Hi-tech-tv.com: Television technology news & answers

Guys, help me understand all of this. I am buying an HD capable TV in the very near future and am totally lost on all of this stuff. I currently have Direct TV w/ TiVo. Works great no problems at all. What will my options be when I get the new set?

Answer #1: I upgraded Direct TV TiVo to Direct TV DVR. I fell for Direct TV’s ‘free’ DVR since it cost nothing and provided a 100 GB HD which was 3 times the HD I already had. Big Mistake!

It is probably the worst electronic device ever assembled. It freezes, dropping shows already taped, doesn’t tape shows it was supposed to, is slow as sh!t, etc. etc, etc.

So I bit the bullet and took my old DirectTV TiVo in to get a larger HD (250GB) with 220 hours of space. Pure heaven!

Now most of you have HD DVR and that is the next step for me, but for those with reg. Direct TV, stay away from their DVR!

Answer #2: I upgraded a month or so ago from DirecTV’s standard def DVR to the new HD DVR you are talking about.
The standard def DVR definitely worked much better, it was basically flawless. The new HD unit definitely has software issues. It will miss or corrupt recordings probably about once a week for me which is a big pain in the butt. They seem to download software patches to it about once every two weeks so far. Performance has gotten better, but still nowhere near the original unit.

All that said, I am actually glad I made the switch. I have had a HD TV for awhile now and was waiting to make the switch to HD programming until they released a HD DVR that would pick up HD locals without an antenna. The difference between standard def and the HD is obviously pretty huge.

When this unit works (about 95% of the time) it is amazing; when it doesn’t it’s obviously annoying. I still have my old DVR sitting around and if push came to shove, I could switch back. Hopefully they will get all of the issues resolved in the next software fix or two in the coming weeks.

Answer #3: If you have an R10, it’s still a TiVo. Don’t let it go unless you want to give it to me. If it’s not TIVO then it’s an R15.

I had the R15 hooked up for less than 4 hours. It’s total crap. I disconnected it and re-hooked up my TiVo. I sent that POS back to DTV. Its horrible. I then bought a 3rd Directivo on Ebay. Next I’ll upgrade the Hard disks. DTV has a Major problem with their lack of TiVo. It’s a downgrade in technology. I even have an R15 in my garage, brand new in the box that DTV didn’t want back. If NFL sunday Ticket gets onto Cable, I’ll drop DTV.

Answer #4: I’ve had the DirecTV HD DVR for a couple of years now. It was slow as shyte until the recent software upgrade (which also enabled folders, which are great). It gets a little hinky now (dropped a couple of shows, failed to record others), but overall it’s a better piece of equipment. I’ll happily stick with it a while longer.

But I’d also say to the early adopters, you guys probably know it’s always like this with the first few generations of just about any sophisticated new technology. A year from now, the R15 may well be a different story. I’m sure they’re anxious to get their boxes into our houses and this kind of word of mouth should get them working pretty hard.

Answer #5: the R15 gave me a headache after 3-4 hours. I disconnected it and boxed it up, and reactivated my TiVo. My big fear is that DTV will cut off TiVo support and I’ll be stuck with their POS DVR. I think DTV signed a deal with TiVo this year to support the units for 3 more years. After that I guess everyone will have to make the switch to DirecTV new DVRs and receivers to receive HD. Hopefully they will have all the kinks worked out by then.

Answer #6: I’ve had the new DVR for 2 months, and have had no issues (knock on wood). I really like it, outside of the missing dual buffers. I ordered the HD TiVo unit and was pretty pissed they sent this one istead, but it’s been pretty good so far - specially since I’m too far from the TV tower and need this box to get local channels in HD.

However, because it’s missing the dual buffers I am not able to record two programs at once. I hate that. It sounds like they rushed it out and/or are hoping that because the HD universe is still relatively small, newcomers won’t know what they’re missing.

I want to buy an LCD TV but don’t know where to begin. Can someone give me some advice on what TV to buy and where to buy it?

Answer #1: Vizio 37” LCD TV. Got one 24 days ago and love it. Buy from Costco if you can. They have the best return policy. My TV cost $999.000. They have a 32″ for $699.00. If your TV breaks down 6 months from now, take it back and get a new one. You do have to have a membership, $50.00 for one year. I saw the same TV at Walmart for $1500.00. My son loves it, he has xbox 360 and he’s in love. Football is the best I have ever seen, OTA HD that is.

