HDTV’s New horizons
With the advent of HDTV and further advances in screen technology, displays which are quite simply incredible are today a reality. At the upper end, and fueled by the improvement in resolution, are massive screens of up to 107-inches which are available in store at your popular home electronics retailer.
The astute reader will immediately note that size isn’t everything, but where TVs are concerned, nothing quite makes an impact like raw screen size. But where HDTV is concerned, those massive screen sizes are complemented with high resolutions; to those who know about such things, we’re talking in the order of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which is substantially more than the 720×480 pixels with which you have had to be satisfied in the past. That, right there, is the reason for the excitement and hype around HDTV.
Sony’s made a lot of noise about its Bravia screens and has an enduring reputation for good consumer electronics. Take a look at www.sony.co.za and be surprised at how poorly a global vendor maintains its Web presence.
Its HDTVs are available in various sizes, the most impressive of which is a 107-inch monster, which will set you back around R60 000. What is really impressive about the size of this screen – it will blow you away – is that it is in store, right now at places like Hirsch’s Homestore www.hirschs.co.za. Don’t, however, expect much from this website either.
Then there is LG; its Full HD processing apparently low-resolution analogue signals to near high-definition levels (1080 pixels). Remember GoldenEye? That’s become Intelligent Eye, which optimises brightness and contrast, accounting for ambient light.
Right now you can get an LG up to 60 inches big, smaller than the Sony and more costly at R70 000, but big enough to warrant sitting on the patio instead of in the lounge. Check out www.lge.co.za for more bumf on what makes its products best. Once again, what is in-store is actually ahead of what you will find on the site.
Samsung www.samsung.com/za has a range of pretty hot screens, too. What’s perhaps hottest about its offerings is that a 52 inch screen can be yours for the (relatively) paltry sum of R45 000.
Highlights from this vendor include Consumer Electronic Control (CEC); this is apparently a system to carry device control functions between all connected HDMI devices. When you connect A/V devices like BD Player, AV Receiver, Home theatre with HDMI cable, you can control all of them with a single remote control. That’s cool.
When it comes to HDTV, product development is fast given that it’s a new technology. That explains (but doesn’t excuse) the websites which lag behind that which is in store. It also gives pause for thought: your latest product will not be current for long, so buy carefully.
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