Anyone kind enough to explain HDTV for this poor fool?

orphicblue

orphicblue

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My wife and I are looking to get an HDTV since our current non-HDTV set is quickly dying. Problem is, I have no idea what HDTV is even capable of. I mean, we've been to Best Buy and seen the difference in the picture quality, so I know its higher res and digital as opposed to analog. But will it really affect XBOX/PS2/GCN gaming? I know 360 is big on the whole HD thing but I'm just puzzled if my games and movies etc are going to even use this technology. Do you have to have a special DVD player to get HD quality video?

Just puzzled, I would really appreciate any advice you all might be able to share.

Thanks so much.
 
I don't know much about TV's as well, so I'd like to know too. Is it worth dishing out $1K+ plus another $450 for the X360 just for some enhancement?
 
OK, here's what I always thought:

HDTD is basically a TV with a higher resolution, basically. I don't think pixels make up a TV screen, but it's the same concept. He's a "clearer" picture because it's more defined.

You're not going to see a difference unless the programming or game was defined in/has options for HDTV.

I could be wrong.

EDIT: Why'd I put basically twice? @_@
 
OH yes a HDTV makes a world of diff IF you

a. Have good(not cheap) cables
b. Know how to setup the config of the TV

There are some HD DVD players out however I do not yet have one with my hdtv just use progressive scan which does make DVDs look a lot sharper. If you get one I highly recommend to purchase a DVD called Digtal Video Essentials which reallys helps you get the most out of your setup. It is around 25$ dollars(very good deal) or I bet you can find it cheaper used ie. ebay. I have a RCA(i know) 52 inch TV and love it for everything. I do not even have HD service for my TV yet feel it was the best purchase I have made for gaming. I am a huge AV nut so please PM me if you have anymore ?'s
 
[quote name='orphicblue']My wife and I are looking to get an HDTV since our current non-HDTV set is quickly dying. Problem is, I have no idea what HDTV is even capable of. I mean, we've been to Best Buy and seen the difference in the picture quality, so I know its higher res and digital as opposed to analog. But will it really affect XBOX/PS2/GCN gaming? I know 360 is big on the whole HD thing but I'm just puzzled if my games and movies etc are going to even use this technology. Do you have to have a special DVD player to get HD quality video?

Just puzzled, I would really appreciate any advice you all might be able to share.

Thanks so much.[/QUOTE]

XBox is the one that uses it the most out of all this generation of gaming. It supports 480p, 720p and 1080i. XBox 360 will support a standard of 720p and WS(thank GOD!). Gamecube does 480p for most of their games and PS2 does 480p and 1080i for a select few.
I suggest getting one but for now you should pick up a CRT until the SED's come out on the market, JMO. For DVD player it depends. Right now you can buy an Oppodigital player that's suppose to put a VERY nice Progressive Scan pic for $200. Uses DVI for the Prog. Scan.
New movies will when the battle ends between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.
 
Sorry for going a little bit off topic, but what games are supported by 720p on the Xbox?
 
[quote name='sj41']Sorry for going a little bit off topic, but what games are supported by 720p on the Xbox?[/QUOTE]
Without really knowing the answer, I'mma throw out Halo 2.
 
[quote name='Sarang01']XBox is the one that uses it the most out of all this generation of gaming. It supports 480p, 720p and 1080i. XBox 360 will support a standard of 720p and WS(thank GOD!). Gamecube does 480p for most of their games and PS2 does 480p and 1080i for a select few.
I suggest getting one but for now you should pick up a CRT until the SED's come out on the market, JMO. For DVD player it depends. Right now you can buy an Oppodigital player that's suppose to put a VERY nice Progressive Scan pic for $200. Uses DVI for the Prog. Scan.
New movies will when the battle ends between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.[/QUOTE]


Ummm 1080i on a ps2??? Where....

480p is NOT HDTV. Current DVD's are ALL 480i unless mentioned otherwise. DVD players out now that do HD up convert to 720/1080 but HD is NOT their native resolution. There will be no true HD dvd's until bluray and HDDVD come out.
 
480i is pretty much 'analog'
'Anamorphic widescreen' or 'Enhanced for widescreen tv' DVDs are 480p, p = progressive, it still writes 480 scan lines, but 2ce as often as 480i [ interlaced].
720p is sometimes called HD, but is probably closer to ED [enhanced definition]. I would not suggest getting a tv that only does 720p.
1080i writes 1080 lines of resolution, every other line at a time [progressive writes every line at a time.] The pixel count is something like 10x what is available for 480i [not sure if it's 10x, but it's a noticeable increase].
There are upconverting DVD players or TVs, but I don't know much about them.
Most HDTV signals [cable, satellite, antenna], are at least either 720p or 1080i. My tv is 480p or 1080i, but i can tell my cable box to output only in 1080i [this doesn't upconvert, but it does send the signal in a format my tv can understand.]

