HDTV Reviews

HD antenna heralded as the first antenna to effectively combine aesthetics and performance

It’s not the first HD antenna that looks good. It’s not the first HD antenna that performs well. But it is the first one that does both. Terrestrial Digital’s Lacrosse is receiving rave reviews from customers across the country for providing exceptional signal locking capability in a good looking antenna.

The midrange Lacrosse’s recent release was met with great anticipation from the HDTV community. As customers have put the product to the test, the letters, phone calls, and emails have begun to come in.

“The early feed back has been very positive,” Antennas Direct President Richard Schneider said. “Customers who’ve previously had trouble locking in signals with traditional antennas are enjoying success with the Lacrosse.”

According to Schneider, customers also appreciate the design of the Lacrosse because its toned down look is more like a satellite dish than a traditional HD antenna. The Lacrosse has found very strong support in suburban and urban markets, where aesthetics are important for pleasing apartment managers and neighborhood associations.

The Lacrosse is built on the technology of Terrestrial Digital’s DB2 and DB4 lines, which remain two of the most popular multidirectional antennas on the market.

The Lacrosse offers an approximate 10.8 dB of max gain; it is one of the strongest multi-directional antennas available and performs consistently across the entire UHF spectrum. It even works well in areas where HD transmitters are in multiple directions. An amplified version is available as well, featuring a 17dB amplifier.

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Regardless of what HD equipment you buy, you’ll need ways of linking it all together. And with the increased interest in home networking and HDTV via broadband Internet, you could be looking at an even bigger mass of spaghetti-wiring around your shiny new gear.

That is, unless you reduce the clutter by utilising your existing power supply.

Devolo’s HomePlug AV standard is a new home networking solution offering blistering data transfer speeds of 200Mbps - that’s 200 times the speed of a basic broadband connection: perfect for streaming high-definition content around the home - and all using existing electrical wiring.

And it’s literally plug and play technology, using special equipment that simply plugs into a spare power socket.

There’s no additional cabling to install (as per Ethernet) and no loss of signal (as wireless).

It looks like a great solution for HD video-streaming, VoIP (Internet telephony), and computer networking.

I don’t have a release date or price for this kit at present, but it’s coming soon. It’s a logical extension to the dLink audio streaming kit already available from Devolo.
Source: http://www.hdtvuk.tv

HDMI-equipped DVD players have suddenly become commonplace this year, to the point where they don’t cost much more than a generic DVD player you’d pick up at Wal-Mart. The Philips DVP5960/37 is one good example, going for less than $80 online. For that price, you get HDMI and upscaling to higher resolutions, DivX playback, and one of the slimmest, most stylish exteriors we’ve seen.

The Philips DVP5960/37 has a design that’s as eye-catching as its name is annoying. The player stands just 1.5 inches tall, and even its disc drawer is shallower to take up less height. We liked the reflective silver faceplate and the conveniently large LED display. There are several front-panel buttons, including standby, HD upscale (which toggles through resolutions), play/pause, and stop. One notable omission is fast-forward or rewind controls, which can be useful in a pinch when the remote goes missing. There’s also a USB port on the front, which can be used to display JPEGs and DivX files as well as to play back MP3 files, from a USB thumbdrive.

Philips’s remote is small and not backlit, and it has some nonintuitive controls. For example, the directional pad’s right and left buttons also control fast-forward and rewind, which is unusual and not labeled. However, after a couple seconds of confusion, we found it easy enough to use.

Connectivity-wise, the Philips’s big selling point is its HDMI output. As with all HDMI decks, it has the ability to upconvert DVDs: in this case to 576p, 720p, or 1080i resolution. Upconversion may result in slightly sharper DVD images on some HDTVs, but it won’t work miracles–they’re still DVDs, after all. The rest of the connectivity options are made up of a component-video output, a standard composite-video output, and an optical audio output. While a case could be made about the deck missing an S-Video and coaxial audio output, we’re betting that most people buying this player are planning to use the HDMI or component-video connection.

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Shanghai-based foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. has said it has started volume production of high-definition digital liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) panel chips for Aurora Systems.

Aurora Systems Inc. (San Jose, Calif.) has designed both 1920 by 1080 pixel resolution and 1280 by 720 pixel resolution LCOS modules suitable for rear-projection television. Several consumer electronics manufacturers have designed these modules into large-screen rear-projection televisions.

“Aurora’s collaboration with SMIC started in early 2005, and we are delighted to see our mutual hard work come into fruition in such a short time, further re-affirming Aurora’s commitment in engaging SMIC as our long-term strategic foundry partner,” said

Poking Li, acting CEO of Aurora Systems, said in a statement issued by SMIC that Aurora would work with SMIC as a long-term partner.

