Ten Tips for Buying Your HDTV

By Grant Clauser

1. Why HDTV?

You say your eight-year-old analog TV has treated you well for eight years. You say you’re no video snob or home theater expert, so why should you care about HDTV? There are plenty of good reasons, but the most significant is that, sooner than later, you won’t have a choice. While it’s likely that the scheduled 2006 target for all TV stations to go completely digital will be delayed a year or two, it’s still going to happen. Every month, more stations are going digital, as are more cable companies. If you wait until 2006 or later, you’ll be missing out on a lot. Aside from that, know that an HDTV is for more than just displaying high-definition signals. That’s the easy part of the TV, which doesn’t require the set to do too much work because the signal is already so rich. What makes these TVs special is what they do to standard analog signals (from cable, dish or antenna).

Today’s HDTVs are outfitted with amazing video processing technology, including line doublers, motion artifact detectors, black level enhancers and more to take your current low-resolution TV programs and make their pictures better then any analog TV could hope to achieve. This is especially apparent on large TVs (32 inches and up) and rear projection TVs. In analog, viewers are cursed with seeing prominent scan lines on screen due to the interlacing of picture fields to make a frame. Most digital TVs display an analog signal as a progressive signal (either 480p or 540p), which scans an entire frame of picture at one shot, so you won’t see scan lines. If you’re enjoying your DVD player now on an analog TV, you’ll be blown away by how good it looks on a digital set. HDTVs are also coming down in price. Monitors (without high-definition tuners, see #2) can be purchased for as little as $800, and integrated HDTVs are available for about $1,000. So don’t be afraid of HDTV. You’ll like it. Really.

2. HD With or Without?

Like ordering a steak sandwich at Pat’s in Philadelphia, you have to decide whether you want one with or without. Digital TVs generally come in two varieties: HDTV monitors, which are fully functional televisions with high-definition resolution, but no high definition tuner/receiver (most have an analog NTSC tuner), and integrated HDTVs, which do include an ATSC digital tuner. In order to watch high-definition programs on HD monitors, you need to connect an HDTV set-top box to get the signal from the air (antenna), satellite (DirecTV or Dish Network) or cable (though that’s not yet widely available). HDTV monitors are the most popular format of digital television sold today. After you decide how you’d like to receive HDTV signals, you simply purchase the appropriate set-top box.

An integrated HDTV includes an ATSC tuner for off-air, high-definition broadcasts. Some TVs also include built-in DirecTV tuners that receive high-def channels from satellites. Integrated sets tend to be a bit more expensive than HD monitors

3. Screen Size

Most of the HDTVs you’ll see in an electronics store are 36-inch direct-view models, or even bigger rear-projection TVs up to 65 inches in size. The benefits of a high-resolution picture are better seen on a big TV. Ever go into someone’s house with a huge, impressive television, but, when the owner turns it on, you see a fuzzy picture made of annoying scan lines? That was analog TV. With an HDTV, the scan lines are smaller and there are more of them, so you can get a lot closer to the picture and still see more detail.

What this all means to your selection of a TV is that you can put a bigger HDTV in a room then you could an analog TV, sit closer to it and still get a great picture. TVs are measured diagonally, but to determine the ideal size TV for your room, measure vertically. The rule of thumb is to select a screen size equal to the distance you plan to sit from it while watching. Of course, that’s only a guideline. Some TVs allow you to get closer, while others really look best when sitting a bit further back. It’s best to measure the seating distance at home, then take a tape measure to your TV dealer and try out a few. Finally, you should consider interior design. Do you like the huge cabinet of a rear-projection TV, or do you prefer (and can you afford) a wall-hung plasma monitor? Big, 32-inch to 40-inch direct-view TVs are extremely heavy, so you’ll need a sturdy stand to hold them, and a helping hand to move them. Most rear-projection TVs come on wheels.

