Archive for the ‘TV’ Category

LCD VS LED TVs: A Comparison

Monday, October 18th, 2010

Plasma TVs will soon be extinct. In its place are two competing technologies: LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and LED (Light Emitting Diode). What are they, and how do they compare?

Technology

Despite sounding like two completely different technologies, both LCD TVs and LED TVs share the same basic design. Namely, they both use LCD panels to display the picture. Where the two technologies differ is in the backlight. A backlight shines light through the LCD panel much like a projector shines light through a slide. Without the backlight, the LCD panel would not be visible. A TV labeled an LCD TV will have a CFL (Compact Florescent) backlight, while the LED TV relies on a LED backlight.

How Backlights Work

There are two different methods for backlighting the LCD panel. The first and more common method is edge lighting. In this setup, a light source that is located at the edge of the TV and is shined inward. Then a lens is used to even out the brightness of the light across the entire LCD panel. CFL backlighting uses this technique exclusively, while LED cheaper LED backlit TVs rely on this technology, too. The other backlighting technique is a full panel backlight. While these consume more power, they have one feature that edge lit TVs don’t: local dimming. With an edge lit TV, when the image that your TV is displaying is dark, the LCD panel blacks out the dark spots. But it can never fully blot out the backlight, which is why the blacks never look truly black. Local dimming solves this problem by turning off the backlight behind the black pixels.

Comparison

So how do the two technologies compare? Well, CFL LCD TVs are much cheaper. LEDs are expensive to produce. Also, LCD TVs are much thinner and lighter than full panel LED TVs. If having a cheap yet sleek looking TV is more important than the image quality, then go with a LCD. CFL backlighting is also produced in more dimensions than LED backlights, so there is more variety in size with a LCD TV.

But LEDs have two major advantages: longevity and a better contrast ratio. LEDs are solid state. There is no gas to excite, no coils to heat up. So LEDs last a long time. This is the primary advantage that edge lit LED backlights have over their LCD TV counterparts. The backlight on the LED TV will last longer. The other major advantage LED TVs have is local dimming. When you can completely turn off the backlight, your blacks will always be darker than when you can’t.

There is no obvious winner in the LED vs. LCD TVs comparison. LCD TVs will be cheaper for the foreseeable future, but LED technology consumes less power and lasts longer. Plus LED backlights can dim behind dark sections of the screen. Beyond blacks, both TVs produce similar images because they both use LCD panels. So the decision comes down to whether you care more about the price of true blacks.

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SONY Google TV Unveiled

Sunday, October 17th, 2010

Internet integrated Google TV by Sony has been launched and the shipment starts today. In an attempt to dominate the living room, Google TV devices had been introduced to engage people with even more web experience than they already do. Sony Google TV is available in 24”, 32”,40” and 46” 1080p edge-lit LED screens. LED screen is not available in the 24” size. It is a full HDTV that comes with four USB ports, Wi-Fi connectivity and four HDMI ports.

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The internet TV software in the new Sony Google TV allows you to view YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Flickr, Twitter and more right in your living room. You can watch TV and browse at the same time and have a great multitasking experience. The default browser is Google Chrome and applications are powered by Android OS. The TV has a huge remote control with dozens of buttons. It looks like a combination of a Play Station controller and a keyboard. The prices range between $599 and $1399.

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Hulu

Monday, October 11th, 2010

Watching TV shows and movies on the internet has become so much more fun with the new Internet TV site Hulu. The name itself has been selected to give a fun feeling by keeping it short, easy to spell and easy to pronounce. Hulu has a huge collection of movies from the famous networks and studios including FOX, NBC, Universal, MGM and ABC. More than one thousand TV shows can be viewed on Hulu by its own embeddable branded player. There are recent collections as well as old classics.

Hulu on the iPad

Hulu holds the largest collection of movie videos and thousands of TV shows with full episodes. Hulu interface is very simple and easy for the users. The home page has no cluttering which makes navigation much simpler. There are some interesting features offered by Hulu such as controlling the amount of light while viewing. You can also make the video pop out so you can carry out other web browsing activities in the background. There are very minimal advertisements as compared to watching movies and TV shows on the TV. The resolution as well as the sound quality is quite superb.

With Hulu now you do not need to wait for primetime to watch your favorite shows. Hulu has become the second largest video provider on the web but is currently available in the United States only.

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The Best LCD TV to Buy

Saturday, September 25th, 2010

There are many savvy customers looking for the best LCD TV to buy. The best way to find the perfect one for your home is to follow advice from professionals. Read reviews on the internet or ask the TV expert at your local store. No matter what HD TV you deicide to buy, these steps should help you in your search.

