BUYING GUIDE: Basic Hi-Definition
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BUYING GUIDE: Basic Hi-Definition In this Hi-Definition Buying Guide, you will learn: • 3 basic things to base your decisions on • Which Hi-Def players rank the highest • 3 basic things to look for in a Hi-Def TV display • The Hi-Def audio options that ranked the highest • Surprising Hi-Def Choices: What mattered the most to Hi-Def buyers E N J O Y H I - D E F I N I T I O N ! Enjoyment of Hi-Definition (or Hi-Def) Home Viewing over standard TV viewing is really about 3 things: 1. Improved image 2. Increased audio options 3. Ability to access Hi-Def Exclusive Features on HI-Def DVDs IMPROVED IMAGE Basic Hi-Def TV displays can be categorized into: LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) DLP (Digital Light Processing) PLASMA PROJECTION* (*for non-entry level Hi-Definition, and not discussed in this article) It’s been said that if you can afford it, buying a plasma HD TV display will get you the best possible image. This is not necessarily true. Below are five basic considerations when choosing a Hi-Def TV: 1. Select a TV display that is at least 32 inches in size. In many instances, the perceived superiority of a Plasma screen becomes visible only when the screen is larger than 50 inches. 2. Select a TV display that offers adequate off-angle viewing. You don’t want to image to fade slightly if seen from a peripheral angle. © 2007 INTELLIKEY LABS: Hi-Def Buying Guide Page 1 3. Select a TV display that has minimal reflectivity (i.e., matte plastic or a glass screen with glare-reducing finish). 4. Select a TV display with superior black levels (the color black appears as a single color). 5. For screens larger than 50”, choose a resolution of 1080p over 780p/1080i for a clearer image. WATCHING STANDARD DEFINITION DVDs ON YOUR HI-DEF TV Hi-Def will not make your standard definition DVD discs look better. Because Hi-Def screens are usually larger than those for standard definition viewing, the imperfections in the image appear larger, and often more noticeable. Your favorite standard def movies may suddenly appear “soft” or subtly “blurred” when shown on a much bigger screen. This is normal. Some TV shows or movies, especially older ones, will not look better in high-definition (unless substantial image cleanup and/or restoration has been applied). Some high-definition movies and TV shows actually can end up looking WORSE in high-definition, because of “black-levels” or “black level performance” (the intensity of black as reproduced on the Hi- Def TV display). Black should appear as a single color, not as blocky and jagged images in various shades of black. The movies/titles that best showcase the improved image quality of high- definition over regular DVD are often those that are: 1. Digitally shot in Hi-Def for Hi-Def 2. Have high compression/bit rates throughout the DVD 3. Have been created or restored to reproduce well in a high- definition viewing environment Although it is not always obvious whether Hi-Def DVD titles will look better than standard definition titles, here are some clues: 1. Highly successful theatrical releases which are available on Hi- Def DVD 2. Theatrically-released animation titles which are available on Hi- Def DVD 3. Digitally restored legacy movies/titles which are available on Hi- Def DVD 4. Hi-Def releases that are advertised as: a. “Made for High-Definition” b. High-Definition restoration © 2007 INTELLIKEY LABS: Hi-Def Buying Guide Page 2 Avoid products with these descriptions, since they are not true Hi-Def: “Just like Hi-Def” “Looks like high-definition” BURN IN Burn-in is the still image that remains on-screen (slightly ghosted) after having been left onscreen for an extended period of time. Although this occurrence is not entirely a thing of the past, it is often more related to CRT (cathode ray tube TVs.) If burn-in does occur on an LCD or plasma or DLP screen, in general, moving images over time will erase it. It may take overly-bright settings over many hours to burn in an image, whereas on CRTs, an image could be burned-in over a relatively shorter time span, and with relatively lower brightness settings. HI-DEF AUDIO QUALITY AND OPTIONS Hi-Def allows for many more audio formats or options than standard definition. Listed below are the most common audio formats ranked according to preference by Intellikey: Audio Format % Who Preferred DTS True HD 29.87% DTS HD 25.11% DTS 18.61% Dolby Digital+ 18.18% Dolby Digital 8.23% 100.00% You may also have heard about 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1. These are audio channels. It refers to the number of audio speakers and how discrete sounds are output