HDTV Reviews

With the BBC promising to launch its HD trial service on May 15th (or a couple of days either side, a Beeb spokeswoman helpfully informs us), thoughts turn to how on earth we can pick it up. Initially BBC HD will only be broadcast on satellite (Telewest will carry it very soon - they seem a bit pre-occupied with the NTL-Virgin merger thing right now) which means that for now you’ll need a digital satellite set top box.

Whether you’ll get Sky’s HD box in time is anybody’s guess, but if you go this route you’ll pay through the nose unless you subscribe to Sky’s HD service for £10 a month. Basically Sky will charge you £399 for a box that won’t offer any of the amazing SkyPlus functionality if you decide not to subscribe to its HD channels.

Which is why retailers like Turbosat are doing such brisk business on free to air box’s like Humax’s HD CI 2000. “We just can’t get enough of them,” says a Turbosat spokesman. “We’ve already sold out of one batch and we’re expecting another one in soon. People are buying them like hot cakes in time for The World Cup.” Featuring HDMI, DVI and component connections the Humax set-top box currently costs £299.

The BBC HD service will screen both Wimbledon and The World Cup in HD free of charge this summer.
Source: www.hdtvuk.tv

Japanese digital media and entertainment company Sentivision has selected Motorola’s VIP IPTV set-top platform for its IPTV products in Japan. With the deal, Sentivision becomes the first provider outside North America to deploy the Motorola VIP set-top platform.

The Motorola VIP series is a standards-based, open-architecture platform that can be integrated with middleware from any provider. Sentivision plans to port its own middleware suite to the set-top platform.

The Motorola solution includes HDTV, video-on-demand, digital video recording, multi-room streaming and other connected home applications. The platform also supports video codecs and digital rights management (DRM) solutions.

For Sentivision, Motorola will offer two set-top models: the VIP1200 Japan and the VIP1216 Japan. The latter includes an integrated hard disk drive for digital video recording.

Sentivision is an affiliate of Sony Communication Network, which holds a 36.8 per cent stake in the company.

Hitachi Canada Ltd.’s Digital Media Division has added six models to its line of projection TVs, including three UltraVision LCD rear-projection HDTV models measuring 50”, 55”, and 62”, and three CRT rear-projection DTV models with 1080i display capability, in 51”, 57”, and 65” screen sizes.

The UltraVision LCD Projection HDTV VS69 Series come in silver and black finish, and a 3-Panel 720p LCD Light Engine with an 11-Element Lens System. A proprietary Hitachi VirtualHD 1080p video processor de-interlaces 1080i programs to provide as much detail as possible for a clear, sharp image, Hitachi explains, while the firm’s dynamic histogram processing delivers “improved contrast, colour and sharpness while reducing noise to a minimum.”

The models include a Quick Start Seamless HDTV and NTSC tuner; and a separate Day and Night memory for each input. They also have an anti-reflective diffusion screen; multiple colour temperatures; black enhancement; a 24 Watt, two-way speaker system; and an HDMI audio/video input and two wideband component inputs.

The 55VS69 and 62VS69 are currently available for SRPs of $2,999.99 and $3,499.99 respectively; while the 50VS69 will be available in July for an SRP of $2,499.99.

The F59 CRT rear-projection TVs feature a video processor that converts all signals to match the set 1080i display resolution; and a high-brightness lens system that magnifies the image for precise focus and detail in widescreen home-theatre proportions, Hitachi notes. These displays also feature the Day and Night memory by input, as well as a DTV and NTSC tuner. They also boast a patented Magic Focus Auto Convergence System; HDMI digital video/audio input; high-contrast 0.52mm fine pitch screen, and six aspect mode choices.

The 51F59 is available for an SRP of $1,599.99; while the 57F59 and 65F59 will be available in May at SRPs of $1,899.99 and $2,299.99, respectively.

“Hitachi’s engineering expertise takes the home theatre experience to a new level with our sleekest designs yet,” commented Brandon Osmond, Product Manager for Hitachi Canada Ltd., Digital Media Division. “Our latest models combine cutting-edge technology that delivers a vivid and accurate large-screen picture with an ultra compact, contemporary design that fits a wider range of viewing environments.”

For more information, visit www.hitachi.ca.

