The Future of TV - How You’ll Be Watching HDTV
By admin | January 3, 2009
It used to be oh so simple. Everybody watched TV the same way; on a TV with big picture tube. As has been common throughout human existence, there were those who were dissatisfied and wanted something better. The tube grew in size, then changed to, Oh My God! Color! After the transition to color, the size of the pictures steadily increased, but still, people wanted more. Behold, the Advent Video Beam 1000 of 1972. This was the first commercially available projection TV. You remember those things, with the big, silver, curved screen and the woodgrain cabinet. The Advent gave people a taste of the big screen TV and we’ve never looked back.
Fast forward 20 years or so. Big screen TVs are everywhere and you can watch stunning HDTV with 1080 lines of resolution. High definition disc formats are upon us too, with two different HD disc formats; Blu-Ray Disc and HD-DVD, being released in 2006. In some cases you still watch the latest HDTV content on a descendant of that original Video Beam TV. In most cases the CRT is dead and has been superseded by newer, digital imaging technologies. The result is a much smaller form factor TV with an image that is orders of magnitude brighter than the projection TVs of old. TVs continue to improve every year, making leaps in every image quality measurement.
According to the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association), over 12 million digital TVs were sold in 2005 and another 15+ million are scheduled to find homes in 2006. In 2005, almost 6 million of these TVs were some form of flat panel display. This is predicted to grow to over 10 million for 2006. Traditionally, plasma has led the way in flat panel sales, followed by LCD, but this is now changing. Several manufacturers have discontinued or substantially cut back on plasma, favoring other technologies instead, such as LCD. Most notable among these is probably TV giant Sony, who introduced their new Bravia line of LCDs at the 2006 CES, but displayed no plasma sets. The result is that, although sales of plasma TVs continues to grow, the chances are increasingly greater that the cool flat panel TV on your wall will be some other technology.
What of these other technologies? How will you watch the Superbowl in HDTV in 2008? What new video displays will be found in America’s living rooms and home theaters? Several new technologies were displayed at this year’s CES in Las Vegas and some others are on the way. One very promising new technology is the Surface conductor Electron emission Display (SED). This was co-pioneered by Toshiba and Canon and looks flat out awesome! The picture quality has to be seen to be believed.
SED a flat panel display technology that uses phosphors, like a CRT. The difference is instead of using a single electron gun to scan the face of a CRT, it uses a single emitter for each pixel. This allows the display to be very flat, like a plasma or LCD. It is basically the best of both worlds, CRT image quality combined with a flat panel form factor. To make matters even better, it uses about 50% less power than a traditional LCD flat panel TV. Toshiba claimed the demo units had 720p resolution and 15,000:1 contrast ratios, but production units will have a full 1080p res and 100,000:1 contrast!
Other cool, new technologies shown at the 2006 CES in Vegas include new DLP rear projection TVs that use colored LEDs, rather than traditional bulbs as light sources. This allow the elimination of the color wheel that has heretofore been required for single chip DLP displays. The result is a decrease in complexity and the elimination annoying video artifacts caused by the color wheel. In addition, the sets will no longer require expensive bulb replacement every 2,000 - 6,000 hours (depending upon the model), as the LEDs last at least 20,000 hrs. These were shown by Akai, now run by ex-JVC chief Harry Elias, and Samsung. These new LDC DLP TVs will make their way into dealer’s showrooms in Q2, 2006.
Traditional LCD TVs will continue to improve as refinements are introduced. Sharp showed an impressive LCD display with a claimed 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. While there was no way to verify that figure, the unit sure looked impressive. Initially targeted at the broadcast market, the technology will doubtlessly find its way into Sharp’s consumer oriented products. Another impressive LCD development on display by several manufacturers included LCDs without the annoying video artifacts and blurring usually seen when the image is panning across the screen. Traditionally, when an image is moving across the screen, it can be very hard to watch, but these new LCDs allow the viewer to experience a crisp, clear image, independent of motion. Panasonic and LG Electronics showed such displays, which seem to combine good quality deinterlacing circuitry and varying the intensity of the back light to achieve their results.
Another promising flat panel display technology on the horizon is Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED). OLED uses electro-phosphorescence properties of certain organic materials sandwiched between transparent electrodes to produce an image. It promises very low power consumption, brilliant color, extremely rapid response time and a thin form factor. Perhaps the most exciting is that OLED displays can be produced by a special ink jet printing process, allowing very low cost once the technology is perfected. Philips announced in Jan. 2006 they had built a new high precision ink jet printer for the purpose of producing OLED displays. Samsung showed a 40″ OLED display in 2005. Some promising new developments have been announced this year in the area of polymer lifespan, which has been one of the major stumbling blocks to widespread implementation.
So in the near future, you’ll be watching HDTV that’ll look better than ever and you’ll be using less of your living room and electric bill to do it. As with all things in consumer electronics, costs will continue to decrease and more folks will find the joys of HDTV, weather from a broadcast or a disc, in their homes and theaters.
See more about everything for your home theater and HDTV. Find out how to make your system top notch without busting your budget. Find out the latest from CEDIA and CES too. We have the information and you can get personalized questions answered by email or in our forum. Go to the Home Theater and Automation Guide.
Tags: big screen, blu ray, hd, HD DVD, hdtv, image, led, oled, picture, plasma, projection, rear projection, tube, tvTopics: HDTV | No Comments »
Help, I Need a New HDTV! (Part 2 of 5)
By admin | December 30, 2008
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the choices these days, you may feel like, “Where do I start?!”
