Buying an HDTV: What You Need to Know

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Cameron Baker
Kurtis
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Aug. 20, 2008

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Shopping Tip

Check the settings on each television before observing image quality and comparing sets. Big electronics stores don't keep their settings under control and may even turn up brightness, backlighting, and contrast to make certain TVs stand out. The uninformed might believe the image is superior to the next set if they don't know what to look for. If you aren't sure how to change the settings, ask a salesperson to reset to factory defaults and then crank things down to more 'recommended' levels.

Once you narrow down your selection to a few sets, don't be afraid to ask for a better video source than the notoriously awful, over-split, cable source; they'll be more than happy to hook up a Blu-Ray player so you can really have a good benchmark. You might even want to take a Blu-Ray movie or your favorite game console with you if you want to test using source material you're familiar with.

Technical Specifications to Consider

Contrast Ratio / Black Levels

This can be a touchy subject. On the surface, contrast ratio is defined as the difference between the "blackest black" and the "whitest white" that a television can display. A higher contrast ratio would seem to indicate that the display is more capable, but don't hedge your bets on this number.

Testing methods vary between manufacturers, so this measure may not mean much in regard to the display's real-world performance. Your best option is to go look at the television in person and try to find a few telltale signs of a less-than-stellar performing panel.

Check for even lighting across the entire screen. Look for accuracy in the shadows of a brighter picture. Finally, check to see if the blacks really stay black; some displays will appear blue or will change colors depending on the viewing angle. If you stick to these guidelines, you should be good in this department. As a great sage once said, knowing is half the battle.

1080p vs 1080i vs 720p

This comparison can be expressed using one metric: resolution. A 1080p or "True HD" display will have a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. A 720p display is technically defined as having a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, but there are several sets that have a variation of this resolution (1366 x 768 if you're counting).

Most of the HD content you will have access to (i.e. through your cable provider) is delivered at either 720p or 1080i. That's 1080i, not 1080p. It may sound counter-intuitive, but 1080i isn't necessarily better than 720p.

While 1080i does sport the same resolution as 1080p, it works differently (the 'i' stands for interlaced; the 'p' stands for progressive). To reduce the bandwidth used, 1080i only renders every other horizontal line on the screen with each pass. Best case scenario, on a CRT or Rear Projection set, this is like a reduction in frame rate. Worst case scenario, on LCDs and Plasmas (which only process progressive signals, so the interlaced signal must be converted), two sequential frames are combined, possibly leading to artifacts and ghosting if there is fast action, for example. Progressive shows each frame as it was meant to be seen, which is why ESPN HD is shown in 720p instead of 1080i. So if 1080p is the cream of the crop, and you can't get it through your cable box, where do you get it?

1080p is fully utilized if you own or plan to own a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD [R.I.P.] player or other device with 1080p video output (example: Xbox 360). It is also a great advantage if you are planning on using the display as either a primary or secondary display for a computer because of the stellar resolution. 1080p seems to offer a clearer picture due to pixel density, giving viewers less of a "screen-door" effect (seeing the separation between pixels) at a closer viewing distance.

Also, you may want to note the screen size of any display you are thinking about purchasing. On a set under ~46 inches, you'd be hard pressed to see the difference between 720p and 1080p unless you're sitting entirely too close.

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Page 1: Introduction, Types of HDTVs Compared, and Potential Sources
Page 2: Shopping Tip, Technical Specifications to Consider
Page 3: Inputs, Outputs, and Special Features
Page 4: Installation Concerns and Conclusion

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1 User Comment

1 - Posted by Rick on November 28, 2008 - 8:04 am

Nice article! Thanks for the information...

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