HDTV broadcasts, done right, look *incredible*, like you could reach in the screen and touch it. I've had an undersea thing from Discovery HD on the DVR for months just because it's so cool to look at.

The issue, of course, is what content can you get now and in the future? I'm getting the networks, HBO, SHO, and Discovery in HD, and of course am waiting for more.

DVI isn't an industry standard, and you will find various levels of support. My tv and my cable box both have DVI, but it's not active on the cable box, so I'm using component cables.

You will see an improvement on anamorphic dvds going from 480i to 480i, but it's most re: the color depth/separation [more detailed and crisper colors]. The jump from 480i/p to 1080i is breathtaking.

Re: HD video games: check out hdtvarcade.com

If your tv is dying, and you need to replace it, I would definitely get an HD-ready tv. If you have cable, lots of times you can upgrade to an HD box for no or little add'l charge, and more things are going to go HD in the future. If you don't have cable, you can get a set-top box and antenna, and get HD networks free over the are [check out www.antennaweb.com for information.]
 
[quote name='Z-Saber']Without really knowing the answer, I'mma throw out Halo 2.[/QUOTE]

No sir it is not at least for the org xbox
 
[quote name='Z-Saber']Without really knowing the answer, I'mma throw out Halo 2.[/QUOTE]I was suprised that games like Fable, Halo 2 and Farcry didn't support 720p. I have about 15 good Xbox games that have come out in either 2004 or 2005 and none of them support 720p. :sad:
 
I actually just picked up an HD tv today (1/2 off cause it was the floor model). I set up my ps2 and xbox and I can tell that I'm getting the most out of my Xbox, but I'm not sure about PS2. I have component cables and everything but is there anything special I have to do? Soul Calibur 3 doesn't look all that great. Is it just not a good game for HD (I haven't had the opportunity to try anything else yet). Is there a place to find a list of all HD compatible ps2 games?
 
[quote name='orphicblue']My wife and I are looking to get an HDTV since our current non-HDTV set is quickly dying. Problem is, I have no idea what HDTV is even capable of. I mean, we've been to Best Buy and seen the difference in the picture quality, so I know its higher res and digital as opposed to analog. But will it really affect XBOX/PS2/GCN gaming? I know 360 is big on the whole HD thing but I'm just puzzled if my games and movies etc are going to even use this technology. Do you have to have a special DVD player to get HD quality video?

Just puzzled, I would really appreciate any advice you all might be able to share.

Thanks so much.[/QUOTE]
In addition to the links I gave you above, check out the http://avsforum.com. It's one of the most knowledgable places online where you can find AV information.

Anyway, about using a dvd player to get HD quality video, it all depends on what you have. If your TV has a HDMI connetion, then you can get closer to true HiDef. You should list the specs on your TV.

It's amazing how much I've learned about all this crap in just a day. :lol:
 
[quote name='jimfoley16']I actually just picked up an HD tv today (1/2 off cause it was the floor model). I set up my ps2 and xbox and I can tell that I'm getting the most out of my Xbox, but I'm not sure about PS2. I have component cables and everything but is there anything special I have to do? Soul Calibur 3 doesn't look all that great. Is it just not a good game for HD (I haven't had the opportunity to try anything else yet). Is there a place to find a list of all HD compatible ps2 games?[/QUOTE]
the PS2 isnt HD. In most cases its not even 480p. It will usually look WORSE on an HDTV set if its SD.
The X runs a 480p but for a handful of games (Orta is broken. :cry: ) It will look better but not night and day. Enhanced is what it is.
 
