Don’t Buy Hdtv Before U Read This

Hi guys
Very recently I was in market with my colleague for finding him a DECENT HDTV………………..HDTV..................HDTV: this is the word where hell brakes out for ignorant buyers courtesy of a$$ hole dealers (who just love to cheat buyers) > coupled with misleading & incomplete specifications on part of manufacturers.

What I learnt was a sorrow experience on part of ignorant buyers.ok; let me explain in detail..........

I have seen many people are really confused regarding resolutions of HDTV’s....words like hd ready, full hd & misleading specifications really add to their misery....

Look here
First example philips 32" LCD HD Ready32TA1600/98

*www.consumer.philips.com/consumer/catalog/tree/en/in/consumer/tv_gr_in_consumer/flat_tv_ca_in_consumer/consumer__rs_features_tv__r_tv_crystal_clear/ce/_productId_32TA1600_98_IN_CONSUMER/widescreen_flat_TV+32TA1600_98

Picture/Display
Display screen type : LCD WXGA Active Matrix TFT
Panel resolution : 1366 x 768p

Supported Display Resolution
Computer formats : 640 x 480, 60Hz, 800 x 600, 56, 60Hz, 1024 x 768, 60Hz, 1280 x 720, 60Hz, 1280 x 768, 60Hz
Video formats : 480i, 60Hz, 480p, 60Hz, 576i, 50Hz, 576p, 50Hz, 720p, 60Hz, 1080i, 60Hz

Now this information specifies that this panel can ACCEPT input upto 1080i(1920x1080) but CAN ONLY DISPLAY IT UPTO 1366 x 768p... ie the Panel resolution.......here the internal processor of tv would process and convert 1080i to the internal scan circuits of the TV i.e. Panel resolution so all 1080i HD is down converted before displaying......this is the trick......so what u see is best 1366 x 768p on this set

Take another example

Philips Stereo TV with Pixel Plus 29"real flat HD Ready 29PT8836/94

*www.consumer.philips.com/consumer/catalog/tree/en/in/consumer/tv_gr_in_consumer/consumer__rs_screen_size__r_medium/consumer__rs_features_tv__r_tv_pixel_plus/ce/_productId_29PT8836_94_IN_CONSUMER/_activeTab_specifications/stereo_TV+29PT8836_94

Picture/Display
Aspect ratio : 4:3
Panel resolution : NOT MENTIONED???
Display screen type : Real Flat picture tube
Picture enhancement : Contrast Plus, Progressive Scan, Scavem, 3D Combfilter, Active Control Plus, 3:2 pull-down, Black stretch, Color Transient Improvement, Color Temperature Adjustment, Dynamic Noise Reduction, Luminance Transient Improver, Smart Picture, Tint, Pixel Plus

Supported Display Resolution
Video formats : 480p, 60Hz, 720p, 50, 60Hz, 1080i, 60Hz, 1080p, 60Hz

Now guys see THE CUNNING NESS OF PHILIPS this tv set is intended for INDIAN MARKET. In this tv set they even have not cared to mention Panel resolution...........haha really clever.....and they boast it as HD READY .......

this panel can ACCEPT input upto 1080p (1920x1080) but it can’t display it as 1080p

here it can accept 1080p information, "Pixel Plus" processor(engine of this tv) would process and convert that to the internal scan circuits of the TV( perhaps this is 768x576 to 1024x768 )....err...philips has not cared to mention it........hell.....hell ...........& damn hell............just screwing buyers...

so next time u go to buy a hdtv ask about Panel resolution not JUST about Supported Display Resolution .

hope it helps anyone..........my aim of writing this post is to make fellow INDIANS aware sure not to deject any owner........

Yours truly Indian
vivek

I salute you

A Real Eye opener :O .. Vivek Thanks..

thanks vivek... thats a super post!!

Eye opener. Thx dude

thanks buddy for letting us know i think SONY HDTV r the best

BTW: i had watched a prog. in discovery channel ( might be myth buster )

and they were telling that ordinary CRT r the best in quality and cheap also

Indians shud nt bother for HDTV for abt 10 years or so. No content is available nor is it gonna come soon.

plz clarify No content is available ?? i am not getting it

In Chennai I have seen posters that HDDVD and blueray DVD movies are available for rent. Would not watching them require an HDTV?

^for real? :shock:

sure it seems chennai gets many stuffs smuggled from Malasia,singapore

I remember some burma bazar,paris etc etc,hmm.

J

@praka123
Same things you are most likely to get at Trivandrum @ Beemappalli!

D

kumarmohit said:
Indians shud nt bother for HDTV for abt 10 years or so. No content is available nor is it gonna come soon.

what?? seems you are completely unaware of the the Movies available on DVD's and Many other downloadable materials( series- prison break and many)...

"Landmark" in Bangalore is selling BluRay discs (Movies), seen a poster!!

what?? seems you are completely unaware of the the Movies available on DVD's and Many other downloadable materials( series- prison break and many)...

DVDs look crap on an HDTV. And unless you are willing to download 1.3GB per episode of prison break, those HDTVrips aren't going to look any good either.

