Archive for February, 2010
A Brief Primer on Digital TV and What You Need to Know
Beginning with Luxembourg in 2006, followed then by ten other European countries, the advent of government mandated digital tv began. The United States decision to transition came soon after. The U. S. Required all television stations to move from analog to digital transmission effective June, 2006. 2011 will mark Asia's entry into the digital tv era with Japan coming on board.
The U. S. Congress' decision to mandate the switchover from analog to all-digital television was based primarily on two factors. First, the government's desire to free up precious broadcast bandwidth for those organizations concerned with public safety such as police and fire departments, and second, to provide viewers a better picture and sound experience. One other consequence of freed-up bandwidth is that some of it can be auctioned off by the government to companies which provide advanced wireless services.
To facilitate the conversion process the government addressed the need of those people who did not own a digital-ready television. It offered to those owners a coupon, worth up to forty dollars, which could be traded in for a digital converter box. Congress also stipulated that non-digital televisions could not be imported, nor could they be manufactured in the U. S. Retailers still selling analog television stock were required to prominently display at the point of sale a statement informing the customer that a converter box would be required for those sets.
The biggest difference in quality between an image generated by an analog tv signal and one generated by a digital tv signal centers around resolution. The level of detail and clarity of the picture the viewer sees is based on the number of pixels, arranged in a grid pattern, on the screen. Simply, the more pixels, or discrete points on the screen, the better the resolution will be. An analog generated grid usually tops out at 500 x 400 pixels. A digital image can create an image up to nearly ten times the number off pixels.
Multicasting is another advantage of digital television transmission. In an analog environment only one channel can be allocated to a chunk of bandwidth, whereas in a digital environment that same chunk can be divided into multiple channels. This provides television stations the opportunity to provide more programming to its viewers.
Interactive programming is another advantage of digital television. People subscribing to cable or satellite services will discover enhanced functionality. Example include movies-on-demand, text-messaging via the television's remote to live television shows, and VCR-type choices such as pause, slow motion and fast forward.
Today, consumers have four options when considering televisions. Analog TV's can still be used but require a converter box. A digital-ready set comes with its own converter but will usually lack in picture resolution. An HD-ready set may or may not include a converter which will generally offer good resolution. The most expensive option is the HDTV which will include a digital tuner and will have high resolution. Selecting which type of TV to go with is a matter of budget or other preferences.
With digital television viewers can realize new highs in picture quality and enhanced functionality. The developments of today represent only the beginning. As manufacturers seek out new technologies and competitive edges, the consumer can reasonably expect an even more compelling viewing experience.
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How LCD and Plasma TV’s Differ
There are many televisions on the market today, with several different types of displays. However, the two types of television most often discussed are the LCD (or Liquid Crystal Display) television and the Plasma TV. Each of these two types has its own unique advantages and drawbacks.
If you are looking at an LCD TV you might want to know a little bit more about it. It basically creates an image on the screen using individual lights. They last a long time for the most part (15 years or so) and are usually lighter than a lot of the other TV's. The downside of it when it is compared to the plasma TV is that it is not as good with contrast and black levels, although it is great with brightness. In order for an LCD TV to create black, it has to block out the light.
One of the problems also with the LCD TV is that the images that are moving fast can sometimes come up and be portrayed as choppy and maybe even pixelated. The newer LCD's have been fixed and the problem has been addressed so that the picture becomes smoother and the refresher rates are lower which helps. So if you are getting a newer one you should not have this problem.
The other choice you have between the two is the plasma TV. This is known for its great contrast and brightness and the blacks are amazing. They only come in sixes 37 inches and up but it doesn't mean that they are a lot pricier, they just seem to be a great price especially compared to the other TV's in the same size ranges as that one. There is one pretty big drawback though to the plasma TV and it is one of the reasons that sometimes it isn't used as a computer screen.
The downside to the plasma TV is that if an image is still on the screen for a period of time then it can get stuck on there and become ghost like. So the picture or ghost image can be stuck on the screen for a long time and get burned in there. However, the plasma TV has a longer life than the LCD TV does by about 5 years which makes it really good for its money.
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