Answer #2: So you’ve decided on LCD over plasma? As best I can tell, the big issues are:

Plasma: Truer Black, Colors “jump” a bit more
LCD: Brighter overall picture, slightly sharper image, more glare-resistant

My wife and I picked up a 46″ LCD as opposed to a 50″ Plasma, largely because we liked the way it resisted glare (our family room has A LOT of light). Look at both side to side, and decide which picture you like better. It’s purely an issue of taste, you can’t go wrong if you buy a solid TV. Make sure it has 2 HDMI inputs if you plan on watching HDTV as well as playing next-gen video games and/or DVD’s. Honestly, the main way the cheaper sets seem to let you down in their inputs.

My cable keeps like skipping, kind of like a CD, the picture reloads and the sound skips. It’s really annoying. Has anyone faced anything like this? I have comcast digital cable.

Answer #1: Call your cable company and see if they can reset the box from their office.

Answer #2: Unplug your cable box, wait a few moments, then plug it back in. It will reset itself.

Answer #3: Sounds stupid but simply un-plugging and then plugging in my cable box solves most of the problems I have with my service. It’s how you “reboot” the box. It can help.

Answer #4: Sometimes taking out the cable card works. *shrug* Atleast you don’t have cablevision.

Answer #5: I had the same problem for the last few weeks in HD. Called Insight cable and they had no idea what I was talking about. Theye rebooted my box, and so far it has worked fine. I suggest calling and having them reboot. If that doesn’t work, you do it yourself by unplugging, etc…

Answer #6: Do Yourself a favor, get rid of cable and get a Dish.

Answer #7: You can also reboot by holding in the power button but the unplug the box is a better reboot. Fact is with Time Warner digital cable there are always problems off & on…but if they are constant then I’d recommend the reboot. You could also call them & they may be able to do something with your signal feed. I know when I had a problem with Dish Network they did something like boost my feed (they said something like that) and it helped.

What is the minimum acceptable Contrast Ratio to consider when purchasing a flat screen TV? Is there a point when there is no longer a benefit to an increase in ratio?
Answer #1: In the LCD vs. Plasma debate, this is where plasma wins out .. most LCD TVs have a contrast ratio of 1000 but plasma can have up to 10,000 – try to get a TV with highest contrast ratio you can.
Answer #2: It’s all about what type of screen you like. The very good plasmas will sport a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, but I just picked up an LCD screen with a 5000:1 ratio, and I actually like the way the screen displays better than the plasmas. LCD’s generally have lower contrast, but more sharpness. I’d stay away with any plasma below 10,000:1, however, mainly b/c it would be a sign to me that the plasma was a cheaper model.
Answer #3: I have a plasma with a 10k:1 contrast ratio and it *rocks*. I’ve got an LCD with a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and that isn’t bad either. I don’t think you can go really wrong with either, although if you’re in a sunny room, you definitely want a higher ratio. I’m still chomping at the bit for an SED set - those suckers are supposed to have a 100k:1 contrast ratio. I can only imagine that they’re going to burn images into our eyes.
Answer #4: According to a manufacturers rep anything over 1000:1 is “fuzzy math”. He basically said if it is above 1000:1 they are using a “different” way of rating the ratios.
Answer #5: I’ve heard the opposite on brightness – instead of the high contrast plasma, I’ve heard the LCD’S are better in a very bright room. But all this is splitting hairs.

I have Directv and want to know what experience anyone has had in getting an LCD or rear projection LCd and using directv. I know I will need to upgrade my directv box. I do have an updated antenna with 3 LNB’s and a local antenna to use if I can’t get the local channels over Directv. Will the wrap around antenna on the dish give me HDTV capability? I know if I had cable I could get a tv with a cable card slot. What else do I need to be aware of to maximize viewing HDTV (I am thinking Sony Wega 42″)? Thanks!

