The 'Why' and 'What' of High Definition Televisions

By Dan Gallagher LD Writer

Since its creation, and up until very recently, television technology has barely changed. You could be confident that any given set pretty much worked, and worked with your new VCR, or DVD player. But now there are more options than ever, amidst a growing demand for sets that are as aesthetically pleasing as powerful. When it's time to purchase a new TV, which one will be the right one for today, and for tomorrow?

All television stations in the United States are mandated to begin providing digital programming to their viewers no later than 2006. This means that television stations have to go through a complete format change. Imagine the car industry needing to switch from automobiles to teleportation pods. Next year.

In 1998, when HDTV hit the market, the only thing to consider was the quality of the image. Today, making the switch to an HDTV from that old analogue set is about making a purchase that will be useful for years to come.

In the past, buying a television came down to a few basic decisions about size or color. Today, trying to buy a digital television can be just as confusing as buying a car or a computer. Not only should do we need to be prepared for the switch to digital formatting, we should be demanding more from DTV providers and manufacturers. It's not all bad, though. The good news is that with some basic information, you can start planning (and buying) today for tomorrow's standards in home theatre technology.

Resolution

Resolution refers to the picture quality. Televisions have high or low resolution based on their scanning technology. No matter how new or old your TV is, it has a scan rate. Scanning is how your television creates a picture out of all the pixels on the screen. Analogue televisions use interlaced scanning, which gives you very low picture quality according to today's standards. Newer televisions and specifically HDTV sets use progressive scan technology. Essentially, progressive scanning is twice as fast at creating a picture as interlaced scanning. So what does this actually mean? It means that your picture is crisper and shows more details. By now it should be standard in any television you buy. If not, then forget about it and look for a different model.

Aspect Ratio

This sounds pretty complicated, especially when numbers like "16:9" get mixed in the jumble. Digital televisions come in an aspect ratio that is often referred to as widescreen and is rectangular; it's the same shape as the screens in movie theatres. Older televisions are square. The rectangular screen offers more of a cinematic view and is less than two years from being the television broadcasting standard. Remember that squares are for the squares and widescreens are for the savvy.

Display Technology

Not all digital televisions make their images the same way, and it seems that certain display technologies may out last others. The most important thing to consider is which display technology will fit the way you watch television. You should also keep in mind how you use your computer. Oh, and don't forget your budget. Here are the three major categories to consider.

PLASMA and LCD

Both of these display technologies have an equal amount of advantages as well as setbacks. They both give you very high resolution, and for about the same price, it's just that they go about it in two different ways. The plasma cells in the display screen create light when charged with an electrical current (picture a florescent light bulb). On the other hand, the crystals in a LCD block light from a source behind the screen (like shadow puppets). LCD and plasma are both elegant in design, take up very little space, and are often light and flat enough to mount to your wall. These are the televisions you watch while drinking martinis or lying on silk sheets. The setbacks? They both die out after a period of time. It's years away, but it will happen, so be warned.

REAR PROJECTION; DLP

Rear projections are the monster units of sports fans and movie enthusiasts, it's all about size. These guys are big. The small ones start at 50 inches. The only thing to remember here is the abbreviation DLP. DLP stands for Digital Light Processing and it refers to the way the image is created. Simply, it uses hundreds of thousands of very small mirrors to process the light digitally. It's not magic, it's math, and if you like your images to be larger than life, DLP rear projections are for you.

DIRECTVIEW

Think of DirectView televisions as the studly replacement to that tube-console in the middle of your living room. These televisions are much similar in size and shape as your old TV but because they use progressive scanning the resolution is exponentially better. Sometimes, this type of television is referred to as a Digital Tube. One thing to remember is that when someone says flat screen they are talking about how flat the screen is, not how far it sticks out in the back (those are called Flat TVs and are Plasma or LCD). If I had to buy a TV on a modest budget, I'd say a DirectView is the way to go.

So which display technology is right for you? Each technology has its strengths and weaknesses so I recommend that before you go down to your local electronics dealer and start throwing your cash around, decide how this new TV is going to fit into your life style. How will you use your TV and what sort of environment will it be in?

• For very large images, rear projection is the way to go.
  
• If you want something smaller but still big enough for the living room; its plasma all the way.
  
• If you want a TV set small enough for the bedroom (or if you don't need a wide viewing angle), then LCD is what you want.
  
• If your major concern is your wallet but you still want a quality image and versatility, go with a DirectView of whatever size you can afford.

Like a car or any other major purchase, its important to know how this new TV is a part of your home, and make a decision based on that. It's a safe bet to stick with major manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic (editor's note: I'm a big fan of Pioneer for plasmas, and the new LG LCD screens are worth a look). Sony has consistently produced quality electronics and Panasonic has given them some stiff competition in the past few years.

THE FUTURE

Sci-fi daydreams are making their way into our digital lives through technology. Nanotechnology is changing everything from toilets to travel, including televisions, but is still being developed in research labs. With Digital TVs, we will see three things happen in the next 5-10 years:

1. Current technology will improve and become more compact.
   
2. Newer technologies, such as FED (Field Emmision Display) and LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicone) will emerge and replace older technologies.
   
3. Hardware will streamline to almost universal compatibility, and you will see more integration between televisions and computers.

Unfortunately it's not all that simple yet, and the prices involved are too hefty for the average consumer.

Field Emission Displays were introduced to the military in the late nineties so it will still be a few years before they make their way into the mass market (essentially, each pixel is built like an individual microscopic television). At this point in time, it seems that FEDs offer all the benefits of Plasma or LCD without any of the drawbacks. Unfortunately this technology is still being developed for any screen larger than the one on your cell phone. Even at this early stage, I would not be surprised if I start hearing this jargon in electronics stores soon enough. The near future is offering solutions based on more applicable technology.

Many PC manufacturers are offering new PC configurations called Media Centers. These units are almost like adding hard drives to your current, or newly purchased, television (okay, it's a little more than that, but you really can boil it down that far). Likewise, HP and Dell Computer Corporation have entire lines of LCD and Plasma TV's which should become more affordable in the next year and are fully compatible with PCs. These are steps in the right direction but I do not think they are really worth the purchase (they will be quickly outmatched by fully integrated systems). Soon, if you want this type of functionality, you will have the option to make your tv and your computer be the same thing, operated by remote control, wireless keyboard and mouse.

What we desire are televisions that are as interactive and as versatile as computers, and computers that are as simple to operate as televisions. Hy-Tek's Tek Panel 300 and 370 are fully integrated systems with large hard drives, wireless keyboards and mice, every input you can think of, and are fully upgradeable. All of this technology is built into the unit's gorgeous LCD TV! Hy-Tek was originally contracted by the Navy to build these units and they are no joke at a price of over $10k each. Right now they are available at an expanding list of high-end electronics stores or straight from the manufacturer.

It will be a few years before these lightweight digital daydreams are the household standard and you should expect major manufacturers to unveil more affordable versions in the next few years. You could spend all your money on separate digital components, like a DTV, digital receiver, and PC, but I recommend waiting until these all-in-one units are more mainstream. That is unless you're still staring into that wooden floor console from the 1970's. In that case, it's time to try anything new.