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High Definition TelevisionsHigh Definition (HD) refers to the resolution that a television is able to display. The image on your television is made up of many small dots. Standard Definition, which is the TV that you watched growing up, comes in at a resolution of 480 pixels from top to bottom and 640 pixels from left to right. High definition, as the name suggests, increaess the number of pixels that form the image.The terms used to describe high definition refer specifically to the number of lines that can be displayed from top to bottom. The different formats of high definition TV signal are known as 720p, 1080i and 1080p. The first refers to content with 720 lines from top to bottom and the latter two to content that has 1080 lines from top to bottom. The "p" and "i" refer to progressive scan and interlaced scan respectively. Progressive scan means that the content is displaying all of the lines at any given moment. Interlaced scan means that content is being alternated between two sets of lines, so a 1080i Tv signal contains the 540 even lines in one frame, and then the 540 odd lines in the next. Progressive scan signals provides higher quality than interlaced scan. In particular the latter can produce a jagged motion and artifacts. The High Definition standard also defines the aspect ratio of the content. In order to be considered high definition the content must have an aspect ratio of 16:9, which is generally referred to as widescreen content. As such any High Definition content will be widescreen. TV shows filmed in the 4:3 aspect used in standard definition TV can either be stretched to fit the screen, or presented with two black bars on the side to fill out the screen. Currently both content and displays max out at 1080p, however more High Definition standards that have even higher resolutions are being worked on. The next expected resolution of high definition will be 2160p, which has a resolution of 2160 lines from top to bottom and 3840 lines from left to right. The Japanese have also been experimenting with a format called Super Hi-Vision, which has a resolution of 7680 by 4320 pixels. This next iteration of HD is not expected to be commercially available for some years yet. Another commonly used phrase with HDTVs is Full HD. Although this phrase does not have a formal definition, it usually refers to a display that has enough pixels to represent every pixel of a 1080p signal. The majority of medium and high-end LCD and Plasma HDTVs on the market at the moment are Full HD models, but some rear projection and low-end models claim to be 1080p, but do not have enough pixels to represent every pixel in the signal. |
Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ8OU Plasma HDTV Review
Samsung LN32A450 LCD HDTV Review JVC LT-32P679 LCD HDTV Review Vizio SV470XVT LCD HDTV Review Sharp Aquos LC-46D64U LCD HDTV Review Vizio VO47L LCD HDTV Review Sony Bravia KDL-46W4100 LDC HDTV Review Samsung LN46A750 LCD HDTV Review JVC Procision LT-47X899 LCD HDTV Review Panasonic TC-37LZ85 LCD HDTV Review |

The Panasonic TH-46PZ80U is a good example of the pluses and minuses of plasma displays. We were quite impressed by the viewing angle and reproduction of blacks. We were less happy with the poor brightness, and as you turn brightness up you lose color accuracy. There are a lot of other compromises in store if you read our review.
The Samsung LN32A450 is a 32-inch LCD HDTV that's available for as little as $600, making it an attractive options as an entry-level HDTV for many. Although it qualifies as a high definition television it has a lower 720p resolution than the highest resolution 1080p televisions that are currently available, not uncommon amongst smaller HDTVs. We did not find that this had a significant impact on the Samsung LN32A450's performance. In fact we were pleasantlly surprised at how well the HDTV performed in many of our tests.
The JVC LT-32P679 is a 32-inch, entry-level LCD HDTV, available for as little as $600. As befits an entry-level television the JVC LT-32P679 does make some compromises. The 720p resolution is lower than higher-end 1080p sets, for example. Still, it's in the prime price range for those who are looking to pick up their first HDTV for a reasonable price. The question is whether that price hides fatal flaws or a great value.
The Vizio SV470XVT is an entry-level 47-inch LCD HDTV. Available for around $1400 it sports some high-end features like 120Hz refresh rate. We found the Vizio SV470XVT performed admirably in most of our tests and should represent a good value for most people looking for a budget TV in this size range.
The Sharp Aquos LC-46D64U is an entry level LCD television that offers the typical mix of good and bad that you would expect from an entry level television. On the plus side it's a thin HDTV, but it lacks any styling and the remote is just terrible. The ports are placed well, however we noticed jerky motion and problems upscaling lower resolution content, an issue if you're going to be watching standard definition content on the TV. The question, of course, is whether it's a good value.
Money talks, and in the case of the Vizio VO47L, it talks loudly, as this bargain basement LCD display is available for less than $1400. And it's not just trash talk either; the VO47LF has decent overall performance, with reasonable color and decent motion. It's not the best performing display we've ever seen, but in terms of what you get for your money, it's a great value pick.
The Sony Bravia KDL-46W4100 is an attractive and fully featured LCD HDTV. We were generally impressed by its performance, with dark blacks, accurate whites and a bright display. That doesn't mean there are no negatives, however, as the color gamut is slightly off and the viewing angle is simply terrible. Do the positive outweigh the negatives? Read the review to find out.
Priced at around $1900, the LN46A750 is a mid-range 46-inch LCD TV. But it's definitely not mid-range in performance terms; we were very impressed with the image quality and the features that this stylish TV offers.
Priced at about $2600, the JVC Procision LT-47X899 is a premium LCD HDTV with a good selection of features, including a 120Hz refresh rate and JVC's third generation Clear Motion Drive processing engine. But the performance of this display doesn't justify the price; we found that the image quality was disappointing.
The Panasonic TC-37LZ85 is a 37-inch LCD HDTV that sits at the lower end of the price range for televisions in its class. Available for as little as $900 the Panasonic TC-37LZ85 offers a full HD experience with a 1080p resolution. It also offers a few nice extras like an integrated memory card slot for viewing your photos. Of course the most important thing about any HDTV is how well it displays your picture. Read on to find out how the Panasonic TC-37LZ85 performs.