HDTV Ready RPTV Set Basic Questions (1 Viewer)

[DaleI]

In the market for an HD-ready RPTV I have come across the following tips/info and have the following questions:


1) What's the difference between a set having "DVI Input" and being "DVI Ready"?

2) I should Make sure the set has line doublers

3) Are anti-glare screens a must if you don't have children?
I find them too reflective in the stores.

4) Make sure it can display both 1080i and 720p

5) It must have two wideband component video inputs

6) First-Surface mirrors are best (whatever they are).

7) The set should have anamorphic picture mode

8) 2:3 Pulldown is important

9) Make sure it has either a DVI or IEEE 1394 digital connection (Hollywood is leaning toward DVI). Do sets have both?


I could have posted 8 different questions, but I thought this was the best way to discover if my research on these forums have paid off. Thanks- Dale

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Hi Dale. I'm going to move this post over to the "Display Devices" fourm where the HDTV experts will have a chance at it. Since you are asking questions about these, the basics area may not be the right place to get good responses.

I would suggest you look for some of these features as well. None are worth making a buy/dont-buy decision, but give a extra point or two to a model that has these:

- Does the TV have separate adjustments for each input?

- Do the settings have numerical values that you can write down prior to fiddling with them so you can reset them?

- Does the TV have a "jump-to-this-input" setting on the remote. Some TV's make you scroll through Input 1 ->Input 2 -> Input 3, and this makes it hard for a programmable remote to control things.

- How big are the CRT lenses? The high-end units use 9 inch CRT's. The more modest units use ... 6 inch?? The closer to 9 inch you can get, the better.


Others can jump in to answer your other questions.

 

[Robert_J]

I'll answer a few:
1. Don't know the difference.
2. I think most HD sets have line doublers.
3. The delivery guys removed mine right after they got it in the door. Way too many reflections.
4. That's a tough one. Most HD sets only display 1080i, most HD is in 1080i (except ABC) and most STBs only output 1080i. 720p will be converted to 1080i by the STB.
5. Varies by model.
6. Your mirror in your bathroom is not a first surface mirror. That means the reflective surface is behind the glass. First surface mirrors have the reflective surface on the front. There is no distortion from the light passing through the glass.
7. As far as I know, this only applies to 4x3 sets.
8. I'm sure most have this feature. Check the specs.
9. I don't think any have both. Mitsubishi has IEEE 1394 and everyone else has DVI.

-Robert

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I'd add the following:
4. ESPN announced they will do 720p, IIRC. This seems to be the favorite format for fast action sports programming. OTOH, extremely few CRT-based RPTVs can do 720p natively. If native 720p is a must, then try the fixed-pixel displays. However, that will compromise other resolutions instead.
6. Also, if I understand it correctly, the mirror's for reflecting the image from the CRT guns to/through the screen. So that IS important. Nevertheless, in the end, you mostly care about quality of the final result, so it might be pointless to look for "First Surface Mirror" as a feature. Generally, the mention of the feature is more a marketing ploy than anything even though it's not a lame feature like SVM.
9. I believe a handful of upcoming RPTVs announced at CES last weekend will have both. But yes, it's rare. From the sound of it right now, it seems DVI/HDCP (not just DVI) will be a must if you want full HD compatibility in the future. Firewire might only be needed between STB and recording devices. There is still the chance that component HD will continue to be fully supported until most existing non-DVI/Firewire TVs are dead, but that chance does look slimmer by the day...
_Man_

 

[Mike Hamilton]

A first surface mirror is the reflective coating only, on top of glass, without glass then again on top of that surface (hence: First Surface).
This eliminates the chance for mis-focus (due to the depth of the glass and the respective beam passing through the glass at an angle in the far corners), additive reflections from the glass on top of the reflective coating, and light loss when battling back through the glass from the reflective surface buried below.

Other mirror types used in lesser cost sets are the above (glass coated from behind like a vanity mirror) and reflective Mylar, which is seldom flat and can flex with the cabinet (not likely, but the opportunity exists).