In part 2 of our 5 part article, we the discuss the options in TV technologies
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Plasma. Plasma technology contains millions of “pixels” that contain a rare natural gas. This gas when excited by a small electrical charge produces colors and light to display the picture on the screen. Plasma is great for home theaters because it reproduces high motion video exceptionally well. On the other hand, if you have members of your family who like video games, I would rule Plasma TV’s outmainly due to something called “burn-in”.
Downfalls. The biggest downfall of Plasma TV’s is their half-life. As the TV ages it will naturally loose some brilliance and color depth. The good newseven with an average use of 4 hrs a day your plasma would still yield a half life of ten years. Not too shabby.
Burn-in is another downfall. Burn in is result of an image being displayed too often or for too long. Common ones are network logos, computer icons, video games, etc. The pixels involved get damaged and develop a “memory”. This information actually becomes “burned in” to the screen. The good newswith care, you can drastically reduce the chances of burn in.
Benefits. Plasmas are among the thinnest TVs on the market up to 4″ in depth. They are very suitable for Wall mounting or spaces for depth of the TV is a critical factor. Plasmas are produced in sizes ranging from 37″ to over 70″. Prices range from $1,400 to $17,000.
LCD. This technology is emerging from the computer world. Most small flat screen computer monitors are LCD. LCD does well in smaller sizes (50″ or less), and produces still images and deep blacks rather nicely. In my opinion, they produce some of the best still images of any TV in the market. LCD TV’s uses transistors to supply voltage to liquid-crystal-filled cells sandwiched between two sheets of glass. These voltages make the crystals untwist in varying degrees to filter light into varying shades of color.
Benefits. LCD are also very thin TVs with the thickest depth at approximately six inches. Pricing ranges from $600 to $5000. In addition, for the energy conscious individual, LCD’s consume the least amount of electricity to operate.
DLP. DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology utilizes a small “Digital Micromirrors Device” (DMD) to tilt more than 1.3 million micromirrors. The mirrors tilt to reflect light to create the picture. A color wheel produces the varying shades of colors that reflect on the micromirrors.
Downfalls. If you are looking for a thin TV, or to mount on the wall this is not the option for you. DLP TVs have depths as deep as 18″.
Benefits. DLP TV’s show the intention of having the longest life. The only part that will fail or affect image quality is the bulb life. Rated at 80,000 hours and being replaceable, average viewing of 4 hrs a day, make this a great TV for the next 50 years!
* Next in Part 3 of this article: What is HDTV?
©2005 Architechtronics, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Brett Griffin lives and works in Philadelphia, PA. Brett has 12 years of experience in the technology industry and strives to seamlessly blend high performance technologies into one easy to use system. As co-founder of Architechtronics, Brett uses his creativity and experience to help builders, dealers, and homeowners meet their technology desires in their home.
Tags: benefits technology, buy, dlp, hdtv, home theater, lcd, new, part 2, plasma, purchase, television, tvTopics: HDTV | No Comments »
HDTV Buying Guide, Part One
By admin | December 28, 2008
There’s never been a better time than now to buy a high-definition television (HDTV). Whether your primary source of television programming is local over-the-air broadcasts, cable or digital satellite TV, you will find that there is now a wealth of high-definition programs available. If you have a standard-definition television you will also enjoy all of your widescreen-format DVDs that much more on a HDTV. And with Toshiba now shipping their first-generation HD-DVD players and Blu-Ray players coming to North America next month, there are even more reasons why it makes sense to take the plunge and buy an HDTV.
Now that you’re convinced you need to go out and buy a brand new HDTV the question is what type of unit to buy. First, you should decide what size HDTV makes sense for you. Because HDTV’s have a wider aspect ratio (16:9) compared to a standard television (4:3) you will want to choose a larger diagonal screen size for your new HDTV than you might expect. CNET has a great guide you can check to find out the right size that meets your needs.
Now that you’ve chosen what size HDTV to get the next question is what type of technology you should look at. Older CRT analog televisions were all based on the same basic technology, but now you have a potentially confusing array of choices: LCD, plasma, DLP, LCoS, and D-ILA. LCD and plasma are both flat panel technologies that can be mounted on walls. If you’re looking for an HDTV less than 42 inches then LCD is probably your best choice. Plasma is a better choice for HDTVs over 42 inches, as current LCD units get very expensive in larger size formats.
I just pre-ordered the new Samsung HLS-5087W 50 inch rear projection DLP HDTV. Many believe that DLP technology offers the best price/performance in the 50 inch plus category of HDTV today. Sony has made a large investment in LCoS technology which it brands as SRXD, while JVC brands their LCoS line D-ILA. LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) is most similar to DLP (Digital Light Projection) technology, however many believe the DLP camp has made faster progress on reducing manufacturing costs to offer consumers a better price/performance ratio. While rear projection DLP HDTVs lack the flat panel appeal of LCD and plasma units, they are much lighter and have far less depth than the CRT televisions of the past.
You’ve chosen the right size and technology for your new HDTV, and now you’re trying to understand what is 720p versus 1080i versus 1080p. Let me help you out here - don’t bother getting a 720p today. I’d recommend at least a 1080i, better yet a 1080p. My new Samsung is both 1080p input as well as output. In order to understand what all of these strange numbers mean, well, you’ve have to wait until my next article.
James Ambras is a consumer technology enthusiast of the highest degree, and his ‘Tech Talk’ series appears each month at http://blog.peerflix.com. Jim’s day job is as the VP of Engineering for Peerflix, the leading online destination to trade DVDs. For more information, visit http://www.peerflix.com.
Tags: DVD, hdtv, satellite tv, technology, tvTopics: HDTV | No Comments »