[font=arial,verdana]Here's More of everything you need to know
http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/HistoryHDTVCablespart1.php
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[font=arial,verdana]What is HDTV?[/font]

[font=arial,verdana]What is HDTV really all about? What’s new, and why is it better? The best way to make a comparison between standard definition television (SDTV) and high definition television (HDTV) is to consider today’s popular digital cameras. Some years ago, when digital cameras first appeared on the consumer market, a popular digital camera featured a 1.6 Mega Pixel (Mpix) image sensor. At that time, 1.6 Mpix was considered high quality. Today, one can easily find 5 and 6 Mpix cameras with far better image quality for a lot less money. [/font]

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[font=arial,verdana]In a similar way, HDTV delivers significantly more resolution than SDTV. For example, a 1080i HDTV signal offers about six times the resolution of a conventional 480i SDTV signal. HDTV also features a wider (16:9) aspect ratio format that more closely resembles human peripheral vision than the (4:3) aspect ratio used by conventional TVs in the past. Furthermore, HDTV is based on a system of 3 primary image signal components rather than a single composite signal, thus eliminating the need for signal encoding and decoding processes that can degrade image quality. Perhaps the biggest advantage over the old analog SDTV system is that HDTV is an inherently digital system. If installed properly, digital HDTV can provide the ultimate in pristine image quality, but there are many factors that must be considered, as we shall see.[/font]

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[font=arial,verdana]HDTV in the Home[/font]

[font=arial,verdana]What do you need to see HDTV? As in any visual system there are three basic components to consider: [/font]

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[font=arial,verdana]HDTV Sources:[/font]

[font=arial,verdana]When examining possible sources, one must be careful to distinguish between true HDTV sources and those that offer Enhanced Definition (EDTV), the latter being normal (SDTV) video that is scaled or “up-converted” to a higher resolution. While EDTV can certainly provide dramatic picture quality improvements over the original SDTV source, it can never offer the same level of image quality as a true HDTV source.[/font]

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[font=arial,verdana]Examples of true HDTV sources are: [/font]

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[font=arial,verdana]1.) [/font][font=arial,verdana]Off-air ATSC receivers using HDTV[/font]

[font=arial,verdana]2.) [/font][font=arial,verdana]Digital cable Set Top Boxes (STB) that offer HDTV service[/font]

[font=arial,verdana]3.) [/font][font=arial,verdana]Digital satellite receivers that offer HDTV service (i.e. DirecTV, DISH Network, et al.)[/font]

[font=arial,verdana]4.) [/font][font=arial,verdana]Windows Media High Definition Video[/font]

[font=arial,verdana]5.) [/font][font=arial,verdana]HD-DVD and Blu-Ray DVD players (not yet available)[/font]

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[font=arial,verdana]Examples of EDTV sources are: [/font]

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[font=arial,verdana]1.) [/font][font=arial,verdana]DVD players featuring DVI / HDMI outputs (with built-in HDTV scalars)[/font]

[font=arial,verdana]2.) [/font][font=arial,verdana]Video image processors (scalers)[/font]

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[font=arial,verdana]Another important consideration is analog versus digital sources. As previously stated, the ATSC has adopted a digital transmission system for HDTV; however, there are some HDTV sources on the market today that only offer analog outputs. Analog HDTV sources will become an increasingly greater rarity in a world of all-digital HDTV displays. This is especially true because all newer digital systems also employ HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) to safeguard digital content against illegal pirating. HDCP cannot be implemented in analog systems.[/font]

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[font=arial,verdana]HDTV Displays:[/font]

[font=arial,verdana]To realize the maximum potential of HDTV, the display must be fully HD compatible. For most users, this represents the biggest challenge and largest expense in their HD migration budget. Picking the right HD display relies heavily on personal taste, while prices vary greatly from under $1000 to many thousands of dollars. Here are a few key points to look for in order to not only insure that your display is HDTV compatible, but more importantly, HDTV optimized:[/font]

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[font=arial,verdana]Wide screen: Your display should be capable of displaying a widescreen (16:9) HDTV image. It should also be able to display a standard (4:3) SDTV image as well.[/font]

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[font=arial,verdana]Resolution: Your display should have enough resolution to faithfully display an HDTV image. For many displays, this means a native resolution (the display’s intrinsic resolution) of at least 1280 x 720 pixels. Higher native resolution is better, with so called “full HD resolution” being 1920 x 1080 pixels.[/font]

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[font=arial,verdana]Video Inputs: Your display should have a full complement of both analog video inputs (such as composite video, s-video, and component video) for legacy components as well as digital video inputs (such as DVI or HDMI) for new HDTV and EDTV sources.[/font]



[font=arial,verdana][font=arial,verdana]Note: HDCP support is a must for all HDTV displays. If you buy a display with a DVI input you MUST insure that it supports HDCP; if it doesn’t, you may not be able to view HDCP-encrypted source material from cable boxes, etc on that display! If your display has an HDMI input, you’re in good shape as the HDMI standard fully supports HDCP.[/font][/font]



Oh, did it mention to: GET A WIDESCREEN TV!
 
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