HDTV and HD Ready confusion.

[Cygnus]

We are deciding on a bunch of HD displays for the new house as we will be moving in fairly shortly.

There is some confusion between displays that are HDTV and ones that are HDTV Ready.

My dad thinks that HDTV sets are the way to go because thy are High Def. right out of the box. He thinks that HD Ready means you have to have and HD signal coming through.


Well, my understanding is that HD Ready is just marketing, because it's the same as HDTV. Am I right?

Also, am I right that any display that had component connections is HDTV? Or am I wrong?


Thanks in advance for your help,
Trav

 

[warhummer]

HDTV vs HD Ready

Not all HDTV sets come with an integrated tuner that can receive HD signals over the air. These are usually refered to as "HD-Ready". If you buy an HD-ready TV, you'll still need to connect to a cable or satellite box to receive HD programming.

To further muddy the waters, even if you get an HDTV w/ integrated tuner, you will either need the cable box or a cablecard from your cable provider to receive the "premium" channels (HBO, Skinamax, etc.) Satellite, obviously will need a box, but you can go ahead and hook up an HDTV external antenna and pick up any over-the-air HD programming available in your area sans dinero.

As far as the component video goes, not all TVs with component inputs are HDTV's. I still have a 32" Sony Wega that has component inputs, yet it is not capable of HD screen resolutions. My new Samsung widescreen is a real beauty, though!

Hope this helps!

 

[warhummer]

I forgot to mention...

A little more on the component video...

Component video is capable of displaying traditional interlace (480i), progressive interlace (480p), and wideband component (1080i, 720p HDTV). I'm not sure of the 1080p resolution though.

On the "goodness" scale, a HDMI or DVI offer a digital transfer of data (no need to convert to analog, or vice versa) and offer the best picture quality. Component is roughly next in line. My opinion is that you most likley will not notice a difference.

 

[MDS]

Warhummer pretty much covered it.

One thing to watch out for though - sometimes EDTV are labeled 'HD Ready' too. EDTVs are 480p (or slightly higher - like 852 x 480). They are HD ready in the sense that they can accept a HD signal and downscale it to the tv's native resolution, but you won't be viewing a true HD resolution. They can still look good, depending on your viewing distance, but if you want HD, don't bother with EDTV.

 

[BMXTRIX]

If you are in a situation where you have multiple rooms you are looking to install plasmas into, then I would make a few additional points, beyond what has already been covered.

If going with cable, if you get a set that is Digital Cable Ready (DCR) then it will accept a Cable Card into the set. This will allow you to receive the digital channels, as well as the HD channels from your cable company without any need for an external box. The onboard speakers of the plasma will be good enough for casual viewing, and typically there is an audio 'out' if the room is set up for surround. I consider this a VERY useful feature for those who just want cable and just want to turn on the set and have all 200+ channels available to them without any additional work.

Something like this: http://www.bestbuyplasma.com/Plasma/Product.asp_X_Sku_Y_HPR4272
is the HDTV version

...while this:
http://www.bestbuyplasma.com/Plasma/Product.asp_X_Sku_Y_SPR4232
is the EDTV version

There are lots of options available to you now, so it makes sense to be aware of the different nuances. I am not aware of an EDTV ever being called 'HD ready' but I can imagine that it would pop up here and there from foolish advertisers. In my opinion, if you are 10+ feet from a 42" display, getting the EDTV model is more than acceptable and will give you a phenomenal HD image for a much lower price tag.

In 50"....
http://www.bestbuyplasma.com/Plasma/Product.asp_X_Sku_Y_HPR5052

Shop around, come armed with knowledge.

 

[CaliHwyPatrol]

Like they said HD Ready/HD monitor means no tuner. The only thing you need the tuner for is to get HD signals from an antenna. I wouldn't make a tuner a deal clencher because if the tv doesn't have one and you decide you want to get a tuner, you can pick one up pretty cheap.

~Chuck

PS. I have a Sony 20" that has component inputs and the tv isn't even capable of 480p... It is just a selling feature...

 

[Cygnus]

Thanks for all of the information. We will be staying away from EDTV though.

Also, is plasma the way to go?

Me and my brother, dad, and mom (sister was at a freinds house) went to the mall not long ago, and stopped by the Sony Store *shudders* (its better then BOSE!! ) and we were checking out some TV's. They do make really nice TV's though!

Then we went to Sears to look at TV's. It seems like dad and mom think that LCD's are better then Plasma's because they supposedly last longer. However, the Sears salesman said that Plasmas have around a 60'000 hour (something like that) lifetime, where as LCD's have a much less rate.

Is this true or not?

Anyways, the Sears salesperson was very chatty (wanting to make a sale....at 8 at night? Ok, thats odd...)

 

[rgriffin25]

As far as I know LG plasmas are the only ones to offer a 60,000 hr panel. So far they have been pretty reliable for us. We sell quite a few of them where I work.

 

[Pyrrho]

Thanks for all of the information. We will be staying away from EDTV though.

Also, is plasma the way to go?

Me and my brother, dad, and mom (sister was at a freinds house) went to the mall not long ago, and stopped by the Sony Store *shudders* (its better then BOSE!! ) and we were checking out some TV's. They do make really nice TV's though!

Then we went to Sears to look at TV's. It seems like dad and mom think that LCD's are better then Plasma's because they supposedly last longer. However, the Sears salesman said that Plasmas have around a 60'000 hour (something like that) lifetime, where as LCD's have a much less rate.

Is this true or not?

