jagangjee Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 Went into my local Best Buy yesterday to look at the 50 inch Pioneer. I am looking at getting the 43 inch version, and I love the looks of the TV. Picture is perfect and it has everything I am interested in, except DVI. The salesman recommended that I seriously consider the Panny ED which is much, much less. Picture wise, both looked great, but I thought that HD was always better than ED? Am I missing something, all I know is the difference in pixel count. Is ED just as good as HD, and why would he try to sell me a much less expensive version that what I am looking to spend? So I guess my questions are, what are the main differences and which once is better? I was set on HD for a long term investment but now I am having second thoughts? Any help would be greatly apprecitated? Thanks! jag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STL Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 ED means max resolution of 480p (DVD quality). HD means max resolution of 720p or 1080i. Yes there is a big difference... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 A salesman will try to sell you whatever he thinks he can make the most money on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagangjee Posted August 1, 2003 Author Share Posted August 1, 2003 So go with the HD and not the ED, considering that in the next few years many things will be in 720p or 1080i? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 It's my understanding that very few HD monitors are capable of displaying 1080 lines - most have a max line count less than that. Is that true? DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 I don't think so...since true HD is 1080i I believe...afterall, by 2007 all networks will be required to broadcast in 1080i. And YES, there is an incredible difference between progressive scan DVD and 1080i HD. It's simply surreal, how real it is, if that makes any sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STL Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 ---------------- On 8/1/2003 11:55:38 AM Malcolm wrote: A salesman will try to sell you whatever he thinks he can make the most money on. ---------------- For that very reason, I rarely believe anything a salesmen tell me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STL Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 ---------------- On 8/1/2003 1:51:19 PM dougdrake wrote: It's my understanding that very few HD monitors are capable of displaying 1080 lines - most have a max line count less than that. Is that true? DD ---------------- Note really. All HDTVs that say they display 1080i do in fact display 1080 horizontal lines. But what most people don't realize is that 1080i is really 1080 (horz. lines) x 1920 (vertical lines) -- note that matches the 16:9 ratio. Most sets can only produce about 1200-1500 VERTICAL lines...unless you are spending 5 figures. Don't let that keep anyone from buying an HDTV set though! Even in their current from, they look AWESOME. Furthermore, I'm not sure many professional-quality video cameras can really create 1900 vertical lines -- so the source might not totally up to spec either (which would make the point moot). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 ---------------- On 8/1/2003 2:37:14 PM STL wrote: For that very reason, I rarely believe anything a salesmen tell me... ---------------- Eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STL Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 ---------------- On 8/1/2003 3:26:14 PM nicholtl wrote: Eh? ---------------- I just fixed that msg to make it clear what I was saying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 I've been waiting for time, technology, money, and prices to converge so that I can buy a big set. In the mean time I occassionally buy Sound and Vision. It is a good learning experience. One thing is that all sets seem to have a native mode. Some as low as ED. Only a few projectors get to displaying in full 1080 x 1940. Even there, the analog output is not getting to full 1940 horizontal lines. Those are CRT units. I guess they just can't make the resolution. The only set I've read about actually producing 1940 horizontal lines is the big flagship Toshiba using three Liquid Crystal on Silicone chips to form the image. Since it is a matrix rather than a CRT, it runs 1080 x 1940 "p" meaning no interlacing or "i". Other manufacturerers are coming on line with this in the coming months. I read Sony is. And naturally prices will come down. In any event, when a set is visually putting out, say EDTV visually, the manufacturer will say it accepts full 1080 of horizontal line input or 720. That is true but the set has to dumb it down to the native mode. It is worth pointing out that many sets will take a DVD signal which is 480 x 640 and then upvert it to the native mode. There is a lot of interpolation necessary in all these converstions and it can show up as artifacts. So even if the picture looks very good and there is a statement of 1080 or 720, you might not be actually getting that picture quality. It may pay to look for native mode. There are alot of other issues, naturally. Some has to do with how much you can align the CRT RPTVs. The special inputs, etc. That is what I've learned. Knowledge doesn't seem to make the