Monkeh

I cant see anywhere that it is HD ready....

It has the connector that SKY are planning to fit to their 2nd generation HD box, but it does not specify what resolution it supports.

A High Def TV has to do:
1920x1080 with interlaced and progressive signals. if it is worth buying. 1280x720 is the bottom end of High Def.

The only TV that can do that in the UK at the moment is the Sharp Aquos.

I am using a Medion 30" LCD that only does 1280x768. Nearly 80% of the High Def movies i have are 1920x1080, so i miss a lot of the extra quality. Even so, the picture is soo good, it makes DVD's look like VHS !!


this picture shows the difference between DVD and high def (dvd image has been enlarged to match resolution of the HD capture)
http://oellerer.net/infinity_classics/!!!/shrek2_pal_vs_hdtv2.png

you can see that the shrek dvd wasnt mastered as well as it could have been

cheddar bob

Would that be the 720p / 1080i minimum needed I keep reading about on avforums? I understand 1080p is even better but not much out that can display it.

I've made my mind up to go for the Sagem Axium HD-D45 RLP TV

It doesn't have HDMI connection on tv itself but it does have DVI input and I think I'm right in saying that an adaptor HDMI>DVI would be sufficient to display Sky HD when it comes out.

Oh and link didn't work for me after copy & paste Monkeh

Monkeh

The fist generation Sky HD decoder will have component outputs, as there will not be a market for HDMI only interface.

You can already buy hi-def movies. there are a few sites in germany that sells them
http://www.wmvhd.de/ (although these need to be played from a 2.8+ghz PC)


I have witnessed the difference between 720 and 1080 and you can see a clear difference between them.
I just hate the fact companies are still ripping off the public by using false advertising. Sky will be broadcasting in 1920x1080 so it's not worth spend a lot on a LCD / plasma if you plan on getting a LCD for this purpose. because as soon a skyhd arrives so will cheap true HD tv's.

But if your TV dead, then go for it as there nothing better than a big tv hanging on your wall

Plus if it's got a DVI input, you can use it as your pc screen . it's like having your own arcade

djuk

Is that true? The press releases I had seen from Sky regarding this service had indicated that a HDCP compatible HDMI or DVI input would be required for basically any use of their high definition service - This mainly being because people running hi-def movies etc off to recording devices was going to be seriously bad business for the film companies.

Monkeh

it came from an interview with an guy from sky. it was only a few days ago.. i will try and find the link to it.

Pbr

Now….what is TRUE HDTV? This is where it gets confusing, because people use the term to mean different things. Some people think that the only real, legitimate HDTV format is 1080i because it has the highest physical resolution. So they refer to 1920x1080 as true HDTV. Others have been calling 1080i "full HDTV," presumably to distinguish it from the less full 1280x720.

Fans of the 720p format object to this. They point out that progressive scanning - which the 720p format offers - produces a cleaner, higher resolution signal when the subject is in fast motion. It has no deinterlacing fuzziness. And since the 1080i camera captures only 540 lines at a time, the actual resolution of 1080i when the subject is in motion is only 540 lines, not 1080. So many folks think 720p is better for rapid motion sports like football and soccer, while 1080i is better for, say, golf, where people are just basically standing around.

The fact is that both 1080i and 720p are great HDTV formats that look a lot better than standard television.

djuk

Officially to call a product "HD Ready" it has to accept both 720p and 1080i via:

* HDMI or DVI

And.

* Component

cheddar bob

^ Good, Easy Explanation

If only all TV shops/sales staff could explain it that simple

salsa-king

omg... do i go for the Samsung or not... or go to TINY.com


Phil

davegtt

buy Tiny stuff at your own risk.. I know I wouldnt, and Im not that piccy for super quality stuff.... I know whats cheap and whats good but tiny take the pi55 with EVERYTHING

rik1471

Can't argue with that

salsa-king

what happened when TINY were on WATCH DOG the other week?