“We aim to be the foundry of choice for LCOS backplane wafers to global IDM and fabless customers,” said James Sung, vice president of marketing and sales at SMIC.

Sony’s KDE-W50A12U Let’s face it, plasma costs a lot of money, and for the general buying public the price differential between similar sized LCD HDTVs is hardly enough to justify the increasingly marginal benefits the more expensive set offers. Still, we know we can count on Sony to drop a good 50-inch HDTV like their KDE-W50A12U, which TrustedReviews took a look at and for whatever reason declared Sony’s last plasma (which we thought was a misreported rumor refuted years ago). Still, the TV has as a native 1,366 x 768 pixel count with HDMI, component, and three SCART inputs, and a digital tuner to boot. But while TR seemed to think it was a great display, a 50-inch Sony TV that could run you as much as £4,500 (about $8,400 US) is becoming increasingly difficult to justify in the world of affordable home theater rigs that in their entirety wouldn’t cost as much as this display alone.
http://www.engadget.com

Sony’s KDL-V40XBR1 BRAVIA XBR With Integrated HDTV capabilities, the user can enjoy digital programming with enhanced audio and video reproduction. Watch your living room come to life with Sony’s 40 KDL-V40XBR1 BRAVIA XBR® LCD Flat Panel HDTV.

LCD TVs offer more pixels per given screen size than any other consumer display technology, and the 40-inch Sony Bravia KDL-V40XBR1. LCD TV will generate admiring gazes when displaying high-definition material. When it came to the standard-definition viewing experience in the lab, however, the V40XBR1 required a few adjustments from its default settings before it could match the performance of less-expensive (albeit slightly smaller) alternatives.

The V40XBR1’s black bezel is nearly two inches wide and matte-finished to reduce ambient light reflections. The silver trim that encircles the V40XBR1 provides a subtle and pleasing contrast to the bezel and screen. Permanently attached speakers are concealed beneath a cloth-covered grille that runs the length of the lower edge of the display.The TV’s remote control is slender and comfortable to hold and operate with one hand. The remote’s construction and tactile feedback felt solid, but the lack of full backlighting made its use in dimly lit environments difficult.

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Sky will launch its high-definition TV service on 22 May, with Star Wars movie Return of the Sith and US drama 24 among the initial line-up.

The broadcaster will install its first HDTV boxes that day after taking 40,000 advance orders from customers since bookings opened on 13 April.

HDTV promises clearer pictures and sound, but viewers need compatible TVs and set-top boxes to receive it.

Cable firm Telewest is also offering HDTV services to its customers.

It is currently offering programmes on demand to customers who use its TVDrive service.

The BBC will offer live coverage of World Cup football on HDTV via Sky and Telewest as part of a year-long trial.

It has also teamed up with ITV, Channel 4 and Five to test HDTV broadcasts that can be picked up through normal aerials.

But this trial is restricted to a selected number of Freeview users in the London area.

Widespread HDTV broadcasts via Freeview may not be possible until after the UK has fully switched to digital TV in 2012.

Other highlights in Sky’s first week of HDTV include Star Trek Enterprise, live coverage of England’s second cricket Test with Sri Lanka and rugby union’s Guinness Premiership final.

HDTV Digital Cable
Before I start on cable, please remember that each provider is completely different. What is offered in Minneapolis, MN may not be what is offered in your neck of the woods. Check with your local provider to see what they can provide. That being said, we’re on a Time Warner circuit that uses the Scientific Atlanta (Cisco) 8300HD DVRs running the SARA operating system. From a features standpoint the cable system is truly awesome. I have on-demand media allowing me to purchase a SD or HD movie (many SD selections, almost no HD selections) and watch it with full transport control (meaning play, pause, fast forward, etc.) I can expand the storage of the box by adding a SATA drive to the back of the unit, and the system has dual tuners built in allowing me to plug ONE coax cable into the box and record two channels at the same time while viewing a third pre-recorded show. Feature wise cable kicks butt. Actual usage wise, it’s a bit lacking. The DVR software is very basic, it’s not very pretty and not very feature rich. There’s no 30-second advance, there’s no ‘record this program on any channel at any time’ feature… It’s a bare bones DVR. No frills, no fun. Want to have the DVR look at your viewing habits and suggest shows? No chance. Want to exclude channels from the electronic program guide (EPG)? No way. You see all of the channels, even if you don’t subscribe to them. The software needs a major overhaul as it’s missing many, many features; however, the system works and it works well. I can watch an HDTV show while recording another, or watch a recorded HDTV show while recording two other HDTV shows. The EPG is very, very fast allowing me to scan through all 1000 channels in very little time. While there are no frills and the interface is the opposite of sexy, it works.