4. Screen Shape

Is widescreen the way to go? Martin Scorsese would lead you to believe yes, but the truth really lies in how you use your TV. Most HDTV programs and most DVDs are in a widescreen aspect ratio. HDTV generally uses the standard 16:9 format, but DVDs can be all over the map. In any case, a widescreen TV will make those sources look their best, without the annoying letterbox bars on top or bottom. On the other hand, widescreen TVs will put black bars on the sides of standard 4:3 aspect ratio sources (the majority of today’s analog television). Better widescreen TVs include good aspect controls to stretch the picture to fit the screen. Some distortion will occur. If you watch mostly standard TV and the occasional DVD, then a 4:3 TV may be best for you. However, know that the HDTV standard is consistently progressing at a quick pace, so it’s almost a sure thing that, within the lifetime of your new TV, all broadcasts will be in widescreen. Will you want to be left behind?

5. Ins and Outs

One very important part of any HDTV is the jack pack—the panel on the back of the TV where all the connections go. Plan for the future by making sure your TV has more inputs then you currently need, because your needs will change. Aside from standard composite video inputs (yellow) and stereo inputs(red and white), look for several S-Video connections and one or two component connections (red, blue and green). Make sure at least one of the component connections will accept a 31.5-Hz signal from an HD receiver or progressive scan DVD player. If you plan to connect both an HD receiver and progressive DVD, then you’ll need two sets of 31.5-Hz component inputs. Some TVs offer a 15-pin, D-sub (VGA computer-type) connection for HD tuners, but not all tuners are compatible with them. Many newer HDTVs are becoming available with one of two new digital connection types: IEEE 1394 (FireWire) or DVI. FireWire for TV is the same connection as the FireWire for PCs. It is a high-speed compressed format for sending video and audio signals, as well as some system control information that allows various components to “talk” to each other. FireWire was poised to become the new standard digital connection, but is now being overshadowed by DVI, which passes an uncompressed signal without audio. The benefit of DVI, for Hollywood studios and TV broadcasters, is that it can’t be recorded. Sometime next year, an update to the DVI standard is supposed to include audio as well as video, and change the shape of the plug to make it more user-friendly. This can be one of the most confusing parts of picking the right TV. Manufacturers and interest groups are deep into an argument over the kind of digital connection that can be used for transferring high-definition programming from a set-top box to a television. The standards could change after you buy your TV, and you may be stuck. However, a lot of folks, E-Gear included, don’t believe that governing bodies will allow the electronics industry to disenfranchise the millions of consumers who have already made the considerable investment in HDTV.

6. Extras Extras

Many HDTVs come with feature-lists as long as an airstrip. Some of these are extremely important, such as advanced video processors, enhanced black level modes and cinema or theater color temperature settings. Some of these features are nice, but less critical, such as picture-in-picture or a backlit remote, and some border on useless, such as scan velocity modulation, ultra-bright sports modes or virtual surround sound. Take careful inventory of a TV’s features and decide what you’ll really use and what’s just fluff. Sometimes you’ll do better getting a model from a manufacturer’s second-best line, because the top line doesn’t offer any benefits you’ll ever use. Don’t let sales people talk you into features you don’t need.

7.Big Tube or Big Furniture

Just as you can select your TV’s size and shape, you must decide what kind of HDTV you want in your home: direct view or rear projection. Direct-view TVs are the sort with which most people are familiar; they come in sizes from 12 inches to 40 inches. They’re built around one, big cathode ray tube (CRT), which uses an electron gun system for scanning picture lines across the inside face of the glass screen. They tend to be very heavy, but are easy to use, and generally don’t require as much maintenance as rear-projection televisions. In the world of HDTV, their biggest drawbacks are their size limitations and their price levels. Current CRT technology limits them to a maximum of 40 inches diagonally. (The Sony xxxxx is the only model in that size currently available.) In widescreen format, the biggest is 38 inches (Loewe and RCA offer 38-inch widescreen models), but those TVs feature curved rather than flat screens. As for price, direct-view TVs are more costly to produce than rear-projection models, so you may find yourself paying more for a 34-inch widescreen direct-view TV then you would for a 50-inch rear-projection.

