HDTV: An Amazing Technology that Not Many People Know Much About

As some of you may know, HDTV is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing technologies going into homes these days. Guys especially are getting into the whole HDTV craze and more and more each day, people are making the switch to HD but many stop and ask "What is HDTV?". Basically all HDTV does, is take your standard TV broadcast, game, or movie and make the picture quality up to 10X sharper for details and quality you never thought was possible. A lot of misconception are leading people to believe that it is very costly and just not worth it. I will tell you that it is based on your personal choice that makes it costly and you have to want it in order to enjoy it. HDTV does not have to be costly and I will share some tips for you to save some money.

The only reason I ever tried it was to see what I truly thought of it by just watching in my home. Since the, I have never gone back to regular television. The picture is amazing! and the details you will see in movies and sports are unreal. If you get the right HDTV, it can almost be like watching through a window at your favorite sports events. When I first saw a short clip of a race on a DLP HDTV at Michigan International Speedway last year before the race, I could swear it was just like looking through a window.

Bottom line here is, it all depends on what your looking for in your television. Some people are perfectly fine with just having a TV to watch their shows and sports on and I can understand that. For others, you want the full experience when watching your favorite shows, movies and sports and that's what HDTV is all about. Combined with a surround sound setup and you can have a movie like experience in your own home. Many people are confused by the whole HDTV thing and I will lay down a very simple understanding of HDTV types and where to get HDTV sources from (like Cable, Satellite etc).

First off, you need to have an HDTV in order to view HD content. Obviously there are electronic stores all over the place and even places like Wal-Mart and Target are getting into the HD craze. When searching for an HDTV, the most important thing you need to look for is what that TV offers. Before I go any further, let me explain the 4 types of HDTV's out there. You have Tube TV's, Flat Panel LCD TV's, Flat Panel Plasma's, and Rear Projection HDTV's.

With Tube TV's, these are pretty much old school now since companies are making less and less of these now and focusing on Plasma's and LCD's. Tube TV's are heavy and bulky, definitely less sleek than most other TV's out there. However they are cheaper than most TV's out there but the bad thing is, nobody seems to know of a good brand for Tube HDTV's. I you ever choose a Tube, Ask around first and/or research the brand to ensure your not buying something that breaks right away.

LCD HDTV's might be one of the more popular HD types out there. They are small, light and offer excellent picture quality. If your looking to replace a Tube TV or a similar sized TV you've had for a while, an LCD would do just the trick. Typical size range of these TV's range anywhere from around 19" to 42". Most commonly people will purchase them around 26" to 32" which would accommodate a similar sized TV they use to have or that fits more appropriately in their living room or bedroom. Price ranges will vary but LCD TV's are more affordable than Plasma and Rear-Projection TV's. Some of the top brands for LCD TV's would include Samsung and SONY. These brands will cost way more than the other brands but offer top quality if that's what your looking for. You can also get some good quality TV's through other lower named brands like Vizio and Sharp. Just research some TV's from those brands and see what other's think about them. It could save you a lot of money doing that as compared to just going all in and purchasing a top of the line model. But if you want quality top name brand TV's, the go for it.

Plasma HDTV's will cost more than LCD's and will come in larger sizes as well. Plasma TV's will start around 40" and run up to around 60" I believe and probably more. The cool thing about Plasma TV's is that you can hang them on the wall, ceilings or even in your bathroom if you wanted to using proper wall mounts you can find online or at stores like BestBuy, CircuitCity and more. You can do it yourself but I would probably have to have some service tech do it for me so it doesn't fall off and break. The thing with Plasma TV's is that they offer excellent picture quality BUT, are prone to a few problems. One of the most common problem would be what is called "Burn Ins". A Burn In is when something like a Sports/Stock Ticker, or Network Logo is on the screen for too long and can be permanently etched onto the screen. These problems are not as common now a days but still occur a lot at the same time (if that makes sense?). Plasma TV's will run you a lot more money like I said but come in larger sizes which are good for Home Theater type spots. Personally I would probably have to go with the Flat Panel LCD's over a Plasma to avoid the burn in problems that MAY occur. You can get a better picture with a Plasma so the choice is all on you. Just remember to research before you buy.

Rear-Projection TV's are the big boys! I say this because they are huge and can be expensive too. These are typically every guys dream in terms of having a big screen TV. About the smallest I've seen these go were 50" and can go up to 72". There a certain brands you can look for with Rear-Projection TV's such as DLP, SXRD, LCoS and so on. From my experience and asking around certain tech forums, DLP has some of the better Rear-Projection TV's available. SONY creates the SXRD TV's and have very good quality and picture quality. Between the two I would say they are equal but I have always heard more on the DLP's than the SONY's. Like I say, always research before you consider buying. Some con's with Rear-Projection TV's would be the fact they are HUGE, heavy and bulky. You will definitely need assistance with transporting and unloading one of these babys. On DLP TV's at some point you will need to replace the bulbs inside them from what I understand but I hear it's simple. I believe you just pull out a panel on the side and you pull the old ones out and put the new ones in. I don't know how much the bulbs cost and figure you probably have to order them from the company.

Some Things you should look for when purchasing any TV would be their: Resolution, Display and Contrast Ratio just to name a few. With resolutions, always look for the higher numbers like: 1368x760 for example. These types of numbers are common on the LCD Flat Panel and Plasma Flat Panel TV's. Always go with the higher resolution. It will cost more probably (depends on the brand) but will produce a better picture. 1368x760 is a pretty good number for Flat Panel LCD TV's.

Display you should ALWAYS look for first. Most TV's will list it as 720p, 1080i or 1080p. 720p is pretty standard on any HDTV and you will find on pretty much all HDTV's. 1080i is a step up from that "Kind of". Actually unless you have a very large TV, you will not be able to tell the difference between the two. 1080i will seem to make sports or "fast motion" looked kinda blurred at some points. 720p is good for sports and just about everything else. Like I said, most the time it's un-noticable but sometimes you will see it. 1080p is the mac-daddy of them all. The top resolution but sadly at this point you can't distinguish between 1080i and 1080p. The new DVD's out like Blu-Ray are all in 1080p which is considered FULL HD and has the best picture quality available. I will get into HD-DVD and Blu-Ray in another article.

With the contrast ratio's, Anything over 1000:1 will be good. Try to stay around 1200:1 at least. Some of the best will come in at 3000:1 and more. Some of the newer 1080p HDTV's will be around 10,000:1 and more. The higher you get, the better picture you get. These really apply to the LCD Flat Panels and Plasmas. Typically most will stay around at least 1500:1 and those will be pretty good picture quality.

I'll be frank about where to get your HDTV service from. Most providers will have their own setups. Mine is through Charter and basically its like $10 more than my standard cable bill + you get a DVR with it. There selection is limited and you won't get as many HD channels through them and it will vary by your location. Direct TV probably has the best setup with HD so far. They have by far more selection than Cable already and they are adding more and more each month. If you want selection then go with Direct TV HD. I don't know what prices they start at but check with them to get an idea. DishNetwork also offers an HD service but I don't use anything associated with DishNetwork due to issues in the past with reception and what not. I do understand they also have more of a selection in channels as compared to cable.

That about wraps up the basics of this HDTV article. In future articles I will be talking about different HD Cables, Tweaking your HDTV, Home Theater Setups, Surround Sound Systems, and more. Be sure to check out my CP Page for more related articles to HDTV.