OK, I'm considering buying an HDTV for the family for Christmas. I have two important questions to ask, before I see a salesman.
1) Is there a big difference between 720 and 1080p? Is it OK to go with 720, if it's the first time I buy one?
2) Most important. What is the total cost going to be? It's got to be more than just buying the TV, right? What else do I need?
Thanks in advance for any help.
I had just bent down to tighten my nuts, and there was a double yellow line, see? And next thing I knew, there was policeman behind me. He put a sticker on my helmet and tried to clamp me.
Buying from tigerdirect.com back in May, I got a 60" Mitsubishi 1080i for $1299. Free shipping. HDMI cable cost me $20 - you can probably get them cheaper and they're just as good. I didn't really care after spending $1299.
Don't get 720. Go to a store and watch them side-by-side and you won't have to be convinced.
First of all, I assume you are talking about 1080i vs 1080p. Pretty much all 1080i sets can do 720p, you'd be hard pressed to find one that doesn't.
1080i video is pretty much what you are going to get from cable or satellite today. If your concerns start and end with getting a high def TV feed, you don't need to look any further than 1080i.
1080p is really nice if you want to play video game on a PS3, Xbox 360, or a PC attached to the TV. For instance, I have a 46" TV with 1080p, and this allows me to play World of Warcraft in my living from a chair 8 feet away (using a wireless keyboard and mouse). 1080p is 1920 x 1080 resolution.
So, do you need 1080p? The easy answer is no. Will you want it within the lifetime of your TV? For me, this was a 5-10 year purchase I hope. I thought that in that time I would want to have it, and so far I have been right.
The MHz thing is for 120 or 60 if I know what you are refering to. We can talk about that more if it matters to you. THe short version is that it has to do with 3:2 pulldown to a 5:1 and that 24 frames per second divides evenly into 120 whereas it doesn't into 60. Also, there should be less motion blur on a higher refresh rate in theory, but what really matters is what you think when you watch it. You may not care.
Guru is right, it depends on what you're going to use it for. The only way you're going to get a native 1080p signal into the TV is from a Blu-Ray player, or in rare instances, certain video games. The XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 will upscale most 720p games into 1080p if your picture can display it, but that's not the same thing. Here's an article talking about native 1080p in video games. http://www.makeyougohmm.com/20070721/4652/
Blu-Ray will display in 1080p if you have the right connection (the PS3, which is the most popular Blu-Ray player, only gives 1080p when it is connected via HDMI).
Other high-definition television signals, whether they're broadcast TV, cable, or satellite, are either going to be 720p or 1080i, depending on the network.
So besides those examples above, you're really talking about 720p vs. 1080i. And that is a very contentious issue. http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6810011-1.html http://hdtvexpert.com/pages_b/1080p_TheLastWord.html It breaks down into the size of the screen, and your viewing distance, and all kinds of things. http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html gives a chart that tells you whether 1080p is worth it given the size of your screen and the distance the TV is from you. The HDTVExpert.com article claims that on a 42" or smaller screen, from the distance you normally watch TV, you'd be hard pressed to notice the distance.
I agree with going ahead and trying them in the store. But make sure you're watching them from approximately the distance you'll be watching the TV from at home.
EDIT: Obviously Guru hadn't written his second post when I started mine.
As far as what else you need, you're going to need the right cables to connect to your satellite/cable TV source as well as any other video sources you may have (DVD player, VCR, DVR, etc.). I think most set-top TV boxes you get from cable or satellite companies come with component cables. I don't think there's any reason to use an HDMI cable for TV unless it's more convenient to you for some reason. You'll get the same quality picture though with either an HDMI cable or with component cables.
Connecting to a Playstation3, Xbox 360, Blu-Ray player, or upscaling DVD player is a different story though. These devices are all capable of outputting at 1080p, so there's potentially a difference. I think for all of these items you'll need to use an HDMI cable to take advantage of any upscaling features (someone correct me if I'm wrong, but that's how it works with my PS3).
When I bought my HDTV way back when the associate at Best Buy convinced me to buy a big expensive fancy power strip (cost about $100). I'm not sure how necessary that was but it made me feel better then (and I still feel better having it now).
I think one of the most important pieces of advice though is to NOT buy your cables from Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Circuit City, etc. They are horrendously overpriced, especially Monster cables. You can get A/V cables of the highest quality for the lowest prices from Monoprice.com. They also sell a lot of other cool home theater accessories like switch boxes which you may need if you have a ton of things you want to plug into your new TV.
Originally posted by Guru Zim 1080i video is pretty much what you are going to get from cable or satellite today.