Key Digital Systems has introduced its KD-CDA3 three-channel HDTV component video and audio distribution amplifier. Supporting up to 1080p analog video and 300 MHz via component video (YpbRr) or VGA (RGBHV) video without audio, it’s an ideal companion for small-scale video/audio distribution applications. The device can interface HDTV/SDTV video/audio sources to up to three independent video displays and sound systems.

It accepts any analog source input, such as a DVD player, gaming console, set-top box, digital video recorder, or VCR, in any video format, and drives up to three separate analog-input displays. Video distribution is adaptable for composite and S-Video SDTV applications with adapters; while audio is analog stereo or digital (PCM).

The KD-CDA3 is expandable with additional units or other Key Digital products, and its circuitry supports cables up to 300 feet. Key Digital says it’s easy to set up and operate: just connect a source and the displays. A mounting bracket is provided.

The KD-CDA3 is currently available for a retail price of $499. For more information, contact Aralex Acoustics Ltd. toll-free at 1-800-663-6732.

Taiwan is behind other countries in developing full HD (high-definition) broadcasting and the Taiwan government should push to develop the infrastructure, according to Chao-yang Ho, president of Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO). CMO will also start shipping a 56-inch super high resolution TV panels, Ho said.

Currently, Taiwan only has SD (standard-definition) broadcasts while countries such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore and China are ahead of Taiwan in full HD broadcast development, Ho indicated.

Japan started pushing full HD broadcasts in 1998 while South Korea and Singapore have started related developments. Major China-based cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have also started to adopt full HD broadcasts and the standard will be adopted nationwide in 2008, Ho explained.

CMO has sent samples of a 56-inch super high resolution TV panel to customers, with volume production to commence in the third quarter of 2006, with shipments to Japan, Europe and the US to each exceed 100 units per month, Ho said.

The quad full high definition (QFHD) panel has a 3,840×2,160 resolution, featuring 8.29 million pixels, which is four times the resolution of current HDTV panels (1,920×1,080). The panel will be mainly for medical-use, cinema and TV station broadcasts, and other niche applications such as housing digital photos at museums, for semiconductor design, satellite remote control and security monitoring, he added.

Ho was speaking at the CMO Display Technology Forum (April 27-28). The forum is about the global HDTV trends.

In just a little more than two years, the federal government is taking away the TV channels we’ve used for decades.

On February 17, 2009, your old TV set won’t be able to get any signal over the air.

The switch to HDTV has millions of Americans buying new sets already. Here’s the basics on what’s available.

We asked Hans Brackmann at Magnolia Audio-Video to lay out our choices.

Brackmann started by showing us the rear projection TV sets that sit on the floor.

They look bulky and heavy, but the technology has come a long way. They’re very light.

“Yeah, there’s not much to it,” Brackmann said.

Many of them use LCD - liquid crystal displays - the same technology you see in computer laptops.

The image is projected from the back.

“You have basically, your light source, and your LCD panel back here, it will reflect off a mirror, which is probably right back through here that will reflect it up on to the screen,” Brackmann said, gesturing at the TV.

The downside of projection LCD’s is that they’re not as bright or as clear if you view them from an angle.

Another kind of projection TV is called DLP. It’s a semiconductor with two-million microscopic mirrors.

Some complain these DLP screens can have a very slight rainbow effect, but others insist the picture is better.

“So our blacks are going to be blacker, our whites will be whiter, so we get a more even spectrum of color if you will,” he said.

If you’re still not sold on a projection TV, your other option is the flat-screen. It’s more expensive, but it’s thin enough you can hang it on the wall.

There is no mirror and there is no projection. It’s just a panel.

In the world of flat panels, there are even more choices to make.

The smaller ones tend to be LCD. As you get larger than 42 inches, you see more plasma screens. They’re heavier and they use more power, but their contrast is richer.

“So what we get is a lot more color intensity to it, it has a lot more brightness overall,” Brackmann said.
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The future of television got a test-drive recently in New York City. While consumers around the globe are just now getting acquainted with the vivid picture quality of high-definition television, or HDTV, a far more advanced super-high-resolution system is in the works. NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, is working on what it has dubbed Super Hi-Vision: a TV technology—not expected to be commercialized for a decade or more—that produces live video with a resolution 16 times that of today’s HDTV and twice that of 70-millimeter movies. The New York City test was recorded for display at a convention of broadcasters who were meeting in Las Vegas.

