HDTV dummy guide

Numbers when shopping for a (High Definition TV) HDTV can be quite intimidating, especially when there are eager salesman trying to persuade you to buy their products. Sometimes there are sales person, who are super eager, but when questioned further, you realized they are just one of those read-from-the-pamphlet salesman. Most of them follow one rule in sales:

If you can't convince them, confuse them.

(if you are a salesman, and are reading this, I'm sorry. Don't take it personally)

It's time to show them who's the boss! - I mean customer. ( when we are suppose to be always right, right?)

HDTV Glossary

720: 1280 x 720 pixel (pass the criteria for HD)
1080: 1920 x 1080 pixel ( full HD)

usually there are 'i' or 'p' after the number. If not, ask the sales.

i: interlaced:Interlaced scan redraws every second line (a field) in one refresh and the remaining lines in a second refresh. Interlaced scan increases picture resolution while saving bandwidth but at the expense of some flicker or other artifacts.
p: progressive : Progressive scan redraws all the lines (a frame) of a picture in each refresh

Therefore:
fps: frames per second
Hz: Hertz: 50 Hz or 25fps(PAL), 60 Hz or ~30fps (NTSC)


For example
24p means 24 progressive scan frames per second and
50i means 25 interlaced frames per second, consisting of 50 interlaced fields per second.

Plasma - ( well, it's kind of ionized gas, when molecules and atoms get heated up to ..... z Z , let's not get too technical here)

LCD: Liquid Crystal Display

The debate for plasma vs LCD can be quite a challenge I will just quote from CNet

If you're in the market for a big screen television -- and we're talking 50-inches and above -- then we'd suggest plasma as a safe bet. Plasmas give you more bang for your buck at the big end of town, and while LCDs can give you better resolution, plasma still has the edge in terms of picture quality.

One other thing to look for, whether you opt for plasma or LCD, is an integrated tuner -- many TVs still have analogue tuners, which look pretty terrible on a large screen. Try to get a model with an inbuilt HD tuner if you can.

At the smaller end of things (15" to 42" TVs), LCD is the only way to go if you want something slim and tasteful. And the best thing is that LCDs are getting cheaper all the time.

Here is a good guide from Panasonic website:

Click for bigger image

HD can broadcast in surround sound- Dolby Digital or DTS. For more information for surround sound, here is a good wikipedia site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surround_sound

Actually, if you notice most of the TV sales person are quite quiet and less aggressive (compare to those credit card promoters). Probably, they are just as bewildered as most of us. It's nobody's fault - it's a fast changing world.