DirecTV HDTV package
Then there’s DirecTV’s HDTV offerings. Just as many HDTV channels as our cable system (over 20), Tivo DVR, and local channels available. Great. I have been a cable subscriber for many years since my apartment faces north and I simply can’t get satellite here. Now that I get to help install satellite service (in a friends house) I’m really excited to see what satellite can do. I love playing with new things and trying out different stuff. Besides, it simply CAN’T be worse than cable. I mean come on! Look at that DVR menu!!! Scroll back up and look at it. Yeah.

The satellite installer comes out with the DirecTV HD10-250 system in hand and preps for install. Turns out that unlike cable satellite has a limit as to how many boxes can be placed on a triple LNB system. I have 4 available tuners to work with. If I want the boxes to be dual tuner like my cable system, I can only have 2 boxes on that dish. We currently have 6 satellite boxes installed on the DirectTV SD system so moving to the HD means we would have to eliminate 2 boxes and run single tuner for all systems, or install a whole new dish, leave the old SD system in place, and run the new system as dual tuner, which is what we opted to do. Unfortunately in our area there was no way to add a second dish to the part of the house that is in the right position, so we were forced to add a freaking ugly dish to the front yard on an even uglier 5′ pole. This is probably the ugliest thing I have ever seen. So we didn’t start on a strong note, but I figured it was a minor problem and it should be clear sailing from here. Wrong. The entertainment center we have the HDTV in only has one coax cable run to it, and the installer does not want to run a second cable for us. This means that the new HDTV system can only watch one channel at a time while viewing a recorded one. I can not record two shows and I can’t record a show while watching another live show. ONE tuner until I run another cable and running another cable will cost us $$. I asked if I could simply split the coax cable at the box, but apparently the line carries power which gets killed if I use a splitter. Great. Read more

Medion has announced it is launching a 32-inch High Definition (HD) ready LCD television, for under £600.

The Medion MD 20099 offers WXGA 1366 x 768 picture resolution and uses CTI, 3D comb filter and noise reduction technology to enhance the quality of the High Definition picture.

Typical brightness is 550 cd/m2 with a contrast ratio of 1000:1, providing a sharp, clear image. Stereo Nicam sound is delivered by 2 x 10 Watt RMS outputs, supported by a five band equalizer for rich, precise sound quality.

The set also features dual tuner PIP (picture in picture) with Multipicture, enabling viewing of a second channel in a thumbnail window, and PAT (picture and text), which shows a picture and Teletext simultaneously on a split screen.

Connections included are an HDMI socket with HDCP encoding, 75 Ohm antenna in, PC VGA in (15 pin D-Sub), S-Video In, Audio L/R In (Cinch, with optional YPbPr Video In), two SCART ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Medion’s MD 20099 HD ready LCD-TV is on sale from the end of May 2006.

Dads and grads have one thing in common—they appreciate a reward for a job well done. One gift that is unlikely to be returned or exchanged is a new high-definition TV. The price of HDTVs has never been better, and shopping for a new TV doesn’t have to turn into a stress-inducing journey into the bowels of a megastore. Knowledge empowers, and selecting the right HDTV for that special someone requires an understanding of their needs and sticking to your budget.

Before you swipe the card on a new TV, consider the lucky recipient’s home theater environment—or lack thereof. Space is the primary concern. You don’t want to bestow a 70-inch rear-projection TV (RPTV) on someone who barely has room for the decrepit second-hand 27-inch CRT (cathode ray tube) they have now. Likewise, if the room size and viewing distances are ample, go as big as the budget allows.

Once you know how much space you have to work with, selecting an appropriate HDTV becomes largely a function of price. For HDTVs with screen sizes up to 36 inches, CRTs remain the best bang for the buck. The image quality of every new display technology is compared to CRTs and, until very recently, the classic tube remained unmatched.

The obvious downsides of CRT-based HDTVs are mass and weight. Everyone who owns a large tube TV dreads the day they have to move it—unless they are making room for something thin and flat. This is where liquid crystal displays (LCDs) become the ideal HDTV option. While they are available in sizes similar to smaller PC monitors on up to 65-inch behemoths, LCD TVs smaller than 40 inches represent the best value. LCD TVs offer a bright picture and anti-reflective screens that make them ideal for rooms where ambient light is difficult to control.

For screen sizes above 40 inches, plasma display panels (PDPs) are a better flat-panel value. A common size for smaller plasma TVs is 42 inches, and the intense competition among plasma display manufacturers has resulted in lower prices, better picture quality, and increased longevity. High-definition video makes any HDTV look its best, but 42-inch HD plasmas are among my favorite displays for watching DVD movies. The price of some 50-inch PDPs are literally half of what they cost a year or two ago, but the largest models still command premium prices.

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