|
By: Richard Del Cazzo
Web site: http://www.hdtv-hdtv.com
Pioneer HDTV: You’ve seen the words "Broadcast
in HDTV" at the start of some of your favorite television
shows. Your newspaper is flooded with ads from local electronics
stores plugging the newest "must have" Pioneer HDTV
sets. But, according to the Consumer Electronics Association
(CEA), while more than 60 percent of American television viewers
recognize the abbreviation “HDTV,” they are very
confused about all of the new TV terminology and what they
will actually see when they invite high-definition television
into their home.
"HDTV is all about the experience. The improvement in
picture image and clarity between standard or enhanced definition
and high definition is dramatic,” said Gary Bauhard,
director of marketing for home entertainment at Pioneer HDTV
Electronics (USA) Inc. “Whether watching sporting events
or television shows, when viewers experience true HD quality,
they see the difference as clearly as when they switched from
VHS to DVD.”
According to the CEA, more than 20 percent of consumers are
wary of buying HDTV equipment because the technology and the
programming are confusing. Consumers need to understand how
to cut through the clutter of all the new Pioneer HDTV technology
and know exactly what to look for in order to make their home
HD ready.
A trip to an electronics store today can prove overwhelming.
A range of choices is quickly replacing traditional televisions.
Plasma televisions, LCDs and projection televisions come in
sizes ranging from 13 inches to greater than 70 inches with
price tags from the low hundreds to thousands of dollars.
Some products come equipped with “plug-and-play”
technology for immediate reception of the HD signal, while
others claim they are HD-ready or offer enhanced definition
TV. Consumers are asked to compare standards and formats they
don't understand and try to differentiate between monitors
and integrated sets.
“The key to demystifying this technology and making
sure you are investing your money in a television that will
give you the best HD quality now and in the future, is to
do some research and figure out which questions to ask before
going into the store. Before making the final decision, consumers
shouldn’t settle on price alone, but also make sure
that their new TV lives up to its billing by comparing it
to other displays," Bauhard said.
Pioneer recommends that consumers think about and ask the
following questions when preparing to incorporate Pioneer
HDTV into their home.
You can get HD programming the same ways you get regular television
shows right now – via cable, satellite or simply over-the-air.
Think about how you view your programs and then check the
website of your local cable or satellite provider to find
out about HDTV services in your local area.
If your local cable provider
currently supports HDTV, you simply need to ask them for a
HD decoder box that will replace your current cable box and
provide easy access to HD. In the near future, you will be
able to purchase high definition televisions with the cable
box built in (called digital cable-ready). With these new
televisions, you simply call your cable company and let them
know you have a cable-ready TV and they will provide you with
a credit-card sized card that you insert into the television
to begin receiving service. Pioneer begins offering digital
cable-ready plasma televisions this fall.
This method involves
setting up an antenna and receiving HD programming from local
broadcast towers. If you are in a large metropolitan area,
chances are good that you can already receive many free HDTV
channels over the air.
Satellite: Almost anyone can receive HDTV via satellite and
all satellite companies currently carry high definition channels.
You will need to get a special HD decoder and dish from the
satellite provider to watch HD programming and there’s
usually a small price increase for this service.
Which display is right for me?
Each television technology has its benefits and draw backs
depending on what you want to watch the most:
Traditional CRT (cathode ray tube) based TVs have been in
homes across America for more than 50 years. It is the cheapest
television technology, but it can be bulky and the image being
reproduced is high quality although commonly shrunk to fit
the square screen. The range of screen sizes for CRT TVs spans
from just a few inches to large-size rear projection televisions.
LCD TVs are slim monitors that are available in screen sizes
up to 36 inches. Because LCDs were originally designed for
computer monitors rather than televisions, they are better
suited for viewing data than video. The response time of an
LCD television is slower than other technologies, which means
you may get a blurring effect when images move quickly across
the screen. Because LCD televisions tend to be smaller, they
are easy to fit in most home kitchens, workshops and the like.
However, it’s important to remember that the biggest
benefit of high definition television is enhancing an image
so it seems that you are immersed in the picture. This quality
is much more effective on larger screen sizes. The bigger
the television, the more dramatic the improvement in picture
quality from standard to high definition. If you’re
looking at a 13-inch screen, you might not notice much difference
at all.
Plasma is one of the newest television technologies, but
has been on the market just long enough to become the latest
craze. Newer model plasma televisions offer picture quality
and color reproduction as good as any projection television,
while being thin enough to fit almost anywhere. Plasma also
has a wider viewing angle than many other televisions, which
means you don’t have to sit in the “sweet spot”
in the living room to get a good view of the TV. The larger-size
plasma televisions provide the most dramatic difference when
viewing HDTV.
Digital Light Processing (DLP) Although DLP is much slimmer
than a typical rear projection television, they don’t
have the viewing angle, size or brightness to be hung on a
wall or perched on a stand easily. DLP technology uses micro
mirrors and a color wheel to create an image. Viewing angles,
life span, depth and brightness have plagued the technology.
The upside is that these large screen displays are relatively
inexpensive compared to other technologies.
Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) technology is similar to
how DLP works, however it uses liquid crystals (LCDs) on silicon
wafers (rather then small mirrors) to reproduce images. enabling
the display to show high quality image reproduction when watching
movies and playing video games. Price and size of the displays
are slowing the growth of the technology.
Just because a television is digital, does not necessarily
mean that it offers true HD. The FCC has mandated that all
televisions eventually switch from analog to digital so eventually
everyone will need a digital set to watch TV. If you’re
going to invest in a new television and are considering getting
a standard definition digital set, be aware that this does
not mean high definition.
Some televisions are digital and HD-ready, which means that
you can add a tuner to the television at some later date in
order to receive HD signals. These sets are generally called
HD-compatible or HD-ready and are somewhat less expensive
than a true HDTV. However be aware that not all TVs being
promoted as “HD-compatible” are truly capable
of displaying HD signals. If the television display is not
true HD the signal must be downgraded for an image to be displayed.
This difference needs to be understood before purchasing an
HDTV in order for a consumers expectations to be met.
Pioneer Electronics, the world leader in plasma technology,
offers a variety of PureVision plasma TVs that are the ultimate
in super-slim TV technology. The most recent additions, the
Pioneer PDP-5040HD (50-inch) and PDP-4340HD (43-inch), can
display more than one billion colors for the ultimate HDTV
viewing experience. The new Pioneer high definition plasmas
are complete television solutions including a high definition
media receiver, side-mounted speakers and a tabletop stand
that swivels.
Pioneer's Home Entertainment Division is the leading manufacturer
of plasma televisions and monitors, DVD players and DVD recorders,
A/V receivers, CD players and CD recorders, speakers and other
audio and video accessories. Its focus is on the development
of new digital technologies including Digital Network Entertainment.
The company markets its products under the Pioneer and Pioneer
Elite brand names. When purchased from an authorized dealer,
consumers receive a limited warranty for one year with Pioneer
products and two years with Pioneer Elite products.
|
