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Community Newsletter: Q&A: Help me untangle the HDTV technical gobbledygook
- 7/26/07 2:16 PM
hi
by rattanak55 - 7/14/07 9:22 PM In reply to: HDTV by Jim McDiarmidi'm ask for the " creativer soun card driver " and the number of device is ct 4810...
i do'nt ask for any LCD or CRT or any kind of this divice... so please reply me only this " sound card " ...
Best Regard...
This is more help then you deserve!
by techtype - 7/15/07 8:30 AM In reply to: hi by rattanak55HDTV
by Jim McDiarmid - 7/14/07 7:04 AM
In reply to: Answer for Nat C. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Buy the latest technology. Don't go for a sale price on an older set.
Costco and Sam's have great pricing on Vizio. I have had a 32" for almost a year and 4 weeks ago bought the 47" LCD 1080p for under $1600. It is awesome.
Also remember there is no reflection in the LCD screen like there is in a Plasma. We watch the LCD with all the blinds and drapes open and the screen faces the windows.
I have no connection with Vizio or any retailer, just did my own research.
Jim
Buena Park, CA
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hi - New!
by rattanak55 - 7/14/07 9:22 PM
In reply to: HDTV by Jim McDiarmid
i'm ask for the " creativer soun card driver " and the number of device is ct 4810...
i do'nt ask for any LCD or CRT or any kind of this divice... so please reply me only this " sound card " ...
Best Regard...
=============================================================================================
I think mister snake you owe Mr. McDiarmid an aplogy, he was refencing what the forum was about "Definitions used in HDTV". You my friend are in an answer to the question of "Definitions used in HDTV" forum. Now I know you think you are the begin all end all when comes to forums, but really you just another "SNAKE" in the grass so to speak. I would suggest that you get a grip and go to the proper forums the next time. You know it might help if you where not as abrasive next time. APOLOGIZE TO MR. MCDIARMID.
Below are sites that will get you drives that you need, three are Polish sites, one is in english.
Best regards
Rick
P.S.
At least I showed you more respect then you did Mr. McDiarmid, who was not even answering your question. Gonna tell you that is more response then I should have given you!
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Drivers for Creative CT4810
Windows98
http://www.softwarepatch.pl/plik/6478/56/4//Creative-CT4810-dla-Windows-95-98.html
Sound Blaster PCI 128 dla Windows 2000, ME, XP
http://www.softwarepatch.pl/plik/299/56/4/5/Sound-Blaster-PCI-128-dla-Windows-2000-ME-XP.html
Windows2000
http://ccftp.creative.com/manualdn/Drivers/Others/255/SBPCI128Setupus_w2k.exe
SoundCard Drivers
http://www.soundcard-drivers.com/drivers/79/79901.htm
hi jim
by lynchone117 - 7/21/07 12:19 AM In reply to: HDTV by Jim McDiarmiddo you know how to adjust the color tempature of a vizio set?
i bought a 32" LCD HDTV
PLEASE HELP
THANKS
HDTV
by mrbillaaaa - 7/14/07 7:23 AM In reply to: Help me untangle the HDTV technical gobbledygook by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I listened to the "Experts"....Then all by myself I read the information on tthe big BOX that contained a 37 inch VIZIO, for $1299 (then). Came home did some research on that ...Went to Walmart bought it for $998.99. The carton was most informitive. It answeres most of those questions you were asking... Is it the Best.. I don't know but.. for the price and the information ..I am very satisfied.......Good luck.
HDTV Sets.
by William the pirate - 7/14/07 8:49 AM In reply to: Help me untangle the HDTV technical gobbledygook by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I keep getting bombarded with ads about HDTV. When I go to a store that carries them (for example, Best Buy or Costco) I find that the clerks really don't know much about them. I came across one that looks interesting, but the description is nothing if not confusing. Perhaps someone can help me untangle the technical gobbledygook. For example: the set I was looking at is a 42-inch HD LCD set with a resolution of 1,920x1,080.
This will be one of the newest set out. It is as you say a 1080P unit.
It is compatible with 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p. I think i means interlaced (like my analog TV set) and p means progressive.