Answer 1: I have a plasma, DirecTV, and HD. I needed only a seperate, off-air antenna to get the local channels in HD. Generally, DirecTV is supposed to be upgrading their HD package. I paid $10.99 for fewer than 10 channels. Other than the Sunday Ticket, and ESPN, the local channels are about all I watch in HD right now.

Answer 2: At the moment I don’t get local HD channels on DTV, although that will change imminently in many markets (within 90 days I believe). If your current setup gets local OTA that’s fine, other than that if you’re in one of DTV’s HD local markets you’ll have a choice. Personally, my OTA HD works wonderfully 50% of the time, but that’s not good enough for me when football is on the line (and it seems to work best at night). That aside, DTV’s HD lineup is a joke. ESPN HD which is actually in HD about 20% of the time, Discovery channel (awesome), and a couple useless channels.

Answer 3: I went with the Panasonic 43″ rear projector LCD and I have DTV with the HD. I get CBS NBC ABC and Fox in HD. I get ESPN and ESPN2, HBO and SHOWTIME, HDNet and HDNet Movies, Discover HD, and so on. I love it. I can’t watch a baseball or football game thats not in HD; it’s ruined me for life.

Please leave your answers or questions in the comments section below.

HDTV Question: 1080P or 720P format?

I plan to buy a 60″ HDTV. Time Warner Cable (of which I am fond) tells me that their broadcast format is 1080i (for interlaced, as opposed to P for progressive scan). I don’t see many 1080i sets being advertised. I’m guessing that I should spend the extra $500 or so, and get a 1080P set. Any information about whether a 1080P set will give me a better picture would be appreciated.

Answer #1: 1080i capable vs 1080i native is not really different. For example when you watch football games, the majority of them will be 720P (progressive scan). Progressive scan is better with motion (football, videogames). 1080P is for HD DVDs and allegedly PS3 will use 1080P. I have an older Sony Grand Wega 50 in widescreen rear projection LCD. It’s native 720P, so it’s great for games. If HD DVDs are important to you, go with 1080P.

Answer #2: It should prepare you for future upgrades to the HD standard. I’m not 100% as up on this as I should be, but HD-DVD will be in 1080p, I believe. The satellite/cable/OTA HD feeds will lag behind this standard for a while. Most of those being 720p, and some being 1080i.

My set’s a couple years old and 1080i. If you’re going to buy now and keep it for 5-10 years (which is likely what an investment in a 60″ HDTV will be), then get the 1080p. The 1080p is the full spec: buy one now and you’re set for years. Also Sony has some 1080p HDTVs and I’d imagine other vendors do as well.
Many SXRD and Bravia sets are native 1080p, that’s why they cost upwards of 10K. Also, Microsoft has already said they’re making 1080p games, and while HDDVD is only 1080i, Blu Ray is 1080p. There are Sony native 1080p sets for sub-$3K at 50″, no less.
 
Answer #3: Microsoft can make all the 1080p games they want to and it wouldn’t mount up to a hill of beans. Besides, MS doesn’t make games only the game platform. IF EA Sports decides to make their games 720p Microsoft can’t do crap but complain. What is going to drive the market is TV programming and major studios movie release and as of now they are not going to. Movie studios don’t want to release 720p much less 1080p, and it ain’t going to happen for a while yet. A true 1080p receiver will cost thousands of dollars. Anything that sells for less than 3 thousand is not a true 1080p TV.

What they do to get 1080p is convert 1080i to 1080p in a process called up-converting. XBox 360 games are already on the shelf in 720p. Blu-Ray DVD’s currently support 1080p right now.

Answer #4: Who knows how long it will take until conventional programming over the satellite dish or via cable will produce true 1080p content, however. If it were up to me, my decision would be based on how far in the future I planned my next home theatre upgrade. I would argue that if someone would want to upgrade in another 5-6 years anyway that you would be better off saving the extra $$ now and wait at least until the second or third generation Blu-ray DVD players come out. That way you’d be closer to a window where conventional programming(not Blu-Ray DVD’s) might be available in 1080p.

Answer #5: You want 1080p: You can already see a difference. Go to a Tweeter store and have them explain to you the up conversion switching. I just bought a Sony 50″ 1080p and it’s the best TV I have ever seen. Circuit City is also a very good place to shop for TV’s right now lots of 10% off coupons out there and 24 months no interest financing. Stay away from Best Buy. 1080p is so awesome that I sold my 1080i 65″ Sony to trade up.