The only content for HDTV in India right now is the XBox 360 or PS3 or maybe you come to goobimama's house and take home some HD movies...

But I'm intrigued as to these places selling Bluray movies and such. How much does each disc cost I must ask?

I would like to add to this post the difference between HDTV and HDReady lables that you people may encounter while buying the set.

These two lables can be quite confusing also.

HDReady : Indicates a set which is capable of accepting HD signals from a SET Top box or a HD DVD or BluRay Player. It is not able to caputure HD signals transmitted over-the-air .

HDTV : Same as HDReady but is able to caputure and display HD signals transmitted over-the-air.

Since in India we dont get HD Signals over-the-air so it makes no sense to get a HDTV. A HDReady TV would be suited fine for the Indian market.

Also as HDTV includes a tuner it becomes significantly costlier than its HDReady counterpart.

Hope this information comes in use to those planning to buy an HD Set...

R

Indians are still treated as ignorant & 4th grade buyers, sad but true & it happens all across the product line not only IT related.

Great information .. thanx

gr8 info. thanks 4 sharing.

Glad to see my country men are awaking to the situation...................i would love to write more here

I know full hd ie1920x1080 Panel resolution HDTV’s cost more than a bomb for most Indian homes............but people love to have a full hd (1080p Panel resolution) with them.............but sad it remains a dream....perhaps I can help those guys.....

Now in market 26” 1366 x 768p Panel resolution HD ready TV is priced at 35k.......these are mostly S-IPS or S-PVA panels............

Now focus on what im trying to impress....according to me spending 35k on 26” 1366 x 768p Panel resolution S-IPS or S-PVA monitor is not a value for money in terms of features........

Look at this dell 24” monitor

*www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/2407wfp-hc?c=in&cs=inbsd1&l=en&s=bsd

this monitor has 1920x1200 Panel resolution its really a 24"WS Samsung S-PVA panel ,has Brightness of 400cd/m2 , Contrast Ratio of 1000:1, Horizontal & Vertical Viewing Angle of 178°, has Analog, DVI-D (digital) with HDCP, S-Video, Composite, Component inputs........and priced at 40k.........40k for 24” 1920x1200 Panel resolution Samsung S-PVA panel is great if u compare it with 26” 1366 x 768 Panel resolution S-IPS or S-PVA hd ready tv at 35k..............

pair this 24” 1920x1200 Panel resolution monitor with 5.1 speakers , connect dth stb through composite input or when hd era begins connect hd player to dvi-d (hdcp enabled) input and u have a full hd 1080p beast set up for u.......

even I was tempted for a 26” lcd tv but I ended up buying 22” dell e228wfp 1680x1050 TN panel for 19k for my bedroom and im awating its delivery..........

and yeah im not any dell agent ......im a govt. servant ............

vivek

nice guide, thanks

dabster said:
what?? seems you are completely unaware of the the Movies available on DVD's and Many other downloadable materials( series- prison break and many)...

Huh u will buy an HDTV worth above 50000 coz U wannna watch some dloaded stuff. Seriously man. Dloading an over a GB episode of half an hour will take more than 1 night. Surely until HDTV bradcasts dont start in India common man shud not bother bout HDTV.

T

After a long long links conversation with people from tata sky ..... one of them told me to expect widescreen and HD broadcasts by this year end - early next year ..... dunno if he was faking it to get me off the phone or theres some juice in it ... lets wait and c .. any1 else got info on this ?

Also which is better HD DVD / Blue Ray ?? Reviews are more and more confusing on the net .. I need a 1080i capable player for 1 Tv and 1080p for another ... for now i'll just get the 1080i (budget constraints) .. but which ?

As for TV .. people here can get a HD ready (1366*768) or Half HD (yep some people call it that) with upto 1080i support ..for a decent and nice future proof TV ... 1080p or FULL HD (1920*1024) broadcasts will take a long time (even "LOST" comes in 720p currently) . HD ready prices are bound to fall more .. 26" Tv's (apart from Sony) cost round 30-32k here (pune) .. should expect another 5 -7k drop in a year or so . 1080p or FULL HD .... currently can only be enjoyed using a Blue ray / HD DVD player ..... I dont have one so cant comment .

S

HD broadcast is really going to take at least 3 years to start. Few cities may get the test singals from DD by early 2009 if all goes well with their plans. But this is not going to happen you all know. About satellite reception I really wonder whether Dish/Tata sky have that capacity right now to even provide 720i. (Though I am not sure)

720i is NOT HD...

T

u got a point ...big one .. nways DD HD ?? whos gonna watch that ? (sorry , not being rude)

S

thrash_metal said:
u got a point ...big one .. nways DD HD ?? whos gonna watch that ? (sorry , not being rude)

That question is currently a really unanswerable one

may be only time will tell.

But will the producers will afford to produce their programs in HD?????

@goobimama : 720i I know is not HD but I was just commenting about the current capabilities of our DTH broacasters.

J

Hi,
This topic has been really helpfull pal and im content that u will be able to help me with some related trouble.