Wikipedia link about the 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interlace
What is the significance of these designations, as a practical matter? Is i or p defined by the TV station or is that a choice of the receiver?
Tv stations broadcast in 1080i or 720p only. It depends on the network. NBC, CBS, & PBS are in 1080i. FOX & ABC are in 720p. Which is better is up for debate and depends on the material of the show.
It is said to be compatible to NTSC (I recognize that), The is analog old standard that will end 2-17-2009.
ATSC, Over the air Digital (HD & SD).
and QAM (what are these?), Cable digital.
and are there other systems out there that need to be covered? NO. What is Media Connectivity? Not sure what they are meaning if it is ability to input a computer, internet, or cards from cameras on this one. I would have to know the manufacturer and model to see what they are referring to on this one.
Someone needs to publish a document that ordinary mortals can read and understand. Any suggestions?
Then that would mean that the salesman couldn't BS you into the sale. Sorry it is beyond the scope of just one document. You could try searching the model on a few sources on the net to see if it is reviewed. http://avrevforum.com/ http://www.avsforum.com/ http://www.ultimateavmag.com/
More info
by ericbtx - 7/14/07 8:50 AM In reply to: Help me untangle the HDTV technical gobbledygook by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
There are a lot of good answers here - CNET readers tend to know a lot about all kinds of technology - so I won't repeat the direct answers to your questions. I did want to add a couple things you might not have thought of, though.
I used to sell HDTVs and other home theater equipment, and customers got very confused about all the buzzwords and details. So I decided to help them find what they needed by asking some questions. I'll try to go through my typical first questions here, in case it might help.
So let me ask: What do you plan to use your TV for? Here are a few of the answers you might give, and some quick advice for each.
1) Watching TV programs - then next question would then be "how do you get your TV? Over the air with an antenna, from cable, or from satellite?"
If it's over the air, then that is where the NTSC and ATSC tuners come in. If you have cable or satellite (as most American homes do), then the NTSC and ATSC (or "broadcast") tuners become irrelevant. (I've never used mine.)
If you have cable, you have some choices - with the QAM tuner, you can plug your TV right into the wall and get all the digital and HD channels that are not scrambled by your cable company. Watch out though - I've found that a lot of the channels are scrambled - even ones that are part of the "digital basic" cable package. Your TV may have something called a "CableCard" slot, where you can insert a card from your cable company and get the scrambled channels without a cable box. But in my experience, using the QAM tuner right now is not a very user-friendly experience - the channel numbers are bizarre and extremely confusing, and do NOT match the same channel numbers as they would be on your cable box (they look like "47-128" or "100-101," etc.). And with the QAM tuner, you won't get your interactive cable guide, Video On Demand, DVR, etc. Most HD cable users will want to get an HD cable box. In that case, the QAM tuner becomes irrelevant, and what you really need is an HDMI or component connection for your cable box.
Satellite makes all the built-in tuners in your TV completely irrelevant. Both DirecTV and Dish require you to get a receiver box - no exceptions. You'll need an HDMI or component connection to your box again (HDMI is theoretically best quality, if the box can do it).
2) Movies on disc - Do you own or rent DVDs? How about the new HD-on-disc formats, like HD-DVD or Blu-Ray? Both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players have to use an HDMI connection to your TV to show movies in full HD resolution. Even if you're buying a regular (cheaper) DVD player, the new ones can "upconvert" the signal to HD resolutions. It isn't true HD, but it's the best picture you can get from a standard DVD player. That requires HDMI too, so the more HDMI connections on the back of your TV, the better.
3) Video game consoles - I'll only cover the latest video game consoles here. If you play a lot of games, it's best to get a technology that doesn't easily "burn in," which could cause a permanent after-image on your TV. Some technologies are better at this than others. Plasma used to have a big issue with this, but I've read that they're getting better (it may depend on the manufacturer). The LCD you're looking at, though, shouldn't have any problems with this.
