HDTV Buying Guide for the Technically Challenged
It seems that everyone is rushing out to get the latest in technology. The TV industry has been rapidly growing, with the majority of buyers favoring the HDTV. However, many people don’t understand what the big deal is. This HDTV buying guide will hopefully get some information straightened out for you, so that you can make your HDTV purchase with confidence. Here are some of the basics that you should know before ever leaving home to browse for your new HDTV. It’s important to note that HDTV technology is rapidly growing. So, be aware that a TV you buy today could very well be “behind the times” in a matter of months. Ensure you’re getting the best bang for your buck, and know what to look for with these easy to understand explanations.
Integrated HDTV… what does that mean? An integrated HDTV has an internal receiver that is high definition. Before buying an integrated HDTV, you should talk to your cable service provider. The high definition receiver found in these complete HDTV’s are not always compatible with the signal your cable service uses. You can also choose to use an external high definition receiver. In this case, when technology moves forward, you only have to replace the receiver, and not your entire HDTV system.
HDTV Capable or HDTV Ready… what? Digital TV’s are able to receive and display National Television Systems Committee’s Analog TV signals as well as the Advanced Television Systems Committee Digital TV signals. You may see that a digital TV is able to display HDTV images, in which case it is called HDTV capable. However, if it doesn’t have an HDTV receiver, then it can’t receive the HDTV signals (if it can’t receive the signal, then it can’t display it!) Therefore, you have to get a high definition receiver to use with it. High definition receivers are also sometimes called HDTV tuners, decoders, or set-top-boxes (STB).
Sometimes a TV is called HDTV ready. Just because it’s called HDTV ready doesn’t always mean that it is capable of displaying the high definition signals it receives. You need to ensure that your external HDTV receiver will work with your monitor or TV, as well as work with your cable service.
What about screen sizes? Some people are afraid to go with a larger screen due to the horrible result that used to bring with old “big screen” TV’s. However, HDTV quality gives perfect pictures, which means the opposite; the larger the screen, the better your pictures get! Of course, it really boils down to what you prefer and the space you have.
Plasma vs. LCD. Prices on both LCD and Plasma TV’s are droping down fast so you really can’t go wrong with a Plasma display or an LCD display. If you’re looking for a HDTV that’s less than 42 inches than an LCD will be your only option while Plasma’s are usually available in 42 inches and up. Previous generation of Plasma’s use to be problematic but nowadays they’re just as reliable as LCD TV’s.
HDTV Resolutions…A minimum resolution of 1080 interlaced lines or 720 progressive scan lines is required by the ATSC in order to meet high definition standards.
