Choosing an HDTV and Entertainment System

In an earlier article we discussed how TV is changing. High definition is not coming; it is here! with clear, realistic picture and full, rich sound. As of the winter of 2007 – 2008, 25% of American households own at least one HD TV. Prices have dropped radically, and the variety of models and sizes is impressive. Many people are poised to purchase their first HD set, while others who already have one HD set, are now ready to upgrade their other televisions. With the huge variety of models available, it may be daunting to find the right set. I hope this guide may provide some assistance.

Size

When helping a customer choose a new TV, our salesmen focus first on size. HD TV buyers should be aware that virtually all new TVs are wide-screen sets. While traditional sets were almost square (4 units wide by 3 units high), new TVs are almost twice as wide as they are tall (16 units wide by 9 units tall). The reduced height in relation to width means smaller image size for the same diagonal measurement. In other words, you probably want to replace an older 20” set with a wide screen 26” TV; an existing 27” unit with a 32” HD TV etc.

Television manufacturers divide their products into 3 broad groups: kitchen TVs (15 – 20”), bedroom TVs (23 – 32”) and TVs for a living or family room (32 – 60”). We can add a final group – dedicated home theaters – with screen sizes up to 120”. To pinpoint the size even further, it makes sense to base the decision on viewing distance. Details and text should be easily discernible. Our rule of thumb is

Viewing distance                Screen size

< 6 ft.				15”

7 to 8 ft.			19 to 26”

8 to 10 ft.			32”

10 to 11 ft.			37” to 42”

>11 ft. 			50” or larger.

Although many people tell us they don’t want the TV to dominate the room, bigger is often better when it comes to seeing clearly, reading text and enjoying a sense of immersion in a movie, sporting event or nature film. Also, since new flat screen TVs can hang on a wall, they need not dominate the furnishings as they did before. There are several systems on the market for hiding the set completely if so desired.

Technology and Picture Quality

There are a number of HD TV technologies on the market and others just around the corner. In addition to flat panel sets such as LCD (liquid crystal display) and plasma, a number of different rear projection models are offered, and front projectors have also become affordable. In rear projection, DLP (digital light processing) and LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) provide a top-notch picture at a relatively low price. However, the price drop in flat panel sets is pushing rear projection out of the market.

The two dominating flat panel technologies are LCD (sets from 15 – 65”) and plasma (42 – 65”). Although the technologies are completely different in the way they produce a picture, they are very similar in terms of picture quality, projected life spans and repair records. Whether you choose plasma or LCD, you can have full confidence in many years of trouble-free operation.

Some people prefer plasma due to its undiminished brightness from any viewing angle, good contrast and color reproduction and lack of motion artifacts. However, many new LCD sets are generally as good as plasma in these areas. One way of deciding between plasma and LCD has been that most LCD sets have non-reflective screens making them preferable in very bright rooms. But again, you need to look at the specific TV model: some new plasma sets have non-reflective screens, while some LCDs have shiny screens that are susceptible to glare.

Resolution is the main reason why HDTV looks so much better than standard television. On a high-def TV displaying a high-def source, a million or more pixels combine to create images that appear sharper and more realistic than TV ever has before. Resolution isn’t the be-all and end-all of picture quality, however, and its numerous, well, numbers, can be incredibly intimidating at first. In this article we’ll try to demystify HDTV resolution and help you cut through the hype that surrounds all of those numbers.

How important is resolution?

Not as important as you might think. According to the Imaging Science Foundation, a group that consults for home-theater manufacturers and trains professional video calibrators, the most important aspect of picture quality is contrast ratio, the second most important is color saturation, and the third is color accuracy. Resolution comes in a distant fourth, despite being easily the most-talked-about HDTV spec today.

In other words, once you get to high-definition, most people are perfectly satisfied with the sharpness of the picture. All other things being equal–namely contrast and color–HDTV looks more or less spectacular on just about any high-def television regardless of its size or the HDTV signal’s resolution itself. The leap from normal TV to HDTV is so big that additional leaps in resolution–from high-def to higher-def, let’s say–are tiny by comparison.

Today the choice of technology really comes down to a side by side comparison in a store.

Brands

Many of our customers are under the impression that many brands of flat panel TVs actually come from the same factory. This is not the case although there are some joint ventures of which Sony/Samsung is one well-known example, while Panasonic has several deals for buying and producing LCD panels with Hitachi and Toshiba. Panasonic is the largest manufacturer and supplier of plasma panels, while LG produces plasma panels in its own factories and also produces LCD screens in a joint venture with Philips.

There are also hundreds of Chinese factories producing LCD panels, which anyone can buy and incorporate into an HD TV set. However most of these “second tier” brands offer much lower picture quality than a panel from one of the major brands (Sony, Pioneer, Samsung, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, LG, Toshiba, Sharp). The differences are measurable in terms of contrast, clarity, motion smoothness, background noise. The major brands also tend to have a much better repair record.

TV for movie viewing

Everyone has had a true cinema experience in a good movie theater. The lights are dimmed, the screen is big and wide, and the sound is powerful and all encompassing. At a good theater, you sit comfortably and view the movie at an appropriate height. Because of the darkness, there is no ambient light to detract from picture quality, and you are focused solely on the action on the screen.

The surround-sound speakers and amplification system are top-notch, and the room shape and acoustical treatment are optimized to provide the ultimate in sound quality. You hear and understand the dialog, and react to the music and sound effects of the movie. Finally, you are in a separate, sound-treated space, and don’t have to worry about disturbing others.

This experience of total immersion cannot be replicated on a smallish screen with inferior sound in a well-lit room. It can, however, be recreated in your home in a dedicated home theater. The typical dedicated home theater is constructed in a basement space of about 200 to 250 sq. ft., and provides 2 to 10 seats. The picture is projected onto a screen measuring between 90” and 120”, and sound is provided by surround sound speakers which typically are built into the walls. Acoustical treatments are used to optimize the sound and to insure that adjacent rooms aren’t disturbed. The source is a DVD player, cable box or satellite receiver as well as PC connection. The system is run and the lights are dimmed by a single, easy-to-use remote control.

5 years ago a good quality dedicated home theater would cost at least $30 – 40,000. Today we can install a basic system for as little as $8,000.

Although most people will not choose a dedicated home theater, a fairly good quality home entertainment system can be provided in a living or family room for less than $2,000. All you need is a flat panel or rear projection TV (say 40” or larger) and a surround sound system. Remember that TV is not just sports, news and the Sopranos. It is also concerts and performances filmed in high definition and recorded in digital surround sound. An introductory level sound system, which can be obtained for $300 – $1,000, will vastly improve sound quality and dialog intelligibility compared the TVs speakers. And this system can also be used to play your CDs, MP3s, FM and/or satellite radio as well as music from your computer.

Tom Miller
Owner
Nauset TV & Sound

Comments