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The Complex World Of HD TV And Ensuing Confusion

April 22nd, 2007

Regular readers might know I’m up on technology in some regards but hopelessly behind in others. Well, one area where I’ve been in the dark for the past few years is HD television (flat panels, plasma – whatever it’s called this week). We still have an old 19 inch AIWA tube TV, with a VCR built in. Its only inputs are the yellow, red, and white connectors, so yeah… it’s pretty behind the times.

Part of the reason why I’ve suddenly become interested in getting a new television is the Apple TV. It only supports component video and HDMI. My current, aged television supports neither. So the prospect of cool technology from Apple is inspiring me to rethink our television set up – the home entertainment center. We do have a decent surround sound set up, so a bigger television has been a last piece I’ve wanted to get. Lastly, prices for flat panel televisions are finally plummeting into affordability.

So what this meant was a pilgrimage to Best Buy, to be greeted by the mind-blowing experience of televisions as large as dinner tables. My initial reaction:

To me, a television feels too large, if:

  • I question its ability to fit through the door.
  • It will take several grown men to deliver it.
  • I have to buy a special, expensive stand specifically designed to hold the television.
  • I would have to sit more than six feet away in order view the whole screen.
  • When someone walks into the room, the first thing they say is “Wow, that’s a big television.”

The odd thing about a really huge television is average picture quality looks blurry. It seems HD digital cable is required to make the picture quality worthwhile. DVDs will likely have to be upgraded to HD-DVD (or whatever it’s called this week). Compressed video (all those ripped DVDs) will surely look like complete crap. Otherwise, the low-tech option is to rearrange the living room furniture so you’re sitting at least six feet away. Somehow, that doesn’t make much sense. Couldn’t I just get a smaller television and sit closer?

I then picked up an audiophile magazine and found an article devoted to the obsessive nature of cables, trying to explain why gold-plated ones are worth the money. There’s a wide range of high-quality connectors and wires to hook your electronic dinner-table to the various media that render it useful. Nowadays, it’s only S-Video, Component Video, or HDMI. HDMI looks like a rectangle and is used on many Macs. Component video is on our DVD. I have no idea which is better, and am a bit afraid to find out. Still, it’s all important as we have the pre-existing surround-sound set up. I’m loathe to buy a new television and have all the stuff I previously invested in previously not work – even if I bought it all several years ago, and according to the unwritten law of consumer electronics, they’re obsolete.

So this is yet another reason why I’m a little leery of a huge television. If I drop thousands of clams on a big TV that takes several grown men to deliver and set up, will the expense of solid titanium cables suddenly seem like no big deal? And after that, the expense of “upgrading” all my DVDs to HD-DVD (or whatever it’s called this week) not seem like that big a deal either? And what about my 5.1 surround sound system? Will I then have to replace all my equiptment with 8.1 (or whatever it’s called this week). Does it ever end? According to the unwritten law of consumer electronics, no.

(I knew this would happen when I began buying all the AFI 100 films on DVD. As soon as that obsession neared completion, along would come a “better” format.)

Anyhow, the more I do casual research into televisions, the prospect of home entertainment morphs into a complex hobby along the lines of classic car refurbishing or needlepoint. All hobbies seem to have an upward slope of obsession and eventually expense. You can get a cheap aquarium that’s essentially a bowl with a plastic plant. But if you really want the best, you can go totally crazy with aerators, motors, lamps, organic goldfish pellets, until you seriously consider installing a wall-unit alcove with a motion-detecting webcam automatic fish massaging apparatus. You think I jest, but did you know there’s an international network of bottle cap traders?

I’m just a bit hesitant to let home entertainment to get to that level of complexity. I have enough trouble agreeing with my wife on what DVD to rent.

So after all this round-about over-justification, I think we’re just going to get this Samsung 23″. Sure, this size television may be what the techno-elite are installing in their bathrooms or for the kid, but one big advantage of being out of the loop for several years: the cheap stuff is still impressive. Yeah, I’m easy.

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  • I'm in the same boat as you - but leaning the opposite way. I think I'm going to get a huge television - only because i'm obsessed with movies and want the most theater-like experience in my living room.

    I too have been worried about things like DVD upgrades and ripped DVD quality on the new HD set, but the new Handbrake seems to run a lot faster (at least for me) with ripping to h.264 so that significantly cuts quality video sizes. For DVD I'll probably need to get an upconvert DVD player - I heard they work really well.

    Also for your HDMI vs Component debate- if available always go with HDMI. Everything is there in one cable, full 1080p hi-def video and audio. Component I believe can go to 1080 (not sure if p or i) but I've yet to see anyone using it for that.
  • Yeah I can really see the geek aspect of it being appealing. Just the more I think about it, I'm a little intimidated to go there at present!

    Good tip about the DVD ripping in the new version of handbrake. I should try that out and see what stuff looks like in H.264.
  • I got a 56" 1080p Samsung HD over the xmas holidays. Came with an upconverting DVD player.

    The biggest consideration for size is your viewing distances when seated. I should have gone for max 48" because of the size of that room.

    I rip DVDs with DVD Decrypter + DVD Shrink (old school) and they all look fine (I usually got for ripping out all of the extras + non-english audio tracks to have minimum impact on video quality).

    Watching XViD is a little wonky when it comes to action sequences.

    Normal analog cable signals are unwatchable because of noise and distortion.
  • Good tips, eng. I'm now considering a Samsung 32" TV that's a thousand bucks at Costco. It never ends.

    The room we're thinking of using is obviously set up for the tiny 19" television, so the seats are pretty close. If we stick a bigger TV in the living room it may work better, but that would entail rearranging the surround sound setup (ugh).

    Maybe this first HD tv we get will be the "second tv" and someday when the HD DVD format thing is worked out (and all the equiptment that entails) gets cheaper, I'll take the plunge.
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