Make sure to research about the latest TVs available on the market. Since new models are coming out everyday. Check the internet fro the details and newest information for the newer models. You can easily check the brands and features that every TV has, along with the price tag.  It will help you decide on the TV that will fit your budget and on your living room. Most brands manufacture various models which they set at different prices with different features that are basically the same, so don’t get over whelmed by the vastness of TVs out there. Also ask friend and family members for their suggestions, you never know if they might know a good deal somewhere.

New TV

The easy way out of this ordeal is to read multiple reviews from sources that you trust. It will provide you with information about each model from a consumers’ experience. Most reviews have the cons and pros of every TV model in comparison.  This will help you easily see the defects and benefits that each TV offers.  When you decide to head for the store, inspect closely the manufactures specifications and warranty.

At last, lets take a look at the styles of modern TVs. Not only do they offer an exceptional viewing experience. They also come in many designs to suit your home decor. The style varies from multiple colors to the size of the TV. Choosing the TV in the right size is essential to ho wit will look ether at your living room or at a room. A big TV is not that appropriate for a small room as a small LCD TV is not that quite right a living room. That way you will have a stylish spacious living environment with the right style.

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The Features of a Good Blu-Ray Player

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Last year, the price of HDTV and Blu-Ray players must have stopped you from getting one for your living room. You also wouldn’t want to throw away your DVD collection now that you are planning on getting a Blu-Ray player like the Panasonic DMP-BD85. Don’t worry; I will help you in defining what Blu-Ray player features you can’t live without.

If you have an HD television, you must also get a high-definition player that plays with 1080p resolution so you get eye-popping images out of your widescreen TV. With a Blu-Ray player, you can still play your DVDs and they will turn out to be better than when played on your DVD player. Most Blu-Ray players are equipped with upscaling features so you don’t have to neglect your collection in the shelves.

Blu-Ray players that are released nowadays have many features, not present from those of the past. BD-Live content and Bonus View are some of the new features that Blu-Ray discs are now outfitted with. Bonus View needs a secondary audio/video decoder while BD-Live allows you to access Web content. Some players are BD-Live ready which means you will need an external memory like a 1G SDHC or SD card because there is no internal memory for your downloads.

Also, Blu-Ray players are now not limited to playing discs. Blu-Ray and DVD discs are just one source of your entertainment. If you want to enjoy online services such as Netflix, Pandora, YouTube and Picasa, you look for WiFi ready players. If you want built-in WiFi, the Panasonic DMP-BD85 is not a good choice though as it has the external WiFi adapter, just like the Panasonic DMP-BD65.

A high-end Blu-Ray player is equipped with advanced image processing technology and audio output, so you can enjoy your movies as if you are watching them in the theater. There are a lot of choices for Blu-Ray players that fit your budgets, but take note of the features that it has, so you get the most value for your money.

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Contracts With a Dish Network Package

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

The word “contract” is not something most consumers like.  People don’t like being tied down to a particular service or company for an extended period of time because they fear something might go wrong and then they will be stuck.  This is certainly true with cable and satellite TV providers.  While satellite companies have required contracts for years, cable television companies have just started to get into the contract game.  Most cable contracts come with an incentive though, as you can get a cash card or and iPod Touch with some of the Xfinity cable TV contracts. But what about the contract required with a Dish Network packge?

First it is a good idea to look at it from the perspective of the company.  Dish Network packages come with certain perks for the consumer, so you have to understand that the company is going to ask for something in return.  They offer a discounted rate on the package for one year along with free installation and equipment.  The labor involved in setting you up with satellite service is usually a few hundred dollars all by itself, and they haven’t made a dime off of you until the first bill comes in the mail.

That is why the contract with Dish Network is for two years.  The first year they give you $15 off of any package, meaning an additional $180 in savings for the customer.  The second year they finally start collecting the full rate on your subscription. Their hope of course is that you will really like the service, and thus will stay for five or ten years.  Then they really start to turn a good profit as the dish and equipment costs are fully recouped and they are just making a profit on the markup.  Programming fees have to be paid by Dish Network month in and month out as well, so they don’t keep all of the money you send them for your package.

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A Guide to Buying a TV Freeview Recorder

Friday, August 27th, 2010

A Freeview recorder for your home is a good investment if you think of the features this wonderful device offers. With all the substandard electronic devices out in the market today, people are hesitant to buy one for themselves. Below are some tips on finding a recording device that will surely function well and deliver quality outputs. The first thing you have to know is that Freeview recorder is the most reliable recording device available in the market.

