After last week’s HDTV home theater installation article, Operation Gadget got a number of questions asking for an explanation of the terminology used to describe HDTV. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I thought I’d point to a few articles where much of that information already exists:
- Defining TV Jargon by Walter Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal: This article defines the different types of flat-screen televisions (Plasma, LCD, and DLP). It also points out that not all large, flat-screen TVs are capable of receiving HDTV signals.
Walter Mossberg strangely leaves conventional CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) systems out of his article. As you know if you read the HDTV home theater article, we installed a Sony WEGA KV34HS420, a 34-inch HDTV-capable CRT. This set is a great value if you are OK with its size and weight.
- Fine-Tuning The HDTV Picture by Stephen H. Wildstrom of BusinessWeek: This article explains the difference between the display formats (1080i and 720p). HBO HD broadcasts much of its content in 1080i in order to show the most detailed images available. ESPN HD uses 720p to broadcast a better picture than conventional television with faster on-screen action than the 1080i format can handle.
We were careful to take pictures of the Sony WEGA KV34HS420 when it was showing both of these channels, so you could see how that TV handles each format. Check out those photos in the Operation Gadget Photo Gallery.