Connections - The Playstation 3 requires HDMI for an HD picture, and as an added bonus, it can play Blu-Ray discs too. The Xbox 360 does component only, so you'll need a good component connection for that. The 360 can output 1080p over component, but only if your TV's component connection can take a 1080p signal (many can't). The new Xbox 360 Elite can output HDMI just like the PS3 can - it's just about to come out, I think. The Wii is NOT HD, but I think its best output is over component as well.
One last tip - with LCDs, contrast is everything. The really cheap ones have horrible contrast and look all faded and "washed out." Contrast ratio numbers aren't always accurate - the best thing to do is to look at them in the store and compare how they look (if the store set them up right). This is why I bought an LG LCD over a Westinghouse...
Well, I hope that helps, but like everyone said, there are a lot of good references online. Good luck with everything, and enjoy your TV.
De-Mystifying HDTV
by gingaskunk - 7/14/07 12:32 PM In reply to: Help me untangle the HDTV technical gobbledygook by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Wow! A Lot of questions! Let's start by looking at those confusing HDTV definitions and then we'll look at how the signals are received from your DVD player or Cable box.
Basic, old fashioned TV (the kind you might have bunny ear antennas behind) are 480i. The 480 means that there are 480 lines of "light" hitting the screen of your TV from behind (counting from bottom to top). Now let's call the very bottom-most line, line 1, the one above line 2 and so on, okay?
The i indictor, you are quite right, means "interlaced". The problem with old analogue TV signals is that they can't carry very much data at one time (they have a small "bandwidth"), which makes it difficult to reliably get 480 lines of data to your TV at once. Instead, they actually only broadcast half of the signal, (lines 1, 3, 5, etc) and then right after that the other half (line 2, 4, 6 etc) in a separate transmission. If your TV keeps alternating the picture between odd and even lines fast enough, you don't see much of a difference. It is therefore “interlacing” the two separate pictures of 240 line each.
naturally this means that the other type of indicator, p (which stands for progressive), simply means that the device is showing you all of the lines all of the time. That is to say instead of updating lines 1, 3, 5 and then 2, 4, 6, it updates 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, which makes for a much smoother looking picture, especially when your are watching something with a lot of fast movement like an action movie.
The screen resolution will also tell you the number of lines on the TV screen (in your example of 1920 x 1080 this would be a resolution of 1080 lines).
There are three "defintions" for TV types, Standard Definition (SD), Enhanced Definition (ED) and High Definition (HD). SD simply means 480i (480 lines, not all shown at once). ED means 480p (480 lines, all seen at once). You will very rarely see ED as a TV feature anymore, and I think most people on this board would strongly recommend against even looking at an ED set. So, anything that's left (anything with more than 480 lines) is considered HD.
Therefore because progressive is the best way to deliver a signal and 1080 lines is the highest number of lines in use today, a 1080p TV will future proof you and provide the highest quality picture options. These are getting so cheap now that unless you are looking for a real budget unit I wouldn't buy anything else.
For a long time LCD and Plasma HDTVs only came in 720p (unless you had LOTS of money to burn), but more and more 1080p sets are now out there, and at very reasonable prices, almost all projection TVs produced new now are 1080p.
Now let's move onto how we get that HD picture to your TV. Just like music, your picture quality will only be as good as your weakest component. If you are listening to an old audio cassette, it doesn't make much difference how expensive your sound setup is, you are not going to get great quality music. The same is true of TV.
People generally get their TV one of 3 ways, Cable, Satellite or the Free over-the-air kind.
All of these ways of receiving TV offer HD content (they broadcast a digital signal that can carry HD information, separate to the analogue signal that older TVs pick up). Most cable and sat providers can rent you an "HD Box" that will allow you access their HD content.
They may broadcast some shows in 720 lines, but most now come in 1080i. You should beware that in order to "save space" both cable and satellite providers compress their HD signals. Decompressing these signals for you to see is what their "HD Box" is doing (just like ZIPing a computer file). You will inevitably lose some picture quality due to this compression process but for most people the difference is minimal. Just a side note, an HD satellite signal is typically less heavily compressed than its cable cousin.
