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HDTV
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HD |
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SD |
What to Look for in a HDTV (cont.)
- Number of Video Inputs and Outputs – look for the number of video inputs/outputs on the HDTV. Specifically, look for high quality inputs such as HDMI or DVI. See the video interconnects section for more information.
- Number of Audio Inputs and Outputs - look for the number of audio inputs/outputs on the HDTV. Specifically, look for high quality inputs such as HDMI, digital coaxial, or fiber optic. See the audio interconnects section for more information.
- Contrast Ratio – the ratio between the brightest white and the darkest black. The higher the number, the better, but be weary of manufacture’s inflated values. A high contrast ratio will give you the ability to distinguish color detail more accurately.
- Overall Size – can’t control the screen size, but look at the depth, the size of the bezel around the screen, or how far the TV goes back.
- Wall Mountable – yes or no?
- Lifetime – does the picture slowly get dimmer over its lifetime? Can you replace something, for example – a bulb, to bring the picture back to its original brightness?
- Picture Quality – judged by the viewer only. Look for how rich and vivid the colors appear and how well the HDTV processes any noise out of the picture. Also, look for the sharpness of the image.
- Colors – look for how well the HDTV display its full range of colors and the overall color intensity. Don’t be fooled by the brightness setting being set to high.
- Blacks – how well the black color level is projected is important in accurately displaying shadow detail. Make sure the black level can actually reach true black and not grey.
- Reflective screen – look for anti-reflective coating and the its quality.
- Horizontal Viewing Angle – if the image gets darker as you move horizontally away from the center of the big screen, then the HDTV has a low horizontal viewing angle. Beware of
manufacture’s posted specs such as 170 or 180 degrees as the manufactures
are not looking for overall picture quality
- Vertical Viewing Angle – Same description as horizontal viewing angle, but using vertical angles instead. Vertical angles are important if you are placing your big screen at a high level (for example, over a fireplace).
- Motion Bur – this is a negative effect due to the HDTV not being able to process and display fast moving video. A trail behind the fast moving part of the image can be seen with a resulting blurred image. Not a good attribute to have for sports fans.
- Dead Pixels – a pixel that is either “stuck on” a certain color or won’t produce a color. Usually more of an inconvenience since individual pixels are hard to distinguish at proper viewing distances.
- Burn-in – occurs when a static image (such as aspect-ratio black bars or video game images) remains on the screen for a long time. The static image is etched onto the screen leaving a faint permanent impression.
- Cable Card Input – this is an extra feature to help get rid of the cable box. Simply insert a cable card provide by your cable company and no set top box is needed. The problem is that today’s cable card technology is limited, and you wont get extra features provided by your cable box such as video on demand or DVR functionality. This is still a few years away and most of today’s HDTVs won’t be able to use the upgraded cable cards. Look for a HDTV with cable card input only if you don’t use the DVR and video on demand features of your current cable box.
- Flash Memory Reader – an extra feature that lets you insert your digital camera’s flash memory into the HDTV and view the pictures on the big screen. Look for compact flash, secure digital, and memory stick inputs.
- Cost – last on the list, but probably the most important. Some technologies are inherently more expensive. Also, the more video/audio inputs, the more expensive a HDTV could be.
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