Q: What size screen do I
need for home theater?
A: It depends on how big your room
is, and how far you plan to sit from the screen. Sitting
too far away from a medium-sized screen will reduce
the impact and immediacy of the viewing experience.
On the other hand, if you're too close to a large screen,
you may be distracted by the screen's "structure" — horizontal
scan lines and pixels.
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Q: What about viewing height?
Does that matter?
A: For optimum viewing, your eyes
should be level with the middle of the screen when
you're seated in your normal viewing position. This
is especially important for a "big-screen" rear-projection
TV since its picture will look its brightest at this
level. The cabinets of larger rear-projection TVs are
designed to position the screen at the optimum height.
For direct-view TVs (and tabletop rear-projection models)
there are a wide selection of TV stands to support
your TV and raise it to the correct viewing height.
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Q: I just got a DVD player.
What should I look for in a TV to maximize DVD viewing?
A: DVD is the highest-quality signal
source for a standard (analog) TV. It deserves to be
paired with the best-quality TV you can afford. TVs
with flat screens are good choices, whether it's a
TV with a flat-faced picture tube (like Sony Wega models),
or a "fixed-pixel" design based on plasma,
LCD, or DLP technology. Flat screens provide better
geometric accuracy, while reducing glare from reflected
room lights.
One way to ensure that you get the best-quality picture is
to use the best-quality video connection available. Nearly
all current DVD players and most mid- and high-quality TVs
include three types of direct video connections: composite
video is good, S-video is better, and component video is the
best.
Another thing to consider is that while most movies on videocassette
have been re-formatted for viewing on a TV screen with the
squarish 4:3 aspect ratio, DVD movies are much more likely
to be in a widescreen format. So, if a widescreen TV doesn't
make sense for you at this time because your non-DVD viewing
is mostly 4:3 material, you may want to consider a 4:3 TV that
has some type of widescreen viewing mode that presents anamorphic
widescreen DVDs at their full resolution in a 16:9-shaped window.
If your new DVD player is a progressive-scan model, you'll
need an HDTV or HDTV-ready TV to take full advantage of its
progressive-scan mode. Viewed on an HD-capable TV, progressive-scan
DVD provides stunning picture quality — it's the next
best thing to HDTV!
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Q: What is the difference between
a TV that is labeled "HDTV" and one that is "HDTV-ready"?
A: The Consumer Electronics Association
defines an HDTV as having a built-in HDTV
tuner, a screen with the wide 16:9 aspect ratio,
and the ability to display at least 720-line resolution
images. It must also include built-in decoding for
multichannel Dolby® Digital, which is the audio
standard for HDTV broadcasts.
An HDTV-ready TV is not capable of receiving digital TV broadcasts
on its own and must be connected to a separate HDTV tuner to
view digital broadcasts (most HDTV-ready TVs do include a regular
NTSC tuner for receiving analog broadcasts). HDTV-ready TVs
can have either a 4:3 or 16:9 screen, however they
must be able to display at least a 720-line 16:9 image (models
with 4:3 screens may display the image in a 16:9 "window").
There is still some confusion in the industry, and you may
see TVs referred to as HDTV which are really only HDTV-ready,
so be alert to the differences. TV's without a built-in HDTV tuner must now be referred to as a "monitor".
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Q: What about the
18 different digital television formats.
A: When we talk about DTV's 18 different
formats, it's important be clear on the difference
between receiving these formats and displaying them.
Receiving them is the job of the HDTV tuner (whether
the tuner is built in, as with an HDTV set, or in
a separate set-top box, like you'd use with an HDTV-ready
TV).
But to build a picture tube that can switch automatically among
18 formats and display them all would be extremely expensive.
And fixed-pixel displays like plasma and LCD
TVs have to process incoming signals so that they match the
panel's resolution. As a result, most manufacturers are building
HDTV sets and HDTV-ready TVs that display one or two signal
types, called the "native display" formats. The TVs
can receive most or all of the 18 signal types. But those signals
are electronically converted inside the set to one of the TV's
native-display formats.