Last November, NHK conducted its first live test in the field, when it transmitted an uncompressed 24-gigabit-per-second SHV video signal for several hours, producing a picture with a resolution of 7680 by 4320 pixels. The live video was relayed over 260 kilometers of optical fiber and viewed on a screen measuring 10 meters by 5.5 meters. The transmission also included a technically swank audio scheme, with more than 22 channels, to match the video’s high resolution. To shoot the live transmission, the researchers used two custom-built cameras equipped with four 8-megapixel CMOS sensors.

Months before, NHK had shown off an 8-minute SHV video to visitors at the 2005 World Expo held near Nagoya, from March to September last year. After postproduction the movie weighed in at 1.4 terabytes and had to be stored on a hard-disk array.

“The typical reaction of the audience was ‘Sugoii!’ (’Wow!’),” says Masaru Kanazawa, a senior researcher engineer in NHK’s Science & Technical Research Laboratories, in western Tokyo. He says some 1.6 million Expo attendees watched the video, and many were astonished with the heightened sense of reality it evoked. He attributes this in part to the video’s clarity; the system’s wide viewing angle of 100 degrees, as opposed to HDTV’s 30 degrees and the 15 degrees for standard television; and the advanced audio system. “They felt they were a part of the same scenes,” he says.

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Why many people are not watching high-definition TV on their HDTV sets

A man walks into a store and heads for the TV displays. He stops in front of a high-definition television with a 42-inch plasma screen and lets out a low whistle. The picture is stunning, better than he’s ever seen from a TV, and the sound is terrific, almost as though he’s in a theatre.

The man, whom we’ll call Mike, knows he’s got to have one. He calls the salesperson over, confirms the price and asks about delivery. He can’t wait.

The salesperson explains that, although this is a high-definition television, Mike will have to buy an HD package from his cable or satellite company to get a similar picture. As for the sound, Mike will need a Dolby Digital surround-sound system to get that.

But Mike isn’t really listening; he thinks the salesman is just trying to get him to spend more. The $3,500 plus tax for the TV is already enough.

Two days later, the TV arrives. Mike sets it up and switches it on. Something is wrong, very wrong.

The picture is a square on a wide screen and the quality of that picture is, well, not much better than his old set.

“Happens a lot,” says Brian Ripchensky, a TV sales expert at Future Shop’s Laird Ave. store.

“Some people think they’re going to get an HD picture by tuning into the channels they’ve always used. They don’t realize they have to rent or buy a high-definition terminal from their cable or satellite company and then tune to specific high-definition channels to get the HD picture.”

As a result, there are a lot of owners of HD sets still watching standard programming.

“Buying an expensive big-screen television is not a good investment unless you’re going to get high-definition service now or in the near future,” says Ripchensky.

Mark Stoakes, the general manager of Kromer Radio, on Bathurst St. in Toronto, also stresses the need for a good surround-sound system.

“Some people spend thousands on the new television and then look for the cheapest audio system. You cannot get great sound from a $500 receiver-and-speakers package.”

He advises spending at least $1,500 for a good sound system.

Prices of HDTVs vary dramatically, from a low of $1,200 for a 32-inch LCD set from a maker you’ve never heard of, to more than $3,000 for a superior set from a major manufacturer.
Source: TheStar.Com

This may be the cheapest beamer around but it still holds its own against its posher rivals.

Images from a Hi-Def Jarhead trailer look extremely rich and cinematic with strong blacks and bright, vivid colours – not quite in the same league as the Sanyo and Panasonic in the same price range, but still impressive. Fed with DVDs and lower quality TV it also produces some solid-looking pictures.

Set-up is good thanks to the user-friendly lens shift controls, and although the fan is a bit noisier than its rivals when running in the high lamp mode, this is balanced by the fact that it produces noticeably brighter pictures.

While the Epson’s image quality doesn’t quite reach the dizzy heights of the Sanyo PLV-Z4 or Panasonic PT-AE900, it still puts in a very passable performance considering its relatively low price.

Expect to see even more HDTV content coming from PBS due to their new program in conjunction with Sony, three of their stations (Chicago, Pittsburgh & Washington) have moved forward with installing Sony high definition cameras, switches, displays etc.

One of the first beneficiaries of this is The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, set to become PBS’ first daily high definition show sometime in 2007 when upgrades in Washington are completed. The Chicago station that produced the Legends of Jazz series we recently mentioned is building a brand new educational facility where area residents will be able to learn television production on the new equipment. The Pittsburgh station is hoping to make more HD movies like their recent The War That Made America, now that they don’t have to rent space and equipment to do it.