Full HD TV Explained
How do you tell modern televisions apart? What does it mean to be HD ready? What does it mean to have full HD TV?
Full HD TV – The technical specifications for a full High Definition LCD TV must include a 1080p as its pixel count. The contrast ratio will be listed as 1920 by 1080p. This 1080p designation signals that a television set can fully and completely broadcast the highest level of high definition broadcasting without reducing it to a smaller pixel count. If you play a high definition DVD or blu-ray disk, a full HD LCD TV can claim the best possible LCD picture. In the same manner, if you check the technical specifications for a full High Definition plasma set, you will also find a pixel count of 1080p. The contrast ratio will be listed as 1920 by 1080p. Again, this is the only way to ensure a true high definition picture without loss of pixel count.
For blu-ray technology, which is also filmed in this 1080p high definition, these sets are perfectly compatible. These sets reproduce blu-ray disks exactly as they were filmed. Other sets cannot claim quite this high a quality.
HD Ready – HD ready capability exists in sets with a pixel rate of 728i or 1080i. Each set includes a built-in high definition tuner for displaying broadcasts with higher pixel ratings. LCDs and Plasmas have fixed-pixel displays that use pixels to display television images. If the number of pixels is 728, then it has 728 pixels per vertical inch. If the number is 1080, then it has 1080 pixels per vertical inch. Images increase in detail as the pixel number rises.
Set Sizes – LCDs dominate the market because they come in sets as small as 10 inches and increase in size to family home theater size. Full High Definition LCD TVs often include the 42 inch TV. Full HD LCD TV’s are considered ‘high end’ compared to their HD ready counterparts. Plasma set manufacturers sometimes offer a 42 inch TV, which may or may not be a full High Definition plasma set. However, plasmas are most often in giant sizes, such as 50 inches and 60 inches. They are primarily for home theater use. Full HD plasma sets are “high end” compared to similarly-sized HD ready plasma sets. Already generously large, the 42 inch TV is the smallest size where both plasma and LCDs are available.
HD sets – One obvious difference between analog and full High Definition TV broadcasting is the aspect ratio. This is the width by height of a display. Analog broadcasting had an aspect ratio of four inches of width to three inches of height. HDTV broadcasts in a 16:9 ratio. You can expect a full HD LCD TV to be as wide as it is tall. It is thinner due to its streamlined technology, and its thinness is not a way to determine if a set is HD ready or a full High Definition LCD TV. Due to aspect ratio, full HD plasma sets and HD ready plasma sets may be as wide as they are tall. They are also thinner due to their technology, and thinness cannot be used as a guide to HD capabilities.
HD Converter – For analog television users, an High Definition converter is a must. Almost all analog signals have been or are being replaced by digital signals. Only an HD converter can make an HD broadcast into an analog signal. Many users report that an HD converter has improved their analog picture considerably. Still, this is not a full HD picture as defined by manufacturing standards.
HD Online – Many television shows are now offer HD broadcasting online. This may or may not be full HD internet by manufacturing standards. After all, your computer also has a tuner that will simply convert any 1080p HD online internet signals into a lower pixel rate as needed.
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