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FAQ HDTV -Most of the questions you need answered

FAQ HDTV answers to the most common HDTV questions.

Do I need a tuner?
Yes, every TV needs a tuner. If your plasma or LCD TV did not come with one you can use a VCR or cable/satellite box. They work well as tuners.

Do I need an HD tuner?
To display HD on your Plasma TV or LCD TV you will need a HD tuner/receiver.

Do I need any additional equipment to watch HDTV broadcasts on my HDTV-compatible LCD TV?
In order to view over-the-air (OTA) HDTV broadcasts, you need to be within the reception area of a TV station broadcasting HDTV signals. Your flat panel monitor requires a set-top HDTV tuner and an external antenna to receive the broadcasts. Your cable or satellite provider may also offer HDTV channels as a part of their service, eliminating the need for a separate tuner.

What is the difference between Plasma TV and LCD?
Plasma TV's have a larger viewing angle, usually 160 degrees. The size of LCDs is limited and they use liquid crystals.

Do plasma TV's make noise at high altitudes?
Some Plasma TV's make a hissing sound at high altitudes. This is not a defect.

If one or more pixels are out, is a plasma TV considered defective?
Plasma TV's can have a few pixels out and not be considered defective.

What inputs provides the best picture?
Component, S-Video, and then composite, in that order.

 

How can “burn in” be prevented?

Perhaps the most faq HDTV question. Since plasma screens are susceptible to burn in from images (logos) that are displayed continuously most plasma screens now have what's called white screen option or pixel orbiter to counteract this.


Are LCD TVs susceptible to burn-in?
Burn in is uneven aging of a display's phosphor.  Today’s plasmas have built in features to mi minimize this problem. LCD TVs are liquid crystal-based, not phosphor-based, so there is no surface to burn-in. However LCD TVs do experience a condition called “image retention”. This happens when bright objects have been left onscreen for an extended period of time, but this effect is not permanent.

What's the difference between an EDTV (Enhanced Definition TV) and HDTV (High Definition TV)?
A display's ability to fully resolve all the details in a broadcast is dependent upon its resolution. An HDTV-capable flat panel monitor has higher resolution capability than an EDTV model, which allows it to display more of the detail in an HDTV broadcast. EDTV flat panel monitors must convert HDTV signals into a lower resolution that's compatible with the display capability of the flat panel monitor.

What is HDMI inputs?
HDMI, which stands for "High-Definition Multimedia Interface" is a connection capable of transmitting uncompressed digital audio/video signals. Products featuring HDMI can transmit both digital audio and video on one cable. HDMI offers improved quality over traditional analog connections thanks to all-digital transmission. Digital sources like DVDs and HDTV programming can be transferred digitally from source to display without analog conversions that can degrade the original signal.

Some widescreen DVDs and HDTV broadcasts still show black bars. Why doesn’t the 16:9 aspect ratio on my TV remove this letterboxing?
Movies are filmed at several different aspect ratios. One of the most common is "scope".  Scope is the panoramic aspect ratio that provides a wide field of view in the theater. Since scope is much wider than your widescreen TV it requires the use of letterboxing to fit the entire image on screen. Some TVs and DVD players have a zoom function that allows you to blow up the image so it fills the screen, but the sides of the image must be cropped in order to do so.

What will DVDs  and 4:3 broadcasts look like on a widescreen TV?
There are multiple settings for adjusting the appearance of 4:3 broadcasts on many widescreen TVs. 4:3 can be viewed with the black bars on the sides, preserving the way it was originally intended to be viewed.  All flat panel monitors have a stretch mode that let you fill the entire TV screen with the image. Usually these modes stretch the outer portion of the picture while leaving the center untouched. Most people don’t like the effect.
 

Is it true that LCD TVs last longer than plasma TVs?

No. This is one of the most common faq HDTV questions. Plasma TV half lifes amount to approximately 10 years of viewing a TV 24hrs/day. The technology available 10 years from now will force many consumers to abandon the plasma technology of today. Although LCD TVs are making great strides Plasma is still king. They are more efficient and gives a better picture on larger screens because each phosphor cell is illuminated as needed. LCDs use bulbs that require full power all the time.

 

More FAQ HDTV

 

HDTV Television, HDTV Monitor, or HDTV Compatible — what's the difference?

Surprisingly this is a commonly misunderstood faq HDTV answer.

  • HDTV Television — receives and displays all HDTV resolutions

  • HDTV Monitor — only displays images from source, (Requires a separate tuner to show HDTV)

  • HDTV Compatible — can't show HDTV resolution, but can receive and show HDTV at a lesser quality

What resolution should I look for?

  • HD: HIGH-DEFINITION
    720p (progressive) or 1080i (interlaced) minimum
    Digital Transmission About 5x better than conventional TV.

  • Enhanced-Definition TV
    480p (progressive) & 480i (interlaced)
    Digital Transmission

  • SD: Standard TV Conventional TV
    480i (interlaced)
    Analog Transmission Standard for past 60 years.

Are the brightest panels best?

Brighter looks better. Most plasmas have their settings pre-adjusted at the factory to astronomical levels that will help sell their products. Almost every plasma will need to be either professionally or personally (using a calibration DVD) calibrated. Leaving a plasma TV at a bright setting will quickly burn out your display.

Some plasmas list contrast ratios — what should I look for?

This faq HDTV is really not frequently asked. Since there is no set standard — comparing contrast ratios (ability of screen to transition light to dark) is misleading. Do not use it as a guide when purchasing a plasma TV.

What is 16x9 aspect ratio?

The width-to-height ratio on a display device is a HDTV standard (widescreen).

How will DVDs and regular TV look on a plasma TV?

This a tough question. Some plasma TVs display SD (standard TV) better than others. The best way to insure good PQ is to view the flat panel monitor broadcasting SD and DVDs for yourself.

What will a plasma become outdated?

Too few connections and early generation plasma susceptible to burn out will date a plasma. Otherwise nothing. Another faq HDTV misnomer.

Can I use a plasma panel for anything other than TV?

Some plasma displays can be used with PCs.

These faq HDTV cover a broad swath of questions regarding HDTV. While no faq HDTV can possibly cover every topic we've tried to cover comnon questions in this faq HDTV. Click here to jump back to the top of this faq HDTV page.