Answer #6: There are absolutely no television programs in production or planned for production for the 1080p format. DVD-HD and Bluray discs are upscaled to 1080p and in the future the XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 will have games in 1080p that can be played on those systems. However, as I implied that is a long way off. Currently the broadcasters doing sports in HD - the 4 networks, ESPN, TNT, FOX Regional Sports networks, YES, MSG, etc… have just gotten around to showing games and studio shows in 720p and 1080i, depending on the network. The market penetration of HD sets in these formats is still lagging, therefore 1080p is a long way off. Long enough away to buy a nice 720p or 1080i set and purchase a 1080p set when the format becomes standard.

Networks won’t be spending any money to provide 1080p with the digital deadline breathing down their neck. Also they need all the bandwidth they can get. 1080P is for games and DVD’s. If you don’t do that 720p or 1080i if very good. By the way,720p is supposedly the best for sports due to motion but the 1080i CBS college football telecasts blow away the Fox and ABC 720p. See for yourself.

Answer #7: I got a sony 50″ 1080×1920 lcd rear screen projection tv….both sports and dvd’s are stunningly detailed, it has great picture quality without the harshness of seeing the glass tube pixels you see with plasma. Since the biggest true lcd is still limited to 46″ the 50″ Sony is really a cinematic experience.

iO DVR: Anyone have it? Comments or complaints? Just ordered one and it should be here by mid week. Time to move out of the dark age of the no-tivo life.

Answer #1: It’s awesome and works great. Actually, it’s the best thing ever. It seems better than TiVo because its essentially the same thing and it costs less.

Answer #2: I have Time Warner with the DVR and love it. I’m sure iO is pretty much the same.

Answer #3: I’ve just gone back to IO after years of using a DirecTivo DVR. I prefer the 8300hd dvr, but I have some Tivo withdrawl symptoms.

What do I like better than the TiVo?

PIP is cool, as is the viewable picture when in menus and guides. I also like the really fast channel and guide scrolling plus the channel info surfing without changing the channel or going to the guide.

Continued from Should I buy an LCD or plasma TV?

Answer #6: It depends on the size you’re looking for. I don’t think they make plasma in the smaller sizes. I have a Samsung 32″ LCD and it’s real sweet. Of the TVs I’ve seen, Samsung, Sharp, and Pioneer look great

The LCD is apparently better in rooms where there is light as the Plasma tends to be susceptible to glare issues more. That being said, the Plasmas tend to have higher contrast ratios. All things being equal, which TV has the better component extras? Does it have a PC connection? Which are more compatible with satellite vs. cable? If there is a difference, which one has the best most accessible input/outputs etc.

Answer #7: Plasma is kind of like a tube TV regarding glare and LCD and DLP are more like the old rear projection sets where glare isn’t an issue. Regardless of the contrast you’ll have a bad glare problem in a room with a lot of light with a plasma TV. Make sure the room it goes can
be controlled for light or you’ll be unhappy.

Answer #8: I own one of each. There are positives and negatives to each. Personally, my favorite is the plasma, only because it’s brighter and has better darks than the LCD. Granted, there is more reflectivity from ambient light in the room, but it’s so much brighter I think it’s a wash. Burn in isn’t an issue, unless you’re going to be staring at something that never changes, or you spend most of your watching time viewing channels that have static images (like the Bloomberg ticker running at the bottom of the screen 24×7, or if you always watch with closed
captioning).

Plasma has a better refresh rate than most LCDs, so it’s a bit better for gaming. All said and done, I don’t think you can go wrong either way.

And by all means, buy from Costco so you get a good, long, money back guarantee, which is necessary on modern TVs regardless of make or model.
Which ever technology you invest in, please make an effort to eliminate any light sources in your room. Specialty shades can be purchased to remove and sun light. Remember, the darker the room the better image quality you will have.

Answer #10: I just bought 42 inch Panasonic plasma. I spent many an hour researching the differences between the two…the plasma is pretty amazing. the colors “pop”…it’s the best way I can explain it. You may want to consider the 1080p version as well, as opposed to the 1080i…sort of the wave of the future. Plus it will work well with blue ray/ hd dvd.

