Is my TV HDTV ready?

[cpt_azad]

Ya, as busyman pointed out, try to get a HDTV that has HDMI since that is truly next gen, and since all tv's these days have component you're good to go.

The 32" I have in my room is just sweet, I got it for 875 after tax (Canadian ) and it has everything built in, just remember this, brandname (unless it's a sony vega) is just money money and more money.

Mine is a Prima LCD, and it has the exact same features as a Sony 32", I'm talking exact 1:1 features...the sony one costs 2000 dollars.

Basically what I'm saying is, don't always think "recognized brand name = better quality" because it truly isn't, do extensive research before buying, I did and I'm glad.

And another thing, if you find the TV that you're looking for, don't buy it right away, be patient. The TV I bought retails at 1299.99, just waited a while till a sale came along, and the price dropped to 1000. Waited another 2 weeks and it dropped to 750ish (can't remember what it exactly was), I went there at 10 am in the monrning and there were only 2 left lol.

If you have the budget, go with DLP, if not go with LCD. Stay away from Plasma, it might be great, but the problems outweigh the aesthetics of it. Like I said, do your research ahead of time.

[Vamp]

So if I were buying a new TV, how would I know if it would support HDTV? What would be better? How much of American/Canadian TV is broadcast in HD to make use of it though? I know that there's nothing here yet so I'd only be using it for console gaming...Or can you display normal TV in High Def?

[lynx]

If you want a tv which supports all the formats at optimum clarity you should look for one with 1920x1080 resolution.

Lower resolutions will work, and it depends on what you like to watch. For instance, sports are likely to be broadcast at lower resolutions (probably 1280x720) but higher frame rates. If you mainly watch sports this resolution would probably be good enough for you.

On the other hand if you watch a lot of movies then you need the higher resolution, but that won't improve the resolution on sports programs which are transmitted at the lower resolution.

You can display normal tv on a high def screen, but since the information isn't there you obviously can't get any improvement on the picture.

[cpt_azad]

So if I were buying a new TV, how would I know if it would support HDTV? What would be better?

Simple, ask before you buy, and always always use the single greatest tool at your disposal, the internet. Do your research extensively before buying as I pointed out before, you're going to be making at least a thousand dollar investment. Almost all (I say almost because I am not 100% sure) LCD TV's support HDTV, and come with component+HDMI+DVI inputs. Same with Plasma's (but do not buy this, too many problems for console gaming and even normal HDTV broadcasts, unless you plan on sitting quiet a distance from it) and DLP's.

How much of American/Canadian TV is broadcast in HD to make use of it though? I know that there's nothing here yet so I'd only be using it for console gaming...Or can you display normal TV in High Def?

Not much, but as the years progress, so do the standards of broadcasting, best to set yourself up now then later on, albeit prices will most likely be lower in the future, it's all relative really, do you really want a HDTV now or later? That's a question only you can answer.

You can watch normal TV on HDTV no problem, but it won't be displayed in Hidef, most likely in 480p.

Also be warned, most DVD's are 480p, the newers ones are 720p and up, and if you have a DVD player make sure it supports progressive scan and utilizes 720p and up.

I use my HDTV as my computer monitor, 360 display, and normal TV. Just make sure of two things:

1) Depending on screen size, how far you're going to be sitting away from it
2) Whether or not you're going to be using a digital cable box/receiver for normal TV viewing.

Best to go with a receiver (digital cable/satellite), since it is digital to begin with.

[Vamp]

Now can TV broadcast in HDTV be displayed (although of course not in the best quality) on a standard TV, or will an upgrade become necassary eventually?

[lynx]

Once HDTV starts to get hold here in the UK, I'm probably going to get something like this.

Prices should come down once HDTV really takes off, and that model not only has the highest quality display, but also directly handles streaming divx/mpeg/wmv from your pc (and probably the internet). Not available in the US yet though.

[cpt_azad]

Once HDTV starts to get hold here in the UK, I'm probably going to get something like this.

Prices should come down once HDTV really takes off, and that model not only has the highest quality display, but also directly handles streaming divx/mpeg/wmv from your pc (and probably the internet). Not available in the US yet though.

Wow, that's awesome. I had the Acer 19" widescrenn LCD computer monitor for a while, it was the best damn computer monitor that I've owned up until now (but then again what I have now is not a computer monitor...). If it becomes available to Canadians (shipping), then I might just buy that and sell what I have now.

37" > 32"

Not to mention the quality.

[Vamp]

So whats the difference between HDMI, DVI and HDTV?

Is HDTV the signal and HDMI/DVI is the way it converts it into video (and in HDMI's case, audio?) HDMI looks a like a flat connector though, while DVI is three component cables right?

If I got an HDMI (Do you get TVs with both DVI and HDMI?) HDTV ready TV, how would I connect my DVD Player, Decoder etc to the TV with HDMI? Would each of the accessories (DVD etc) have to have HDMI output? And would I use one HDMI cable per accessory into the TV? Would the TV have mutliple HDMI inputs that I could switch between like AV on a TV?

[Busyman™]

So whats the difference between HDMI, DVI and HDTV?

HDTV is the signal...either 720p, 1080i or 1080p

HDMI is a connector for the audio and video

DVI is a connector for the video

Is HDTV the signal and HDMI/DVI is the way it converts it into video (and in HDMI's case, audio?) HDMI looks a like a flat connector though, while DVI is three component cables right?

DVI is an entirely different connector. It is not 3 component cables.

If I got an HDMI (Do you get TVs with both DVI and HDMI?) HDTV ready TV, how would I connect my DVD Player, Decoder etc to the TV with HDMI? Would each of the accessories (DVD etc) have to have HDMI output? And would I use one HDMI cable per accessory into the TV? Would the TV have mutliple HDMI inputs that I could switch between like AV on a TV?

To connect with HDMI, you need an HDMI connector on the other end. You can also have DVI since there are HDMI to DVI cables but you'll have to connect audio separately since DVI doesn't carry audio.

Some TVs have both connections in the back.

[Vamp]

Ok that's cool, but how does one watch 720p video/tv on a 1080i TV and visa versa?

Is there quality loss when 720 is converted to 1080 and 1080 is downconverterd to 720?

You don't get High Definition DVDs now, right? Those are going to be Blue-Ray disks? But if you do (or when you do) will you be able to switch between whether the DVD/Blue-Ray Video is 720p/1080i or will you have to buy a differen DVD/blue-ray for which signal your TV uses?