decision making process any easier. However, I've learned there is some near hucksterism out there. This is not particularly my area of expertise and perhaps someone can correct me on the above. Best, Gil I'm still watching my Envisions 8500 LCD and liking it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 ---------------- On 8/1/2003 8:17:51 PM William F. Gil McDermott wrote: That is what I've learned. Knowledge doesn't seem to make the decision making process any easier. However, I've learned there is some near hucksterism out there. ---------------- I was reading this and that other thread about TVs. It is friggan amazing how complicated just shopping for a TV seems to be now-a-days. It used to be that you just got the biggest one you can afford that would fit in your room from a reputable manufacturer. Now, you have to see what kind of resolutions it can display, what formats (widescreen vs "standard 4:3"), what type of technology you want (RPTV, Plasma, CRT/Direct view, etc), what inputs/outputs it has (Firewire, DVI, component, etc), and so forth. On top of that, the technology and standards seems to be evolving all the time. I guess this is why that I am going to hold out as long as I can before getting a new TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 I certainly did not mean to engender any handwring by buyers. You just have to read the available literature, get knowledgeable, take aim, and don't pull the trigger until you're confident. Smile. Gil In my discussion above I was pretty much pointing out that sources, inputs, and displays are not equivalent and there is up conversions and down conversions. We all have to keep those matters in mind and read the fine print, or insist on the fine print telling us what we're getting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 "Liquid crystal on silicone?" That would be interesting. I think you mean liquid crystal on silicon. FWIW if you are using a set top box to feed even the best HDTV via component video, you won't get anything near the resolution the set is capable of displaying. Bandwidth specification for component video is only about 30 MHz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 This might show that I'm distracted by other things when I should concentrate on spelling skills. Just like the nuns would point out. In any event, it seems these LCoS chips are little LCD displays about the size of a postage stamp. They are just black and white. Therefore three are needed with red, green, and blue light being projected on them. Naturally the three images are projected on the screen. The important issue is that there are 1940 pixels in the horizonatal and 1040 in the vertical. They can be addessed without interlacing. Also, there is one replaceable bulb making the light. So there is not the issue of fading. Perportely the optical projection convergence is pretty good. I'd have thought it would create more problems than it solved. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 The only problem with 1080P is that there are no broadcasters using it for HDTV. Its either 720P or 1080I. A CRT system can be built that can display any format for enough money. But with digital technology like LCD, LCOS or DLP, the format is fixed in silicon. The big question for buyers once they decide on technology may well be which is the lesser evil, convert 720P to 1080I or 1080I to 720P. Looks like the standard setters at the FCC had their heads in the usual place when they allowed broadcasters to make the choice which HDTV format they would use instead of establishing a national standard. The majority of digital sets so far support 720P because it is just technologically easier and cheaper to produce the engines than for 1080I. It will be interesting to see which native format wins out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 Oh, BTW, Gil... You just had to remind me about nuns, didn't you? I had almost forgotten about the terror they inflicted on me and my friends when we were children. Oh, well, at least we can read, write, and do arithmetic, and sometimes even spell correctly. That is better than a lot of folks who didn't have the benefit of being educated by nuns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 Go back to CC and look at the Hitachi 51S500 I just got a 57S500 and think it is great. I bought a Samsung DLP5065 from BB but took it back. All their Mitsu"s are the low end "Silver" series. The S500 are new models with many great features and picture. I am PM'ing you with more info. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagangjee Posted August 4, 2003 Author Share Posted August 4, 2003 So much information I cannot think... Yes there is a lot that goes into buying a TV but then again the research and education is worth the time, plus it makes the day go by faster at work. With everything said, what is the best 42/43 inch HD plasma that is out there right now? That is a reasonable price (Around or Under $8000 or so?) Pioneer, Hitachi, Sony XBR, for looks features, and of course picture quality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted August 4, 2003 Share Posted August 4, 2003 I might add "ease of use" into the list of desireable qualities (for myself, anyway). fini Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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