is are you ready for the change and what do you need to be current.

First of all you can keep using your analog set, but you will be required to buy a converter box in order to receive the new signals. If you have satelite, you already have digital to analog conversion. If your not sure you can email me with any questions. I have been in the electronics field for over 30 years.

Second and most important remember this saying: good in good out bad in bad out. What that means to you is in order to get the

First things first.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:04:00 +0000

When the fcc does make the switchover you have options. The first option is to simply go out and buy an hd set with the atsc tuner. By the was ATSC stands for advanced television standards committe. That was the committee formed to determine which digital television system we use in the US. You see analog systesm varied from country to country. The US, Japan, Canada and Mexico all used the NTSC system which stands for National television standards committe. That was the committe that had a similar problem when color was introduced. There were two proposed system, one electronic and one mechanical.

Now as we move to current day the Hdtv system has several noticeable differences.

1. Digital signal is basically a computer based signal broadcast to you. The digital signal has no ghosts, no color shifting and color fading, the signal is either perfect or it is gone.
2. You will have several sources to receive digital signals from: Satelite, cable tv, off-air broadcasts, dvd.

One thing you have to remember just because you have a digital television, doesn't guarantee that the program is in HD. A good live broadcast on HD can be as much as 7times more detailed than analog. Some tv stations had to re-do their news sets because with HD you could see how cheap looking the materials were they used.