Archive for the ‘TV Technology’ Category

1080p LCD TV Review

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

1080p LCD TVs are becoming very popular they are the most popular resolution HD TV on the market. The truth however is that all HD ready TVs have excellent picture quality and the difference between 720p, 1080i and 1080p is barely noticeable. When product testing has been performed on two HD TVs of the same size it has been almost impossible to tell which TV has the higher resolution.

The benefit of 1080p TVs

A 1080p TV is most beneficial when used as a PC monitor set to output 1080o resolution. The text and graphics can look superb. Differences in quality of a 1080p TV are usually only noticeable when you sit less than 1.5 times the diagonal measurement of the screen, but few people would want to watch from so near.

1080p/60 or 1080p/24

There are hundreds of 1080p HD TVs on the market each of them will have different product specs which will create a different viewing experience. 1080p TVs come in two different type’s 1080p/60 versus 1080p/24. The 60 and the 24 refer to frame rate. Moving images on the screen are made up of frames which are broadcast every second to create the impression of movement.

The standard rate for film is 24 frames per second and for video it is 30 frames per second. With 1080p/60 each frame is repeated twice. All HD TVs today allow you to watch 1080p/60 sources using HDMI inputs. Not all HD TVs however allow display of 1080p/24 sources.

Most Blu-Ray players and the Playstation 3 has a setting for 1080p/24 this is the way movies from film are encoded if your TV allows you to set it at 1080p/24 you will be viewing the film just like you would in the cinema when it is viewed with a film projector. To get a TV to display at 1080p/24 you need a refresh rate at some multiple of 24.

The standard refresh rate for an HD TV is 60Hz which sadly is not a multiple of 24. There more LCD HD TVs coming on the market with refresh rates of 120Hz or 240Hz and some plasma TV have refresh rates at 48Hz, 72Hz, or 96Hz.

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HD Ready TV Review

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

What is an HD Ready TV?

HDTV stands for High Definition Television. TVs which are HD ready use technology to generate a clearer and sharper picture on your TV set as well as better sound quality. HDTVs have a higher resolution than standard TV sets.

HD Ready TV

There are a number of HD channels available in the UK from the main broadcasters including BBC HD, ITV 1 HD, Channel 4 HD, Sky 1 HD, FX HD, E4 HD, Biography HD, Sky Arts HD, Sky Real Lives, nine Sky HD Movies channels, 4 Sky Sports HD channels, Eurosport HD, Discovery HD, National Geographic, History HD, Crime HD and there are others too.

In order to view HD television you must buy an HD ready TV. You will know whether the TV you want to buy is HD ready because it will say in the product description alternatively look for the HD ready logo.

HD Ready TV

Not only must you buy an HD TV to watch HD television but you must connect your TV to an HD receiver.

HD TV resolution

The higher resolution experienced with HDTVs is what makes the picture look so good. An HD TV and an HD receiver will display a million or more pixels to create sharp quality images.

When you think of HD TV you may think resolution is the most important factor for a crisp picture however the most important thing is actually contrast ratio, followed by colour saturation and thirdly colour accuracy. Resolution is only the fourth most important factor despite being the most referred to spec of HDTV.

The majority of HDTV you can buy today is a fixed pixel display this means the number of pixels displayed on the screen is fixed. Typically HD TV is 1080p and 720p. What this means is whatever the resolution of your TV this is the maximum level of detail you can see. If the source of your HD TV has more pixels than your TV will only display its maximum resolution.

1080p, 1080i or 720p

The three resolutions of HD TV today are 1080p, 1080i or 720p. The differences between them are 1080i has more lines and pixels than 720p. 720p does however deliver a smoother image due to progressive scan, which means you get a sharper image during motion. 1080p combines the best of both the 1080i and 720p creating a high resolution, progressive-scan TV.

  • 1080p resolution in pixels is 1920 x 1080
  • 1080i resolution in pixels is 1920 x 1080 (does not have progressive-scan)
  • 720p resolution is 1280 x 720

Although the difference in pixels is apparent between the 720 and 1080 models the actual difference in picture quality between the three HD Ready TV resolutions is very difficult to spot.

Which ever HD TV you decide to buy you will experience a better quality picture and sound then your older standard TV.

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3D TV Technology

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

3D TV has got to be one of the coolest inventions of recent years. Ever since many of us were children we imagined a world with flying cars and 3D TVs. More recently manufacturers have been seriously discussing the arrival of 3D TV into our homes.

Finally the year 2010 brought 3D TV into our living rooms. The catalyst for the introduction of 3D TVs was the increasing number of films released in 3D mode in the cinema. James Cameron’s Avatar which was the first film to be filmed with a special 3D camera surely played a large part. With a large amount of films now showing in 3D this can be recreated in the home.

It will however take quite a while for 3D TV to be widespread this is because as with any new technology the initial models are expensive. Taking a look at the transition from analogue to digital this took about 10 years. But analysts say the 3D television will penetrate our homes much faster than this.

The major TV manufacturers are all behind the 3D television revolution. Samsung, LG, Panasonic and Sony all have 3D TV models. Not only are the TV makers behind the technology but television broadcasters are also providing 3D content. Sky, The Discovery Channel and ESPN all have 3D programs and planned.

Take a look at this video it from CES. For those of you who don’t know CES stands for consumer electronics show. The show is held in January each year and has been running for 40 years. The show exhibits the latest and emerging technologies.

The video mentions that blu-ray technology is also going to incorporate 3D so it will be the best way to enjoy home movies in the future.

Although 3DTV is very cool the glasses could become a problem for example how many pairs do you purchase. Perhaps you are a couple and you have two sets of 3D TV glasses what happens when you invite friends round? Will everyone carry around their own pair of 3D glasses?

Not only are they annoying for people who aren’t used to wearing glasses but Samsung have issued a health warning about wearing 3D glasses. The warnings state children and teens should be supervised, and that an epileptic seizure or stroke could occur.

Samsung also recommend pregnant women the elderly and sufferers with a serious medical condition refrain from wearing the glasses. It even goes so far to suggest the sleep deprived and intoxicated do not use 3D glasses.

3D glasses have been said to cause motion sickness and could have after effects leaving you feel disorientated. I personally think they are giving these warnings to prevent any law suits.

There may however be some hope for those who really do not get on with the 3D glasses and this is 3D TV without glasses. There are some manufacturers who are investigating this technology so this may become more popular as time goes on.

Thinking of buying a 3D TV check out these 3D Tvs from Samsung

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