Two weeks ago, I had an hour download from DirecTV that was upgrading my HD-DVR receiver because, according to them, they are starting to release 1080p content on their On Demand service, and gearing up to have 1080p for ALL HD content in the near future.
I haven't bought any of their HD movies on On Demand, so I can't comment if they were blowing smoke up my ass or not.
-- 2006 Time magazine Person of the Year --
"...Oh, the band is out on the field!! He's gonna go into the end zone! He's gone into the end zone!! -- Joe Starkey -- November 20, 1982 -- The Play --
I won't bother with the technical stuff as you have plenty of good resources here, I'll just throw in a few things I noticed when we upgraded.
Have a plan as to what you are going to do with your old TV and have help to move it. Otherwise it ends up scooted into a corner with a tablecloth over it and it's a very awkward end table.
If you have a cabinet (which luckily ours didn't manage to make the last move in one piece) the new TV isn't likely to fit. If you aren't going to wall mount it, a new piece of furniture may also need to be acquired. Keep in mind how high off the ground the optimal viewing angle for the new TV is in purchasing furniture.
The new TV is going to take up relatively less space even if it is a larger screen size. This will require rearranging the furniture, probably a couple times.
The new furniture or wall mounting will require you to reconfigure where your DVD/VCR/Game Systems/etc. are stored and likely there will be many more inputs in the TV to accommodate them. Take the time to think everything out and tidy up and hide cords when you hook everything up. You will be much much happier if you do.
Be sure to look at televisions in person even if you are ordering them. Check to see what a television signal looks like as well as DVD (retailers should have a demo DVD for you to look at) and know how the DVD player is hooked up. Some retailers will have different configurations for different brands so you may not be comparing apples to apples.
If you make the pickiest person in your household happy, everyone will be happy.
Originally posted by MisterHenderson2) Most important. What is the total cost going to be? It's got to be more than just buying the TV, right? What else do I need?
You're going to need HD programs to watch. I have cable service with Comcast; if I'm reading my bill correctly, having HDTV/DVR Service on two of my three televisions means an extra $31.90 goes from my pocket to their pocket every month (compared to what I'm paying for Digital Service on the third). I'm sure such costs vary from locale to locale, not to mention from provider to provider; the point being that you'll want to add that monthly amount (whatever it may be) to your total cost, and budget accordingly.
"Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help." - Isaiah 58:7 (New Living Translation)
Thanks for the advice, all. This will make shopping easier for me, now that I know what I should be looking for. Especially since I will be getting a Blu-Ray to go along with it. I think I will just go with the Sony set up that Sears has had on display for the past few months.
I know that I don't have room for a 42" TV.
Including the TV that we're replacing, we have three that we have managed to find homes for. Also, we'll selling of the entertainment center in order to make room for the new set up.
Also, the cost of adding HD service isn't that much of an upgrade on service on Directv, so...It looks like I'm good to go.
The next thing is of course what will be the first Blu-Ray movie we watch?
I had just bent down to tighten my nuts, and there was a double yellow line, see? And next thing I knew, there was policeman behind me. He put a sticker on my helmet and tried to clamp me.
Originally posted by MisterHendersonThe next thing is of course what will be the first Blu-Ray movie we watch?
Don't make it a movie per se, make it the BBC Documentary Planet Earth.
Even if you caught it (or parts of it) on TV, you haven't really seen it until you've seen it in HD. I know the Earth is a beautiful and miraculous place, but this takes it to a whole new, tears-in-the-eyes level.
(And the ultra-slo-mo bit of a great white shark leaping clear out of the ocean to grab a seal is one of the most astounding things you will ever see.)
Originally posted by MisterHendersonThe next thing is of course what will be the first Blu-Ray movie we watch?
No matter how many Blu-Ray movies I buy or rent, no matter how many Playstation3 games I play, no matter how many different high definition TV sets or projectors I see or buy, nothing ever comes even REMOTELY close to the awe I feel when I watch Pirates of the Caribbean 3 on Blu-Ray when I catch it playing on a 1080p TV in a Circuit City or Best Buy. It is absolutely mesmerizing. You actually might not like it because the picture is TOO lifelike and realistic.
The remastered Fifth Element blu-ray is pretty sweet too.
Another vote from me on the Planet Earth blu-ray.
(edited by Zeruel on 14.11.08 2313)
-- 2006 Time magazine Person of the Year --
"...Oh, the band is out on the field!! He's gonna go into the end zone! He's gone into the end zone!! -- Joe Starkey -- November 20, 1982 -- The Play --
Pity they didn't mention that "Batman" is the exception rather than the rule in popular comics lately. In the name of "realism," most comics now are two people talking about coffee for 22 pages.