? about HDTV's (1 Viewer)

[Russell B]

I want this tv for my small bedroom-

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTE...e=tv_hdtv_tube

I'm not getting HD programming for awhile yet but how does non HD programming look on a HDTV compared to an analog set? Is this tv compatible with the current DVD resolution?

thanks in advance

 

[Ryan Wishton]

Russell,

Go to AVSforum.com

Click on AVForum, All Forums.

From there you will see Display devices which is your tv's. The tv you are looking at is a tube, so go to the Direct View (single based tube) Displays section.

They have big threads dedicated to each model, including the one your looking at. You will find out much more there than you will here about tv's.

As you can see, this section of the forum isnt very popular here. Nowhere near the views like the DVD sections, etc.

I am no expert, but think I can answer some of these.

Yes, with this tv and the other current ones in the line, you an take full advantage of the DVD resolution with the proper DVD hookups. It also has HDMI for when compatible players come out. That will give you a digital to digital connetion. But, you may need to use that for HDTV depending on cable company, etc. HDTV off the connection is suppose to be excellent. The Sony tubes are known for pretty much excellent DVD quality. So, you wont really have to worry much about poor DVD quality.

For best performance, you will need to tweak the settings (some have recommended ones).

HDTV's tend to actually make SD (standard cable channels for example) look bad because the source is bad (some really bad), not the tv itself. Plus, the analogue tuner is not as good as on analogue tv's as HDTV's are made for digital, not analogue. Some tv's do fine with it though.

There is so much to know about tv's that I started becoming dizzy after going through some forums dedicated to them.

Also, if you go up one level in your selection, those come with built in HDTV tuners, so you wouldnt need to wait (cable or no cable) in your area as long as you were in distance of the stations.

Also, your resolution will go up with the Super fine Pitch Screen. 1400 lines of resolution vs 850. But, depending on your view, sight, personal opinion, etc., you might not notice or not care if your not a videophile. Your looked at tv is suppose to be excellent for both HDTV and DVD's as is anyways.

 

[Mark:F]

Another neverending argument.....why not get the 30" or 34" HS420 which are 16:9 widescreens?....your DVDs will fill the screen, no bars vs the 32" 4:3 which will have bars on top and bottom....however, standard TV signals will fill the 4:3 32" set while the 16:9 sets will have bars on the sides....but then you can zoom the pic to fill the screen...future wise, if you get HDTV you'll want a 16:9 set...good luck!

 

[Russell B]

On a 30" widescreen, how big is the 4:3 picture without zooming, is it much less than a 27" tv?
Don't you still get black bars on a widescreen tv just not as much?

 

[Ryan Wishton]

Widescreen TV:

1:85:1 movies should have no lines period. I would say many DVD's are this aspect ratio.

2:35:1 movies will still have widescreen lines, but they will be much smaller than that of a 4:3 tv where they take up most of the screen.

There is an option to fill up the screen on those with some resolution loss though.

They have the aspects listed on the back of the DVD's.

I believe Widescreen tv's are perfect if the majority of use will be for DVD's/HDTV/and future videogaming (next gen systems). It also provides more cinematic experience as well IMO.

If the majority use for you is standard channels still, then you might be happier with a 4:3. Keep in mind, the 4:3 tv will be eventually outdated all together once HDTV comes full force. But, if you dont plan on keeping the tv for over 5+ years, it wont really matter.

If you plan on keeping and using the same tv for 10-20-30 years, you will be really annoyed by 4:3 once everything starts being shown in widescreen in 5-10 years by HDTV.

Standard channels unstretched on a 30 in tv will give you a 24in picture with either black or grey (depending on brand) bars on the sides.

A few tv's have very good stretching modes though where you might not even be able to tell the difference after a few days. I saw one Sony (a higher end one) in Circuit City where the stretching didnt look bad at all. It was actually quite good.

You just have to research and check out the tv's for yourself.

Also, a tv in a store may have a picture you dont like, but that doesnt mean the tv is bad. It could be on poor settings or being feed a crappy line. You still have to tweak and calabrate for the best performance as well.

Many stores will let you play with the tv's.

Always best to try the tv out for yourself at home first. Although, for tube tv's it's not exactly easy carrying them back to the store or mailing them as they weigh 150-200 pounds.

 

[Ryan Wishton]

Also,

This is a transition period. IMO, it's not a wise time to spend huge amounts of money on tv's, especially if you dont have money to spend.

We dont know how better they will get, if a new type of better connection will be added in the future, etc., before they are total mainstream.

Some who bought the very first Plasmas for thousands and thousands for example are kicking themselves, because in ways, they are already outdated. No DVI, No HDMI, not so great anymore resolution, etc.

One guy at that forum bought one for $12,000 and does nothing but complain now.

Not to mention prices will come down a lot in years to come.