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Analog or Digital -- Please Help (1 Viewer)

Tomas.M

Auditioning
Joined
Jun 26, 2002
Messages
6
I'm looking to buy a 36" direct view. Sony, Tohsiba, JVC analog flat screens all come in at about $1200. I'm also looking at an RCA 36" flat screen HDTV that I saw at Costco. Same price. The problem is, there's no way to compare these sets because each looks different in every store, from great to horrid depending how they're set up and/or adjusted.

So I figure they're all pretty comparable, but I really won't know until I bring it home and set it up. But I'd like to know one thing. Do HDTV sets do an inherently better job on analog signals? The RCA supposedly upconverts everything to 480p. Most of my watching will be AT&T digital cable with DVD's on weekends. I've heard that HDTV's can actually make analog look worse because they amplify what is esentially a crappy signal. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? For regular cable viewing and some DVD is there any advantage to HDTV? Thanks.
 

Jack Briggs

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 3, 1999
Messages
16,805
For DVD, yes, definitely. A prog-scan image looks more filmlike.

As for standard analog sources, it depends on the individual television. Some HD-ready sets amplify all the flaws in standard and "digital" cable signals while others handle them better.

At this stage in the game, with prices being what they are, it makes little sense, in my opinion, to buy an NTSC-only set if you're spending more than a thousand big ones.
 

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