to specific audio channels. Some people may not be able to detect the differences between the various Hi-Def audio options unless coached or unless a direct comparison is made. Other people say the improvements in Hi-Def audio are most noticeable in the ambient noise of a TV show or movie. However the majority of movies/titles make use of ambient noise only occasionally. Although one audio format may be mathematically superior to another, it may not be everyone’s preferred audio choice. Other variables such as: 1. The movie in which the audio format is used 2. The level to which the high-definition movie title has taken advantage of the specific audio format 3. The environment that it is played in © 2007 INTELLIKEY LABS: Hi-Def Buying Guide Page 3 4. Personal preference …all play an important part. From our own studies, we have found that although several audio formats are clearly preferred, the choice is really about whether what you hear is what you like. THE HI-DEF DVD PLAYER In ten years of testing thousands of DVD players and titles, these are the things that are most often preferred in DVD players: 1. A clear image 2. A quick power-up/initialization and quick execution of the remote control commands 3. A remote that is comfortable and easy-to-use 4. A player with minimal stuttering, lock-ups or crashing during use As of December 2007, approximately 10 different manufacturers are making about 30 different Hi-Def DVD players for the US. Contrast this with Standard Definition’s 100+ manufacturers and 3000+ DVD models. Here is a list of the most frequently requested features on DVD players: • Choose 1080i over 70p/1080p as it will have a better resolution and will produce a clearer image, especially on a larger Hi-Def TV display (i.e., 50” or larger.) • Auto-wide will detect whether the image requires a screen/formatting adjustment and make it for you automatically. HI-DEF FIRMWARE UPDATES Hi-Def DVD players are sometimes released with serious problems, or may be unable to accommodate the programming of a particular Hi-Def disc. With newer technologies, this is often the case. To correct these shortcomings, the DVD player manufacturer may release a Firmware update. Almost all Hi-Def player manufacturers have released an Hi-Def update at some point. In 2007 alone, there have been 25 updates for 30 Hi-Def DVD players. However, you may not know about a Firmware update unless you research this on your own. As of December 2007, only the Microsoft Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on will automatically check for updates when the Xbox is powered up and web-connected. This relieves you of the task of having to do this manually, a nice perk with the Xbox 360 HD add-on. © 2007 INTELLIKEY LABS: Hi-Def Buying Guide Page 4 THE REMOTE CONTROL Depending upon the kind of viewer you are, during a 2-hour Hi-Def DVD movie, you may send as many as 40 commands for your remote control to execute. To access Bonus and Advanced features, the number of commands increases dramatically. A comfortable and practical remote can add to the enhancement of Hi-Def viewing, whereas one that is not ergonomically designed, or bulky, uncomfortable to use or impractically laid out can very quickly turn a movie into an annoying experience. Therefore, the Hi-Def remote should be strongly considered into the purchase of your first Hi-Def system. A survey of technically astute Hi-Def DVD users yielded the following overall comments with regard to the remote controls: A remote control should be: 1. Comfortable and easy to hold and maneuver in your own hand (should not be too big, too heavy or too small) 2. Buttons should be organized intuitively 3. Buttons should be legible and/or use textural placements so you can determine button location without having to look at the remote (avoids having to turn up the ambient lighting during movie viewing) The two highest rated remote controls and the reasons most often cited for their high ratings are the following: HIGHEST RATED REMOTE CONTROLS Remote for Toshiba HD-A30 Proper size, intuitive Remote for Samsung BD-P1000 Comfortable, intuitive WHAT COMES WITH? Some Hi-Def players offer up to 9 free Hi-Def movies with their purchase. On average, this could be worth as much as $225 on Hi-Def movie purchases. A nice savings, especially if you were planning on purchasing those movies anyway. The color, the style, the cost…those things are the most personal and relevant to what your budget can sustain. © 2007 INTELLIKEY LABS: Hi-Def Buying Guide Page 5 WHICH FORMATS HAVE THE MOVIE STUDIOS CHOSEN? As of December 2007, the table below lists the way in which the major movie studios align themselves with the two competing Hi-Def formats.