HDTV’s
HDTV’s have a frustrating amount of jargon and terms associated with them. Here is a brief breakdown of what it all means.
Interlaced vs Progressive:
Interlaced (referred to as i) – The traditional way of sending a picture. The picture is made of horizontal lines. All the odd lines are displayed, followed by all even. This works well, but can cause edges of objects in motion to appear jagged.
Progress (referred to as p) – All horizontal lines are displayed at once. Picture is much sharper even if objects are in motion.
Signal Type:
480i (fair) – The traditional picture signal from older devices.
480p (good) – Referred to as Enhanced Definition. This is the quality of video stored on DVDs.
720p (very good) – This the lowest level of HD. This quality is generally good enough for TV’s up to 40 inches.
1080i (very good) – A higher form of HD, typically found on HD television channels.
1080p (best) – The highest form of HD and also referred to as Full HD. This format is generally only found with things like Blu-Ray players, Video games and some setup boxes. 1080p is not generally available through cable (expect with Video on Demand) or antenna.
Refresh rate (Hz):
2 hz is equal to one frame. And TVs commonly show 30 frames per Second. In the case of Interlaced pictures, each hz is equal to half a frame.
60 hz – Television standard, 30 frames a second.
120 hz – Every other frame is invented by the TV. The television looks at 2 frames, and invents one in between them. This compares to 60 frames a second.
240 hz – 3 out of four frames is invented by the TV. The televisions looks at 2 frames and invents a series of 3 in between. This compares to 120 frames a second.
HD Sources:
In order to get an HD picture you’ll need 3 things. A HDTV, a HD source and a HD cable to connect the two (with the exception of over the air TV).
Many of your existing devices (video games, DVDs, other boxes) are capable of higher quality pictures then they might be currently displaying. If your devices comes with composite cables (RCA or yellow, red and white cables) check to see if it will take another cable. For your HDTV either a HDMI or a component (Green, Blue, Red plus Red and White cables) are suitable. 480p has been available since the late 90’s so many older devices may support this. All you will need is a set of Component cables ($20 approx). You many need to change the output of your device to 480p (see manual for directions).
Don’t forget the cables.
To get an HD picture, you’ll need an HD cable (either component or HDMI) attaching your device to your HDTV. You see no difference in picture quality between a DVD and Blu-ray unless you have your Blu-ray player hooked up properly.
Plasma vs LCD vs DLP
Plasma is generally considered to be the very best quality HDTV. Plasma has the best looking blacks, and considered the best for home theatre.
LCD performs best in well lit rooms. This gives it a significant advantage over Plasma in show rooms.
DLP Tv’s use millions of tiny mirrors to create a picture. They are generally cheaper then LCD TV’s and are considered to have a better picture. On the downside they have bulbs that need replacing.
MP3 Players
Apple makes several models of iPods. The one with the most features is the iPod Touch which plays music, movies, games, runs apps and surfs the net. The iPod Touch cost $190 for 8GB, $300 for 32GB, and $400 for 64 GB. The iPod Nano is the smallest iPod available (that has a screen), and roughly the dimensions of a credit card. Unlike the iPod Touch the Nano has a built in FM tuner (allowing you to pause live radio) and a built in video camera. You can even tag songs you like on the radio, and download them from iTunes (when attached to a computer). The iPod Nano cost $140 for the 8GB model, and $170 for the 16GB model. The iPod Classic will give you the most Gigs for your buck. The iPod classic is strictly a music and video player but 160GB costs just $235.
Of course Apple isn’t the only supplier of MP3 players,
Clarification:
The prices listed here, are approximate and based on the lowest prices we could find at press time. The capacity of MP3 players is an estimate and to be used as an approximation only.
The values shown are based upon the file sizes, in reality, file are differing sizes, and your MP3 Player may hold more or less depending on the actual stored contents. All sizes and counts are approximations for comparison only. Song files are estimated at 5 & 10 Megabytes, Photos at 5 & 10 Megapixels (5MP = 1.5MB, 10MP = 3MB), Videos at 10 Megabytes.
