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[COCKLES]

I read so many confusing bollocks about HDTV on these forums.

Answer me these simple questions.

1. What connectors MUST a HDTV have to make it HDTV / 360 ready?

2. Assuming these TV's work they same way as monitors. Should the 'native' resolution for the monitor be 1280 x 720 for the perfect crisp image for 720 dpi - every PC monitor I've used looks shit and blurry if you run at anything but the default - I assume it's the same situation for TVs. Does this mean planet crapola for playing original Xbox games? I gotta say when watching HDTVs playing normal digital TV signals (low-def) in the UK in shops, the image quality looks total shit. Grainy and blurred.

3. I see loads of cheapo LCD TV's that tout HDTV ready. But when you check the specs, all I see is composite connections and resolutions of 800x600 or worse. As useless as I suspect?

 

[Rocket9]

Great im even lower than "dummies"

 

[truffleshuffle83]

well component, dvi, or hdmi are required for anything HD

and yes if your watching a regular broadcast it looks terrible on HDTV's, but xbox hooked up to an HD through the component cables looks pretty decent. ps2 on the other hand is jaggieriffic for the most part.

 

[VALIS]

I read so many confusing bollocks about HDTV on these forums.

Answer me these simple questions.

1. What connectors MUST a HDTV have to make it HDTV / 360 ready?

2. Assuming these TV's work they same way as monitors. Should the 'native' resolution for the monitor be 1280 x 720 for the perfect crisp image for 720 dpi - every PC monitor I've used looks shit and blurry if you run at anything but the default - I assume it's the same situation for TVs. Does this mean planet crapola for playing original Xbox games? I gotta say when watching HDTVs playing normal digital TV signals (low-def) in the UK in shops, the image quality looks total shit. Grainy and blurred.

3. I see loads of cheapo LCD TV's that tout HDTV ready. But when you check the specs, all I see is composite connections and resolutions of 800x600 or worse. As useless as I suspect?

1. Component or HDMI or DVI. But every HDTV has one or more of those, so there's nothing to worry about.

2. Someone else could probably answer that better.

3. Yes. They're budget TV's for people who want something close to HDTV but don't want to spend for it. They're fine if you're only going to watch standard def stuff.

 

[Shogmaster]

and yes if your watching a regular broadcast it looks terrible on HDTV's

Not if you have a CRT one. They look quite decent on those.

 

[VALIS]

and yes if your watching a regular broadcast it looks terrible on HDTV's

Not true at all. The non-HD channels on my digital cable look fantastic on my HD set. There are a few different factors on whether you get a good SD picture or a lousy one.

 

[truffleshuffle83]

:lol

Not if you have a CRT one. They look quite decent on those.

after watching HD broadcasts, anything non-Hd on any TV looks pretty terrible

 

[Nerevar]

I read so many confusing bollocks about HDTV on these forums.

Answer me these simple questions.

1. What connectors MUST a HDTV have to make it HDTV / 360 ready?

Either component (the 5-pronged cables with RGB for picture and left/right audio channel wires), VGA, DVI or HDMI can all carry an HD signal. Keep in mind that HD movies on either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray will require you to have either a DVI with HDCP copyright protection or an HDMI port due to DRM issues.

2. Assuming these TV's work they same way as monitors. Should the 'native' resolution for the monitor be 1280 x 720 for the perfect crisp image for 720 dpi - every PC monitor I've used looks shit and blurry if you run at anything but the default - I assume it's the same situation for TVs. Does this mean planet crapola for playing original Xbox games? I gotta say when watching HDTVs playing normal digital TV signals (low-def) in the UK in shops, the image quality looks total shit. Grainy and blurred.

Most HDTVs have much better internal scalers than your average PC monitor, and manage to look pretty good. However, keep in mind that in general you will get a better picture running at your native resolution (or downsampling from a higher resolution). A few xbox games look good on my HDTV but most of my PS2 games look like crap. So yeah, older games will often look like garbage on it, but not quite as bad as running your PC 20" LCD monitor at 640x480.

3. I see loads of cheapo LCD TV's that tout HDTV ready. But when you check the specs, all I see is composite connections and resolutions of 800x600 or worse. As useless as I suspect?

I didn't think it was legal to market it as even being HD-ready if it can't display full 1280x720 image. Make sure if you buy a digital set it supports the full resolution of at least a 720p image. I thought they had to market those as "EDTVs", or "enhanced definition", by the way?

 

[Shogmaster]

:lol
after watching HD broadcasts, anything non-Hd on any TV looks pretty terrible

Now you are being an idiot. I didn't say SD broadcast on CRT HDTVs will look as good as HD broadcasts. I'm saying CRT HDTVs will make SD broadcasts as good as they do on SD sets.

 

[COCKLES]

Thanks guys.

 

[truffleshuffle83]

hey to those with hd cable. is there a noticble difference in the picture switching from the component cables to hdmi/dvi??? they provided me with component, but im debating on buy an hdmi cable for it??

 

[VALIS]

hey to those with hd cable. is there a noticble difference in the picture switching from the component cables to hdmi/dvi???

Not necessarily. People will talk about "all digital" and how that makes HDMI or DVI better, but that's in theory and would be under same universal conditions. Your cable box could output on the component a little better than it does on the HDMI for whatever reason. The only way to find out is hook 'em both up.

 

[truffleshuffle83]

sounds like a good plan, but i dont feel like dropping 50 bucks on cables unless its worth it

 

[mrklaw]

A UK slant for you COCKLES.

X360 needs just simple component cables. Most plasma/LCD screens will have those.

For the future - PS3, Bluray, upscaling DVD players, Sky HD - anything with copy protection will use HDMI, so you'll want one of those.

To futureproof yourself the best you can, look for the 'HD Ready' logo. This is set by the European broadcast institute type people, and basically means you're set.