You can watch a 1080 signal on a 480 digital set if you want but you will of course lose some of the detail. Likewise, you can watch a 480 broadcast on a 1080 set. In this case your TV actually has a small "brain" inside it, which creates new lines to make a full 1080 image (it looks at the colors above and below the line it is creating and guesses what should go in the middle). This process is called "up-scaling". If you are going to be watching a lot of regular DVDs (which are in 480p as long as you have a "Progressive Scan" DVD player) then how well the TV up-converts should be a key question you want answered before you buy.
You don’t need to worry at all about NTSC versus ATSC versus QAM. NTSC is the name given to the way US broadcasts manage color in the picture. ATSC is simply the name of the council of people who set the rules for HDTV (so that you can buy any brand HDTV and it will work with any HD signal) and QAM is simply a way to modulate the signal to fit more data into the same signal. All HDTVs will use QAM and comply with ATSC….
Finally your question on "Media Connectivity". This simply means it has a lot of plugs in the back and front... that's it. It means you can connect it to a standard digital connection with a Digital Coax Cable, or through an HDMI cable or to a computer with DVI etc. Often you can plug a USB thumb drive or your digital camera’s memory card right into the TV to view pictures on them as well....
Although 1080p sets can play up to 1080p signals, there are no broadcasts out there in any definition better than 1080i right now (and due to bandwidth restrictions, there won’t be for some time yet). However your 1080p ability comes into play with the new High Definition DVD formats (HD DVD and Blu Ray DVD). These both send out a 1080p signal, for the best picture quality possible.
In short, when you are in the store, look at any 1080p TV. If you are looking at it in a store try to see if they can show you a standard 480 signal on it as well as HD to see how it handles both types of signal.
I hope this helps!
little clarification
by neseth - 7/20/07 9:20 PM In reply to: De-Mystifying HDTV by gingaskunknot exactly, not all HDTV's have QAM decoding. Many HDtv's may have ATSC HD tuners built into them. But many do not yet have QAM decoding so you can't pick up any local unencrypted HD channels off of the cable system because that's what most cable companies use.
Basically if an hdtv just has an NTSC(analog)/ATSC(HD) tuner in it, they'll only be able to get HD channels off the antenna with it. They'll need a cable box to pull in any hd channels off cable.
Almost all philips, magnavox, lg tv's have QAM. All sony bravia LCD's have qam. All panasonic plasma's have it, but not their lcd's. I don't know of any samsungs that have QAM, so they are a little behind in that respect.
I didn't understand before
by eddieb_145 - 7/20/07 9:43 PM In reply to: De-Mystifying HDTV by gingaskunkI do now though awesome answer. Thanks
Answer from member gingaskunk
by Galactic Cannibal - 7/20/07 9:58 PM In reply to: De-Mystifying HDTV by gingaskunkHey dude that was a great easy to read answer you gave.
Get into technical writing .
Cheers
Galactic cannibal
Thank you Galactic Cannibal
by gingaskunk - 7/21/07 10:46 AM In reply to: Answer from member gingaskunk by Galactic CannibalI would love to but they only look at people with qualifications...
You don't happen to work for CNet do you? 
Can't even say how greatful I am!
by ahuvakapon - 7/20/07 11:10 PM In reply to: De-Mystifying HDTV by gingaskunkYou've actually demystified for me these "hyerogliefs"!
Thank you for converting them to ordinary human language!
Ahuva
HD-DVD PLAYER
by abacon69 - 7/21/07 3:41 AM In reply to: De-Mystifying HDTV by gingaskunkI purchased an HD-DVD player and I find that my regular DVDs look
better when played on this player however when I purchased an
HD_DVD it wouldn't play at all. After investigating, I learned
that the player is formated to 1080i and the DVD is 1080p. I learned
that the 1080i DVD player will not play a 1080p DVD. I now have a
1080p DVD that I can't play. Why don't DVD sellers tell you that
the DVD is 1080i or 1080p? I don't know weather to buy a new DVD
player that playes 1080p or not since the new BLUE RAY is out.
I just can't keep up.
HD-DVD PLAYER
by scubazar - 7/21/07 9:05 AM In reply to: HD-DVD PLAYER by abacon69I think you may have bought a up-converting dvd player and not a true HD-DVD unit. The new players are Blue-Ray of HD-DVD and cost way more.
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