Gone are the days of recording footage from sources like TV on video cassettes that occupy a large space in your house. Today, each Freeview recording device is equipped with a DVD recorder. A DVD recorder allows you to record television shows and then save it onto DVD format which you can store in discs, taking a whole lot less room than VHS cassettes. The latest models of this type of recording device also have a lot more add-on features to make life a little easier.

With today’s technology, DVD recorder and television hard drive freeview recorders now come in one functional device. With this impressive combo you can now burn files of any format from the hard drive to an DVD disc. (However, you can still record footage to a video cassette.)

The features wired in this device will surely rise above your expectations. You can store TV footage as much as you want from the impressive memory this device can have. Over 200 hours of TV content can be recorded in a device of 160GB storage capacity. The storage space is even expandable so that you can update it whenever you feel the need for additional storage space. Choose one from the wide range of memory capacity that you think will serve the amount of files you need to record.

One drawback of this device is that some Freeview recorders typically have only one tuner. This prevents you from watching other channels aside from what you are recording. However, the impressive features like the automatically changing start and pause live TV of this device overshadow this minor drawback. There are also many models available on the market that have double tuners allowing the recording and simultaneous recording of different channels so you should make sure you read the specifications of each model to ensure you get your preferred model.

Another feature you may want to maximize is the HD TV HDMI output. You can also improve the quality of your recording with the High Definition Up scaling. Such features will enhance your television’s picture quite significantly but come with added cost.

Consider the freeview recording devices as a good investment. It will be a useful addition to your home gadgets.

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Is Converting VGA to HDMI Worth The Price?

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Televisions, monitors, and projectors are slowly switching to being completely digital.  You can find fully analog versions out there, but it’s not very common.  Right now, most of these devices have both analog and digital inputs, but soon enough, everything is going to be digital.  If you happen to run your home theater with a laptop or computer, you may find yourself needing to convert VGA to HDMI.

VGA is the video output most common with older computers and laptops.  These days more and more computers include some sort of digital output, like mini-DVI.  As opposed to mini-DVI, which can easily be converted to HDMI using a cable, VGA requires a converter.  This is because VGA is analog, while HDMI (and DVI) are digital.  These formats are incompatible without proper conversion.  This is done via a separate converter box.

These converter boxes can be purchased online and run anywhere from $100-$500 depending on its quality and ability to up-convert to high-definition.  This is a pretty expensive piece of equipment, and considering you can buy an HDMI compatible laptop online for less than $500, then you might as well just buy the laptop, rather than the converter.  An HDMI computer is even cheaper than a laptop, so it really doesn’t seem worth it to buy a piece of equipment solely for the purpose of converting your VGA signal to HDMI.

These days, with all of the rich media available online, it’s almost a necessity to incorporate a computer into your home cinema center.  If you have a computer that doesn’t have a digital output, you should simply stick with the analog output that it has.  This can be VGA, but S-Video is common for laptops as well.  S-video is useful if your TV doesn’t have a VGA input; most TVs have S-video.  Either way, it’s just not worth it to purchase a VGA to HDMI converter.  Save your money, or upgrade your computer.

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Advantages of a Panasonic 42 Inch Plasma TV

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

If you have purchased a panasonic 42 inch plasma TV, then you might feel overwhelmed by the challenge of finding a good place to put that extremely large screen. Do not despair. You can find help at the potterybarn web site. Just search for information about the company’s “log in tool.”

The software linked to the PB web site allows Internet viewers to access the Log in configuration. Tools available on that configuration facilitate the development of a customized storage space. Those tools allow a site visitor to design a media suite, one that can hold a large plasma TV.

If your TV has a 42 inch screen, then you ought to study the information on the Media Suite that costs $2,499. This suite includes two 24 inch bases with doors. By sitting those bases side by side, you could accommodate your extra large TV screen.

By investing in the entire Suite, you can put a 24 inch hutch on each side of our television. Then you can put a bridge over your large set, a bridge that links the two side hutches.

Suppose that the makers of plasma TVs happen to introduce a set with an even larger screen. Suppose too that you go out and buy that larger set. Do you have to invest in a whole new Suite? No, you can simply buy two 36 inch bases. That pair would replace your two 24 inch bases.

By using the Log in tool, you would manage to transform your TV media center into one that could hold your newer and larger plasma screen. You could do that by adding only another $699 to the cost of your new television. While you sit back and watch your TV, the readers in your home can enjoy leafing through any of the books that have been placed on the shelves of your lovely and impressive, wooden Media center.

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