Phil

jonc

I was in the market for a new TV. Looked at numorus Plasma/LCD/CRT and found none of the Plasma/LCD could match the CRT for picture quality especially with broadcasted programmes where the images were really blocky and smeared, which why I stuck with good ol' fashion CRT and bought a Philips 32PW9509, fantastic picture quality!!

Old_Fart

Bang & Olufsen use Samsung screens in their Beovision 7, state of the art and VERY expensive. If Samsung are good enough for them then they are good enough for you Phil...hell now you've mentioned this I have to go along and take a look...the only thing stopping me is the fact that 32" - is it big enough and will I be able to get a biger LCD of same quality for same price in 6 months? Eek!
I want LCD because plasma and rearscreen sets have too much reflection on screen, LCD is far better in that respect.
Cman

NeilT

I believe that Sonys LCD screens are also manufactured by Samsung.

corradoboy

B&O are more ART than "State of". Very pretty, but ultimately only average on performance. When I was seriously into hi-fi in the late 80's and early 90's it was very easy to build a system of separates for under £1k to significantly outperform over £2k worth of pretty B&O. They just use others base technology fitted into designer boxes to attract the shallow wealthy types whom prefer style over function.

Neil T, Samsung used to run a billboard ad stating that they actually produced over 70% of all the CRT tubes on sale, whatever the manufacturer. I guess it's now the same story with LCD. Others just seem to make more of their technology than they do

Had a good look at a DLP yesterday, and I wasn't impressed Got the bod in Currys to connect up a DVD direct to a single screen and I was disappointed with all the usual rear projection woes. The image was good, if you were at the right height, a good distance from the screen (further than my, and most, living rooms could ever allow) and the lighting was suitable. Connected the same DVD to a Pioneer 43" plasma and although there was a little pixellation on fast moving images, it ticked every box for my personal taste. Reduced to £2800 too

djuk

They certainly do in their plasmas, which is the reason why Sony plasma screens have pretty much no market share at all compared to the likes of Panasonic and Pioneer.

Sony missed the boat with plasma and had to quickly ship in some affordable technology for their plasmas.

I believe that Dixon's own brand 'Techwood' also use Samsung panels.

salsa-king

so the Samsung still look a good buy for me then... 32" just the right size for my room/lounge

yes in 6months time you will get bigger cheaper... but then again.. in another 6month from then you will be buying a 50"+ for the same money.... bite the bullet now.
but remember start going 42"+ and you need to be sitting at least 12' away to see the pic clearly... too close to the sceen and you defeat the object.

Phil

Kevin Groat

Phil,

I mentioned early in the thread the new Samsung rear projection - suggest you buy the current what hi-fi mag. The new rear projections are beating Plasma on picture quality and a lot of the old issues with rear projection have been removed. It also looks incredible, very slim.

salsa-king

Kevin
but don't all the rear projection tv seen to look dark if you sit at an angle to them. the only time they look clear is if you sit at the right hight directly infront of them.
I did see the HI FI mag in tesco and had a look. lol

Phil

Kevin Groat

Worth having a look at this TV though - guys in the AV forum all rave about it. I saw one in Makro 2 months ago and was convinced it was a Plasma till I found the label. Even the problem you mention above which plagued rear projection has been largely removed. The TV that came second in the mag test also got 5 stars but was a name I wasn't familiar with but a 50" TV for £2k - before looking for best on-line price is pretty

davegtt

Strange one this.... it seems it s ahybrid of components, 6 months ago it looked to be samsung now they are rearing there heads as LG screens. problem with the techwood is that they are yesterdays technology thats why they are using other manufacturers products relabelled to keep the pricing down quick easy profit buying yesterdays stock in bulk

salsa-king

still think the samsung will get my vote now.
will look at the rear projectin then.

Phil

djuk

Just as a point of reference, I attended the Panasonic trade show earlier this week and saw their new range of LCD screens to be launched in the next month or so - absolutely cracking picture.

Not sure what the pricing is going to be but very very nice

salsa-king

HDmi??

djuk

Yep HDMI, component and scart inputs and 1366x768 resolution.