Anyways, the Sears salesperson was very chatty (wanting to make a sale....at 8 at night? Ok, thats odd...)

LCDs can last a very long time. Granted, they have not been in use for TV for too many years, but there are many other devices with LCD displays, and they can last decades.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Both technologies have similar lifespans, but typically plasma gets rated with a better overall image quality time after time after time. It is six of one, half a dozen of the other any more, but LCD price is notably higher than plasma for a similar sized display.

Sony store? WAY more killer than a Bose store!

 

[Cygnus]

So we'll probably go with plasma then.

Also, satelitte questions.

Are there digital satellite receivers out yet? Digital as in composite, and digital audio?

 

[BMXTRIX]

All sat receivers are digital. For the best signal you want to get a HD unit that receives HDTV broadcasts and connect it either via HDMI or DVI. If it has HDMI, then audio can be carried directly to the plasma speakers via the HDMI cable making connectivity easier.

Digital audio is almost standard on these units.

 

[scorrpio]

You are saying that you are getting 'a bunch of displays'. What to get - HDTV or HDmonitors - depends largely upon how are you going to get your TV content. Different cable/satellite providers have different hookups. Some might offer a single box that descrambles all channels, and all you need to do is put in a splitter and hook up as many TVs as you want - but every TV should have a tuner, HD-ready won't cut it. Other companies will supply boxes that will descramble only currently selected channel, so you'll need as many boxes as you got TVs if you want to be able to watch different channels on different TVs. In this case, HD-ready is all you need. Might save you the money you'll need to spend for each additional box.
Some companies will provide extra CARDS at no extra charge, or at a fraction of the extra box cost. In order to take advantage of this, you'd want not just HDTVs (with a tuner), but digital-cable-ready (DCR) HDTVs which essentially have a built-in cable box and just need a descrambler card.

Far as plasma/LCD - gotta cauton you. If you have small kids in the household, you don't want a flat panel anywhere where they can reach. Little ones have a habit of hammering on the screen trying to commuicate with those 'inside', and that is not a good thing. For kids, some kind of projection TV is probably best - though CRTs are also a good option.

 

[Hanse18]

Assuming from your tone, and the fact that you are living with your mom and dad, I'm assuming you are around high school or college age (sorry if I am wrong)... Which means you play video games, watch espn, or both. The problem with Plasmas is something called "Burn in". You have probably heard of this before, but just to clarify things: If you have a static image (health bar, sportscenter ticker, etc.) on the screen for as little as 2 hours, it can leave a faint ghost that will, in effect, be "Burnt in" to your TV screen. So while this may not be a problem for someone who is technically gifted and aware of the problem, someone who turns on the tv and falls asleep may have a nasty surprise when they wake up.

As for my plug for LCD, many of the problems with past lcd sets are being solved. The sharp Aquos series features "Quickshoot" which brings screen refresh rates to a speed that is fast enough to be unnoticeable to the human eye. Therefore, no more "ghost effects" that people have complained about with LCD's in the past. Also, while 1080P is overrated, is already available on LCD sets, while the 1080P plasma technologies are still being perfected.

In all honesty though, I would only go with LCD or Plasma if you are determined to mount this on a wall. Some of the newer DLP sets measure in with a depth of 7" (InFocus has one i think, there are others I know) and once you get into the 10-12" depth range, DLP's become very available. Just make sure you bring your ENTIRE family to a store that sells DLP models, and make sure none of them are susceptible to the Rainbow effect. I do not suffer, but some people see rainbows if they quickly divert their attention from one part of the screen to another.

Finally, my personal favorite, LCoS. I love how these look, but the price is a problem ($4,000+ for a big screen) compared to DLP and LCD sets of similar size.

As for your source material, I heard from a Best Buy salesman that DirecTV is planning on having 37 HD channels by the end of the first quarter of 2006, and I read online that DirecTV should have upwards of 100 channels by the end of 2007. So you might want to keep an eye on them and jump on any promo deals they announce. Currently, my Charter Digital Cable provides 7 HD channels, but the cable box offers only component output and the picture is terrible. My TV does offer CableCard compatibility, but my family is a big fan of the interactive menus you get with digital cable.

Good luck with your decision

 

[westcott]

Don't forget front projection!

$ per inch diagonal, front projection is the most cost effective way to attain Large HD pictures.

You would have to buy a separate receiver\tuner but this is a good thing.
Technology changes will allow you to upgrade without replacing the entire display device.

 

[Pyrrho]

We are deciding on a bunch of HD displays for the new house as we will be moving in fairly shortly.

There is some confusion between displays that are HDTV and ones that are HDTV Ready.

My dad thinks that HDTV sets are the way to go because thy are High Def. right out of the box. He thinks that HD Ready means you have to have and HD signal coming through.


Well, my understanding is that HD Ready is just marketing, because it's the same as HDTV. Am I right?

Also, am I right that any display that had component connections is HDTV? Or am I wrong?


Thanks in advance for your help,
Trav

You say a "bunch" of displays; how many are you considering? Plasma TVs generate a lot of heat and use a lot of power. With the extra heat, if you use air conditioning, your air conditioner will need to work harder, which will use more power than it would without the additional heat sources. So the difference in power usage is likely to be more than just the difference between what the different types of TVs use. (And you might even need to install a bigger air conditioner, depending on what you already have, and how many TVs we are talking about.)

If it were I, and if I were set on either LCD or plasma, I would go with LCD. Their prices are dropping fast, and their picture quality is improving. Don't base your decision on outdated information.