It'll handle 720p and 1080i, both at 50 or 60Hz. Oh, and normal TV too.

The killer is SD (normal) TV. Most LCDs are 1366x768 resolution. SD is a lot less. So it'll have to scale it and deinterlace it. Good TVs do this very well, to the level of a good CRT set.

eg, my philips 30pf9975 is very good at scaling SD content. Newer philips with pixel plus 2 are also very good.

Sony has just released its new LCDs, the S and V-series. They are both similar, but the V-series has quality scaling hardware in it to make your normal TV look good.




Basically thats the difference between the cheaper and more expensive TVs. The Panels can be similar, but the electronics driving them are not.

Current recommendations are (in no particular order)

Panasonic TX500 32" LCD (also 37" PV500 plasma)
Sony V series (range of sizes from 26-42")
JVC DS6 range
Hitachi LD7200

Sharp and Toshiba are both due new models in the next month or so.

 

[COCKLES]

A UK slant for you COCKLES.

X360 needs just simple component cables. Most plasma/LCD screens will have those.

For the future - PS3, Bluray, upscaling DVD players, Sky HD - anything with copy protection will use HDMI, so you'll want one of those.

To futureproof yourself the best you can, look for the 'HD Ready' logo. This is set by the European broadcast institute type people, and basically means you're set.

It'll handle 720p and 1080i, both at 50 or 60Hz. Oh, and normal TV too.

The killer is SD (normal) TV. Most LCDs are 1366x768 resolution. SD is a lot less. So it'll have to scale it and deinterlace it. Good TVs do this very well, to the level of a good CRT set.

eg, my philips 30pf9975 is very good at scaling SD content. Newer philips with pixel plus 2 are also very good.

Sony has just released its new LCDs, the S and V-series. They are both similar, but the V-series has quality scaling hardware in it to make your normal TV look good.




Basically thats the difference between the cheaper and more expensive TVs. The Panels can be similar, but the electronics driving them are not.

Current recommendations are (in no particular order)

Panasonic TX500 32" LCD (also 37" PV500 plasma)
Sony V series (range of sizes from 26-42")
JVC DS6 range
Hitachi LD7200

Sharp and Toshiba are both due new models in the next month or so.

Cheers. I'm not really bothered about the screen size. Anything 24" upwards will do me. Just as long as it gives a crisp image.

What you make of t his one:-

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/s...l+televisions&categoryId=29030&clickfrom=name

 

[SHOCKIE]

Is this tv any good for 360 gaming?
http://www.digitalempireonline.co.uk/default.asp?Detail=Yes&ModelID=11

 

[AB 101]

Not if you have a CRT one. They look quite decent on those.

Listen to Shog.

He is a CRT whore.

To bad there are none bigger than 34".

 

[Ecrofirt]

What is HDCP?

And why is it required for Blu Ray/HD-DVD?

 

[human5892]

Yeah, if you're going to still be watching a lot of SD content on your HDTV, you should at least consider a CRT. They may be big and unwieldy and on the pricey side, but it's the best way to get faithful SD content while also enjoying HD.

 

[Nerevar]

What is HDCP?

And why is it required for Blu Ray/HD-DVD?

HDCP is a copy protection scheme for digital connections. Movie studios don't want their movies to be pirated, so they will force all high def movies (720p +) to be sent over copy protected channels (i.e. digital connections protected by HDCP - so no component video / VGA connections). All HDMI connections have them, and most TVs that still have DVI connections also have them as well. Just make sure that a TV has it if you want to watch high definition movies.

 

[Ecrofirt]

HDCP is a copy protection scheme for digital connections. Movie studios don't want their movies to be pirated, so they will force all high def movies (720p +) to be sent over copy protected channels (i.e. digital connections protected by HDCP - so no component video / VGA connections). All HDMI connections have them, and most TVs that still have DVI connections also have them as well. Just make sure that a TV has it if you want to watch high definition movies.

But I don't get how this is copy-protected. How does that work?

 

[truffleshuffle83]

Yeah, if you're going to still be watching a lot of SD content on your HDTV, you should at least consider a CRT. They may be big and unwieldy and on the pricey side, but it's the best way to get faithful SD content while also enjoying HD.

the Federal Communications Commission is requiring all United States over-the-air television stations to make a full transition to digital by December 31, 2006. there is no point in buying a HD crt
1. they are heavy.
2. they are expensive

yes their SD picture looks better, and to an extent out of the box the HD content looks better too. but are you gonna buy a new tv after all cable channels switch to digital??

 

[Ecrofirt]

the Federal Communications Commission is requiring all United States over-the-air television stations to make a full transition to digital by December 31, 2006. there is no point in buying a HD crt
1. they are heavy.
2. they are expensive

yes their SD picture looks better, and to an extent out of the box the HD content looks better too. but are you gonna buy a new tv after all cable channels switch to digital??

I don't understand. Are you saying the CRTs won't be able to decode the digital signal? I was planning on buying one of the Sony HD CRTs later this year.

 

[vatstep]

SD looks like crap on my CRT HDTV, but that's mostly the fault of my Motorola box and its' AWFUL standard def tuner. If you're serious about watching SD stuff on an HDTV, it's honestly best to just connect straight from the wall to the RF input. Watch HD and digital stuff through component, and basic stuff through RF.

And I can tell the difference between component and DVI, even on my little TV. It's not huge, but DVI/HDMI definitely gives menus, overlays and such a much cleaner appearance. If I could back, I probably wouldn't spend too much on making the switch. I just did it to free up my other component jacks.

I don't understand. Are you saying the CRTs won't be able to decode the digital signal? I was planning on buying one of the Sony HD CRTs later this year.

It doesn't make a difference if you'll be using a cable box like 99% of humanity.