|
 Digital
converters are small, inexpensive, and quite effective in giving your
old TV new life in this age of the Digital Broadcast . . . here's a
quick 'primer' on the basics of Digital TV and HDTV.
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The Most Basic
Questions on the Digital TV Broadcast Standard |
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I have a TV with a picture tube
(referred to as analog TV) do I need to throw out my old TV? |
NO |
Just buy the $40 digital converter
box. |
|
I have a TV with a picture tube
connected to an antenna do I need a digital converter |
Yes |
Just buy the $40 digital converter
box. |
|
I have a TV connected to a cable
(or satellite) TV service, do I need the digital converter? |
NO |
You already have digital TV if you
have a cable or satellite service. |
|
I have a TV connected to a cable
(or satellite) TV service, will I see High-definition TV and
Movies? |
NO |
TV's with tubes (referred to as
analog TV) display 525 lines of resolution. |
|
I have a TV connected to a digital
converter box, will I see High-definition TV and Movies? |
NO |
You will however be able to
receive digital TV - but only at the maximum resolution capable
of your TV. |
|
I have a TV connected to a digital
converter box, do I need to buy a HDTV antenna? |
NO |
Technically, there is no such
thing as an "HDTV antenna" it is simply a regular old TV antenna
like we have used for the last 50 years or so. The HDTV
claim is just marketing . . . to revitalize antenna sales.
If you have a 20 year old antenna on your roof . . . you're
fine! |
|
Video Quality and
Video Connectors |
 |
Superior
------
DIGITAL |
HDMI (High
Definition Multimedia Interface)
The highest standard for high
definition home theater. Provides 1080p
uncompressed high definition video and up to 7.1
channels of surround sound through a single cable.
|
 |
Best
------
DIGITAL |
DVI (Digital Visual
Interface) Often used with earlier model HDTVs.
Can deliver 1080p high definition video but does not
carry audio as in HDMI (separate cables are required for
audio channels). |
 |
Better
------
ANALOG |
Component Video
Divides video into three separate signals increasing the
clarity and quality of each. There is one channel for
brightness and two channels for color signals.
Component video provides a maximum resolution of 720p
and 1080i. |
 |
Good
------
ANALOG |
S-Video - Typically
found in high-quality analog and digital components such
as VCRs, Camcorders, TVs, Video Games. S-Video divides
the signal into two parts color and brightness.
|
 |
Basic
------
ANALOG |
Composite Video
(also referred to as RCA video) This is essentially the
baseline for video equipment and is found on a wide
range of video components from camcorders and TVs to
personal computers. At this level the video color
and brightness signals are carried over a single cable.
|
|
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What is a High-Definition
TV? |
|
High Definition TV, "HDTV" is a
significant leap forward in television technology, that takes
full advantage of the latest digital high definition broadcast
capabilities and new high definition DVD technologies like Blu-Ray.
Simply stated, without the technical jargon, HDTV offers up to 6
times the picture clarity (referred to as resolution) providing
you a sharper and far more realistic image.
Standard definition TVs and the TV channels (like most people
still have in their home) display programs in 'standard
definition' which is designated as 480i and 480p. All this
really means is that the picture quality may be adequate for
your TV viewing purposes but it is just not as vivid or as
realistic as the High-Definition. (It seemed wonderful for
the last several decades!)
Most new TVs are labeled "HDTV" and are capable of displaying
high definition video in: 720p, 1080i, and 1080p, high
definition formats. Now if you are curious, 1080p provides the
highest picture quality of them all, but as mentioned (in the
right hand panel) it only makes 'practical' sense if you're
buying a TV that is larger than 60 inches.
Upscaling DVD Players:
Typically, an older television can only display standard
definition TV signals and programming. Since DVDs
are produced in standard definition (480i or 480p) everything
works out just fine. The introduction of HDTV and its
broad market acceptance however, drove the development of DVD
players with "Upscaling" technology. Now a standard DVD
will of course play just fine on a high definition TV, but it
will likely appear a little fuzzy and not have the visual 'pop'
that it seemed to have on your older standard definition TV.
An Upscaling DVD player basically just takes the 480i or 480p
resolution picture from the standard DVD and converts it to a
higher resolution image typically up to 1080i. This
upscaling works very well with most new HDTVs and unless you
feel compelled to move to Blu-Ray for the (current) ultimate in
high-definition, upscaling gives your DVD collection new life!
If you have a large collection of DVDs like I do . . . an
upscaling DVD player is a must have if you go to an HDTV.
|
|
Is Digital Cable (or Satellite) the Same Thing as HDTV? |
|
Not necessarily. The term digital identifies the way the
TV signal is delivered to your television. Digital simply
is a more efficient transmission method for the service
provider. The signal it carries can be both standard
definition or high definition. |
| |
|
by:
Dr. Von Zuko 2009©
* Bafflegab = a
blend of incomprehensibility, ambiguity, verbosity and complexity
generally intended to make one (or things) sound bigger, more important,
or more complex than they actually are or even need to be.
(Politicians apply bafflegab liberally.)
This wonderful and descriptive phrase . . . Bafflegab (I just love the
way that sounds) was actually coined way back in 1952 by Milton Smith in
an article he wrote to criticize government bureaucrats. Isn't it
nice to know nothings changes when it comes to politicians?
** "A Fool and his money
are soon parted." Thomas Tusser 1524 - 1580
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Index:
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Keeping up with the latest and
greatest in home entertainment technology, and even the simpler
task of buying a TV has become as mired in technical jargon and
*bafflegab as the topic of the personal
computer.
To understand these things enough to make even a semi-informed
purchases, requires that you nearly become a 'techno-geek!'
(No offense intended to our techno-geek friends, after all Dr.
Von Zuko is one too!)
So what if you simply want to watch high quality TV and DVDs and
could care less about the details and hype surrounding the
technology? First, lets recognize 'techno jargon' and
bafflegab for what it is; it's just marketing . . . yes, plain
old marketing! About 90% of the time people cannot
see or hear the differences in these state-of-the-art gadgets .
. . at least not with human eyes or ears!
For example, if you are trying to decide between a 1080p or 720p
resolution HDTV, it is pretty much guaranteed that you will
never see any difference at all unless you are buying a huge
High definition TV of 60 inches or more. Of course
you will have to pay more for the 1080p after all 1080 is a
bigger number than 720, and bigger is better right? (**What
is it they say about a fool and his money?)
Any way, let's take the hype out of the equation and just keep
it simple so you can purchase something that you will enjoy
owning and watching! |
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