Currently, most manufacturers of CRT-type TVs are choosing
1080-line interlaced (1080i) as their high-definition native-display
rate. These TVs usually also have 480p as a native rate, for
compatibility with progressive-scan DVD, and with digital SDTV
signals. The most popular display rate for HD-capable flat-panel
plasma and LCD TVs is 768-line progressive (768p). This is
very close to the 720p HDTV standard, and in our experience,
both 1080i and 720p programs look extraordinary on these flat-panel
TVs.
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Q: What does a comb filter do?
A: A comb filter removes residual
chrominance (color) information from the luminance
(brightness) signal. Comb filtering helps to stabilize
and sharpen the video image. It enhances fine detail,
cleans up image outlines, and reduces color bleeding.
A comb filter will improve the picture quality of your broadcast
signal sources, as well as the signals of any video source
components connected to your TV's composite video inputs. Video
sources connected to your TV's S-video or component video jacks
bypass the TV's comb filter, since those connections carry
the chrominance and luminance information separately.
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Q: Do I need a stereo TV to
get surround sound on TV broadcasts?
A: Actually no. Even an old black-and-white
TV can do the job as long as you have a HiFi VCR
with MTS stereo TV reception (the VCR's audio signal
is routed to your home theater receiver and speakers).
If you have cable TV, check to be sure that your
cable provider passes the stereo signal through
its system.
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Q: How do LCD and plasma TVs
work, and how do I determine which type is right for me?
A: If you're interested in a more
space-efficient design, definitely check out our
selection of flat-panel TVs. These models are based
on LCD or plasma technology, and combine super-thin
panel depth with light weight, and sharp, vivid picture
quality. Neither LCD nor plasma TVs require the scanning
electron gun found in conventional tube-type TVs,
which results in unmatched versatility in placement
and use.
An LCD TV is sometimes referred to as a "transmissive" display — light
isn't created by the liquid crystals themselves; a light source
(bulb) behind the panel shines light through the display. The
display consists of two polarizing transparent panels and a
liquid crystal solution sandwiched in between. An electric
current passed through the liquid causes the crystals to align
so that light cannot pass through them. Each crystal acts like
a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking
the light. The pattern of transparent and dark crystals forms
the image.
Because of the way an LCD panel forms an image, you never have
to worry about image burn-in — great news for video game
fans. LCD TVs are extremely energy-efficient, typically consuming
60% less power than comparably-sized tube-type direct-view
TVs!
A plasma TV is sometimes called an "emissive" display — the
panel is actually self-lighting. The display consists of two
transparent glass panels with a thin layer of pixels sandwiched
in between. Each pixel is composed of three gas-filled cells
or sub-pixels (one each for red, green and blue). A grid of
tiny electrodes applies an electric current to the individual
cells, causing the gas in the cells to ionize. This ionized
gas (plasma) emits high-frequency UV rays which stimulate the
cells' phosphors, causing them to glow.
Because a plasma panel is illuminated at the sub-pixel level,
plasma images can be incredibly accurate and precise. And the
panel's light output is both high (often higher than CRT TVs!)
and consistent across the entire screen area. Plasma TVs also
provide very wide horizontal and vertical viewing angles, especially
when compared to conventional rear-projection TVs. Picture
quality looks sharp and bright from virtually anywhere in the
room. Because plasma TV screens do have a phosphor coating,
the potential for image burn-in exists, so it's important to
follow the manufacturer's recommendations on day-to-day use.
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Q:Why can't all TVs
with picture-in-picture actually let you watch two stations
at once.
A: TV manufacturers take two basic
approaches to picture-in-picture (PIP). With 1-tuner
PIP, the TV has one built-in tuner, so you'll need
to connect a VCR or other tuner source if you want
to watch two different TV broadcasts at once. Actually,
with 1-tuner PIP, you can enjoy picture-in-picture
with the addition of another video source like a
laserdisc player or camcorder — what you'll
be watching is one pre-recorded program and one TV
broadcast.
A TV with 2-tuner PIP has two built-in tuners, allowing you
to watch two different TV broadcasts simultaneously using only
the TV.
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