I just brought a Philips 29PT8836 model HD ready TV, i also own a sony DAV-DZ150K DVD home theatre system with progressive scan and component out(Y Pb Pr). The TV has 2 Y Pb Pr input, one is marked HD and the other component video in, i own a mafco gold plated component video cable too. the problem is, when i connect the DVD player from the ypbpr to the tv's HD input i get a clear picture (its says 420p, 520p etc), this is when progressive scan is enabled on the dvd player,but no picture when interlaced is enabled.
but when i connect the same output from the dvd player to the tv's ypbpr marked component video in, im getting no picture when progressive scan on the dvd player is enabled,but i can view it with interlaced selected.
what could be the difference with the 2 ypbpr connections, one is marked HD and the other component vide in as i said earlier.Kindly help

Hi,
This topic has been really helpfull pal and im content that u will be able to help me with some related trouble.

I just brought a Philips 29PT8836 model HD ready TV, i also own a sony DAV-DZ150K DVD home theatre system with progressive scan and component out(Y Pb Pr). The TV has 2 Y Pb Pr inputs, one is marked HD and the other component video in, i own a mafco gold plated component video cable too. the problem is, when i connect the DVD player from the ypbpr to the tv's HD input i get a clear picture (its says 420p, 520p etc), this is when progressive scan is enabled on the dvd player,but no picture when interlaced is enabled.
but when i connect the same output from the dvd player to the tv's ypbpr marked component video in, im getting no picture when progressive scan on the dvd player is enabled,but i can view it with interlaced selected.
what could be the difference with the 2 ypbpr connections, one is marked HD and the other component vide in as i said earlier.Kindly help

good work..keep it up

My Question - Do we even deserve these Tv's , what is so appealing in watching pixelated TV Channels ! ?

T

If you wanna watch regular TV ... dont get these Tv's ... ur better off with a CRT ... if you wanna also play games (consoles) , watch good DVD video and so on .. ur on it ... get em'

Re: Don’t Buy Hdtv Before U Read This

techno_funky said:
My Question - Do we even deserve these Tv's , what is so appealing in watching pixelated TV Channels ! ?

Considering there is no HDTV content streaming out here the only possible use would be for gaming which seems to have become a rage these days.We don't have Blu-Ray & HD-DVD's movies being sold in the market too(not upto my observations atleast) so that leaves very little room for shifting to these televisions.Unless you are relative of Donald Trump & have loads of cash to blow out on huge screens.

H

Whenever u buy something technical u gotta know everything about it or else u will surely be tugged.

Good info..
@vivek: Nice work..

hmm....i have better fodder for thoughts

do we really need quad cores & upcoming quad sli today ?? i mean in july 2007,dont say anything about future

^^ Start a new thread for that mate... Lets keep the useful info in this clean..

T

Currently i'm using the HDTV to play games (xbox 360) & watch DVD movies ... As far as the Blue Ray / HD DVD goes ....... i've heard that DRM has screwed it up completely ... not sure .. .anyone wants to add to this ? Any Blue Ray / HD DVD owners in the forum ?

R

Hi Vivek,
Ur old post saved me from buying a full HD LCD & I am now inclined to get a CRT 29" as of now.
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?p=964138#post964138

thanks vivek...
really helpful

Thnx for the Guide Vivek !

R

Mind you that the guide is over a year old but its yet fully applicable thus I decided for not buying LCD yet as I don't game nor any HD dvds are available so all I am left with is Tatasky which wont look gud bcoz of low resolution transmission.

Most people fall for the look & slimness of LCd Tvs but get to know nothing about the internal workings of the image transmission & its results.

Great guide. Will help the members to make a perfect decision and know wht to expect..

PS: Has anyone tried the new Airtel dth with their HD display?

ranjan2001 said:
Hi Vivek,
Ur old post saved me from buying a full HD LCD & I am now inclined to get a CRT 29" as of now.
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?p=964138#post964138

why??? ...

This thread is about the misleading info of HDReady...HD other crap terms..that dealers say to ignorant buyers..not a person who knows what to buy.

NOT to buy a FULL HD panel... Nothing can beat a Full HG 1080p LCD ... nothing...

It just uses.. if u like HD gaming... like in consoles or a dual 9800gx2 or a dual gtx280 setups...or the Ati cross fires..u need a full HD panel... yeas 24" from dell is ok... i say ok coz atleast for me..more screen area is a good news..provided i sit atleast 6 feet away from my pc...wireless KBB+Mouse FTW..

U can buy Full HD if u do atleast one things of the following

1. HD gaming.
2. Movie buff... yea dvd rips dont cut..i need a min 720p now... "Jenna looks nice"
3. Watch DTV's.... yeas its true..watch it side by side..a difference is there..
4. and oh yea... if u have money...then no issues..even u dont do 1 to 3.. :lol:

Jerin

T

Re: Don’t Buy Hdtv Before U Read This

Thanks a lot Vivek for sharing your findings.

They are really helpful and save us Indian from being cheated by these multinationals.

Not mentioning Bump to a year old thread maybe injurious to Forum career. :lol:

=> Thats what I read in someone's signature.

But nevertheless a nice article for noobs..