I have a few grand burning a hole in my pocket and my TV is about to die. Any help would be appreciated. I have to decide between a plasma TV, an LCD, or something else.

Answer #1: I have a Sharp Aquos LCD and love every minute of it but DLP will save you a ton of money and the picture is still great. Also unlike the PLasma if the TV breaks you can get it fixed for cheap.

Answer #2: Burn in is not a serious problem any more, so don’t worry about that. In July I got the Panasonic 50″ HD plasma, the commercial version. It’s cheaper than the consumer version, all black (which I prefer), does not come with a stand (I planned to and did mount it on the wall), and does not come with speakers (I planned to and did take care of sound through my receiver/home theater speakers). I absolutely love the TV, it is amazing.

Answer #3: I Just bought a 42-inch plasma last week. Burn-in does not affect modern plasmas nearly as much as older models (pre 2004-2005). Also, the life of today’s plasmas can easily exceed the life of picture tube TV’s, some plasmas are expected to last 10 years or more. An added plus is that plasmas have the sharpest, brightest picture of any of the three technologies, can be wall-mounted (unlike DLP) and, depending on size/brand, is very competitively-priced. The best plasmas are Panasonic, Pioneer, or Hitachi.
Answer #4: If it’s going in a room that is fairly bright (as in sunlight), LCD will handle this better. Otherwise, it’s whatever looks better to him. I personally would stick to a brand name.

Answer #5: I like LCD better then DLP or Plasma, but there’s no real better among them. It just personal choice and the kind of picture you enjoy. Do you need a flat panel? If you want a screen bigger then 46″ and need or want a flat panel you have to go plasma. LCD flat only goes up to 46″ and there is no DLP flat.

It’s true that the days of burn in are over for plasma TVs with the latest models. But be careful with Panasonic; they were very slow to adopt the non burn technology and there’s still some Panasonics out there that you have to be careful with. I don’t like the “blur” or “clay face” you get on a lot of the plasma screens even with HD during a football game.

Whatever TV you go with try and get 1080p resolution even though it’s a big expense. If you’re spending 3 grand on a TV get something with the best technology you can.

I just added a 50″ Sony 1080 LCD to my collection. It was a lot less expensive then a 50″ 1080i plasma. If you don’t have to have a flat panel save the money and buy a 1080p LCD or DLP whichever you like better.

If you have a Circuit City near you go there and check out the 1080P DLP from Mitsubishi and the LCOS 1080p from Sony. There are also some 1080p plasma sets out now from Sony and Samsung but they are over 4 grand. About 1500 more then the DLP or LCD rear projections but they are direct pictures.

The first thing you need to decide is your space for the TV. The second thing you need to decide is what you’ll watch most. Then read and shop and have fun.

Read more on LCD vs. plasma TVs.

Just bought the Panasonic TH50PX60U plasma TV and got DirecTV with HD receivers. The picture is stunning. I have the settings on low now until the burn-in period is over, but I would love to watch something other than DiscoveryHD during the burn-in period (like Sunday Ticket HD). Does anyone with a plasma TV have image retention problems (like scoreboards) after viewing a football game?

Answer #1: Unless you’re watching 4:3 content unstretched for 8 hours a day, you’re fine. And honestly, the stretching on these things is usually so good, that you’re better off just watching it stretched out and not having to worry about the black bar retention.

Answer #2: I Have TH-42PX60U and I was careful but not paranoid during the first 100 hours and never had a problem. Get the display off the factory-set “vivid” setting, turn down picture and sharpness a bit and you should be good to go. These Panasonics produce a great picture and football and sports in HD are terrific. Btw, the AV Forum has a separate thread on settings for the Panasonic plasmas. You can find all you need to know–and probably more.

Answer #3: You have to be in very severe cases to actually get uncorrectable burn-in. There’s a difference between image retention (which you get on either a plasma or CRT TV, if the same image is displayed for awhile, it will remain for a few minutes until it’s rewritten by changing pixels) and burn-in, which these days you’ll only get when spending many hours viewing static images that don’t change much, if at all (usually a stock ticker or closed captioning will do this, but only after a really long time and without watching much else in between).