8. Pixel Pleasures

HDTVs, in fact all TVs, create pictures by filling a screen with tiny dots called pixels. There are several ways to create those pixels, and the development of high-resolution HDTVs has encouraged the rapid development of new pixel-creation processes. Cathode ray technology has been around for most of the history of television. It’s proven to be reliable and affordable. However, direct-view CRTs (up to 40 inches) are extremely heavy and consume a lot of energy. Rear-projection CRT TV can also be fairly heavy, must be viewed in subdued lighting or dark rooms and can be damaged by the uneven ageing of phosphor when used in letterbox or window box modes.

Plasma TV, the large flat TV you’ve probably seen in electronics stores and all over the Osbournes’ Los Angeles home, also use lit phosphors, but are illuminated by electronically stimulating plasma gas trapped between layers of glass. They are prone to uneven phosphor ageing also, but their major drawback is price. The ones that look best cost the most, while the ones that cost the least don’t look as good as mid-priced CRT TVs.

LCD is another flat TV technology that has been getting popular lately. Small LCD TVs, like the ones featured in this issue, are great for places where a large TV won’t fit, but are expensive for their size. Rear-projection LCDs, such as models made by Zenith and Sony, are impressive displays.

DLP TV and projectors (like the SIM2 HT300 reviewed in this issue) have proven themselves to be excellent successors to CRTs in recent years. A DLP’s picture is generated by reflecting light off a grid of tiny pivoting mirrors called DMDs (created by Texas Instruments). High-definition resolution DLP TVs look excellent, and generate enough light to be viewed in a lit room (front projectors should be viewed in a darkened room). Since there are no phosphors involved, there’s no chance of phosphor burn. They are also very light. A 55-inch rear-projection DLP can weigh under 80 pounds. DLPs do have a lamp that will need to be replaced every 2,000 to 4,000 hours, depending on the type of lamp used. The major drawback of DLP is its price. When DLP rear-projection TVs originally hit the market last year, they cost over $10,000. Samsung will soon offer models for around $5,000, and other manufacturers will follow with TVs in that price bracket.

9. When You Buy

An HDTV is a high-tech device with high-tech features. If you’re entering into this without much knowledge of what you want or need, it’s a good idea to go someplace where you can get all your questions answered. A store that has its HDTVs plugged into VCRs or regular cable isn’t giving you the opportunity to see the TV at its best. Conversely, you’ll want to see what the TV can do with the type of signals you actually have at home. If the shop can only show you what a TV looks like while running a high-definition demonstration loop, then you’ll never know how well it handles your standard satellite dish signal. Go in armed with questions. Ask what connections are available, what set-top boxes are offered and what accessories you’ll need. Make sure you describe to the sales associates exactly what you will be using the TV for (mostly sports, mostly movies, sitcoms, etc.) and the type of viewing environment you have (dark basement, bright living room, etc.). Some TVs look best only when sitting directly in front of the screen, and some look good from wide angles. This is important if viewers will be spread across a room. Ask if you can bring in your own DVD to try on the televisions, preferably a DVD you’ve watched several times and whose appearance you’re familiar with from your own TV. When evaluating TVs in showrooms, don’t be too concerned with the colors, as most showroom TVs are not properly set-up (see #10). Look for artifacts such as jagged edges on diagonal lines, mosquito blur around moving figures and moiré artifacts on fences or striped shirts.

10. After the Buy

You’ve done! You’ve bought yourself that dream TV. Before you and your family can start enjoying it, there are a few things you should do. The first thing, of course, is to read the owner’s manual. Your new HDTV will have more features and functions than the analog one it’s replacing, so you’ll want to make sure you understand it before you do something wrong. Make sure you plug it into a quality surge supressor or power enhancer that includes surge protection.

The first time you turn on the TV, enter the video settings and bring the contrast and brightness way down. Most TVs are set at the factory to look good in bright showrooms. Those settings may help sell TVs, but they rarely look good in your home, and in some cases harm the TV. In most cases, you’ll want to set the TV color temperature to the medium setting. Then get yourself a DVD with video test patterns (Avia and Video Essentials are good examples), and follow the instructions for adjusting all the video-picture values. Some people may want to have a professional calibrate their TVs for grayscale, and/or make other adjustments that can be done only by someone with the proper test equipment and service codes. You can ask your dealer to recommend an Imaging Science Foundation-certified calibrator, or find one yourself at www.ISF.com.