Friday, June 11, 2010

High Definition Television - What is It?

If you're like many people today who have purchased a new large flat-screen HDTV and love the clear, crisp picture, you're probably wondering, what is high definition television anyway? HDTV is the latest, best thing to happen to tv technology since the invention of colorized TV. HDTV offers a better quality picture with richer detail than its older counterpart. The picture is also wider and compared to regular televisions, HDTV offers luminance definition horizontally and vertically. These televisions offer more of what is seen at a movie theater.

The one thing that makes it stand apart from conventional television is the picture quality. Standard TV's have almost imperceptible lines running through the picture, but can be noticed if you look closely. These are called active lines and regular televisions have 486 of them. HDTV's have over twice as many active lines, but even if you looking closely, you will not see them. This fine-grain high definition picture also receive much more image information compared to standard TV's. Not only is the picture excellent, but the sound quality is also superb.

For a person to really understand what is high definition television, knowing the basics of resolution helps. Standard televisions all contain 480i or 480p resolution or visible scan lines, which according to the kind of TV it is, these lines are either scanned progressively (p) or they are interlaced (i), which provides the picture we see. HDTV's are either 720p, 1080i or 1080p. High definition televisions have a standard of 720p, or lines of scanned progressive resolution. This provides a smoother, movie-like image with a sharper, cleaner picture. The most common HDTV format is 1080i resolution, which provides a more detailed picture than does the 720p. Smaller screened televisions really do not benefit from 1080 resolution.

Digital televisions that are capable of displaying television signals in HDTV of 720p, 1080i or1080p are called HDTV capable. Digital TV's that are HDTV capable and have a HDTV receiver built in to them are called "integrated". HDTV's that are capable of displaying high definition resolution but do not have a receiver are called HDTV capable monitors. For those who know little to nothing about what really makes HDTV so superb, just viewing the picture is enough to prove the obvious advantage of upgrading to a high definition television.

P.S. Orr has been writing articles for 6 years on a variety of topics of interest including product reviews. Come visit http://www.cheapjewelryarmoire.net/ which helps people find the best deals on [http://www.cheapjewelryarmoire.net/ContemporaryJewelryBoxes.html]contemporary jewelry boxes and more information about quality jewelry armoire furniture.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?High-Definition-Television---What-is-It?&id=4455935] High Definition Television - What is It?
Related Links:
http://astore.amazon.com/Panasonic-TCP50VT25-HDTV-20
http://astore.amazon.com/Panasonic-TCP65VT25-HDTV-20
http://astore.amazon.com/Panasonic-TCP58VT25-HDTV-20
http://astore.amazon.com/Samsung-UN-46B8000-HDTV-20
http://astore.amazon.com/PanasonicDMCFX75-20

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Digital Camera Buying Guide

To make it easier for you to decide on which camera to buy from the overwhelming number of choices available we suggest you ask the following questions to yourself:

• How do you want to use the camera?

• What kind of pictures do you want to take?

• How often would you use it?

• Would you like to print the pictures or use digital copy only?

• What are the features you are looking for?

• Do you want integrated video recording in your camera?

• What is your budget?

Generally, when people buy a digital camera for personal use, it is to preserve those special moments in their life. So, if you are thinking of buying a new camera, make sure you are aware of how would you use it. For example, do you want to take pictures of your kids playing in the park or do you want to take it with you on holiday. You also have to take into account how often you are likely to use the camera. There's no need to spend a small fortune on an item that you will only use one or two times a year.

Broadly, digital cameras can be identified as:

• Pocket size camera: These are very easy to use and can be carried along without any hassle. Therefore these can be used for various occasions.

• Point and shoot: These types of cameras are relative cheap compared to other types of cameras, such as DSLRs. Point and shoot cameras are ideal for web viewing as they come with only 5 megapixel resolutions.

• High performance: These are the digital cameras or SLR which are suitable for professional photographers. They typically come with more than 10 megapixel resolutions as standard, as well as a combination of additional features which allow you add various accessories.

There are various technical features also to be considered before selecting a camera:

• Memory card: Depending on how often you will be using the item, you should choose a memory card big enough to meet your demands.

• Resolution: A camera with higher resolution would enable you to take more high quality pictures and also print better copies. However, if you intend your photos to be uploaded to Flickr or Facebook, then a camera with a low resolution will suffice.

• LCD Screen: Nowadays, you can view your pictures on the LCD screen as you take them. So, a wider LCD offers better viewing, but is more expensive when compared to a camera with smaller LCD.

• Battery Life: Digital cameras mostly use either lithium rechargeable batteries or AA disposable batteries. Lithium rechargeable batteries offer longer battery life, but are much heavier.

Other addition features to consider are manual settings, continuous shooting, optical zoom, just to name a few. So, if you are planning to buy a new digital camera to capture those special moments, make sure you look at John Lewis's online store. Here you will find a wide selection of cameras and camcorders from leading brands to fit every budget without compromising on style or quality.

Find a range of range of consumer electronics including; [http://www.johnlewis.com/Electricals/Photography+and+Camcorders/Photography+and+Camcorders/All+Cameras/4002/ProductCategory.aspx]digital cameras, TVs and [http://www.johnlewis.com/Electricals/Laptops+and+Netbooks/Laptops+and+Netbooks/Netbooks/8878/ProductCategory.aspx]Netbooks from leading brand names.

Customers can visit the John Lewis website for more information.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Digital-Camera-Buying-Guide&id=4115589] Digital Camera Buying Guide
Related Links:
http://astore.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-FX75-20
http://astore.amazon.com/Canon.SD4000-IS-20
http://astore.amazon.co.uk/Canon-300HS-21
http://astore.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-SP600UZ-21
http://astore.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-SP800UZ-21

Saturday, May 29, 2010

LCD Backlighting For HDTV

LCD is winning the race to be the dominant display technology for HDTV. According to DisplaySearch, in 2007, the market for LCD (liquid crystal diode) TVs was estimated at $27.4 billion. LCD TV shipments rose a stronger than expected 52% year to year in the second quarter of 2008 to nearly 7.5 million units (79.8% of total HDTV sales).

The LCD screen on a LCD HDTV is a selective light filter. It does not in itself emit light, but selectively filters light passing through the display from the back. Most HDTVs include either a single sheet of luminescent plastic or sidelighting with fluorescent lamps to provide the backlight. Both techniques are difficult to control.

Many consumers focus on screen resolution when selecting a High Def (HDTV) system. Is this HDTV 720p, 1020i, or 1020p? However, when an expert group, the SMPTE (Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers), recently ranked the importance of screen resolution, it ranked fourth. The SMPTE ranked contrast ratio, color saturation, color temperature and grayscale ahead of screen resolution in importance. The Imaging Science Foundation reached a similar conclusion. Backlighting is the key component to improvement in contrast ratio and grayscale.

It is important that an LCD system allows for adjustment of the level of backlighting, and preferably, performs this function automatically. This will improve the contrast of the picture. Also, a reduced backlight level will also reduce power consumption and extend lamp life, as the power used and lamp lifetime is directly related to the backlight level. A lamp with a 50,000 hour lifetime at 6 milliamps may only have a 30,000 hour lifetime if the current is 7 milliamps, just 1 milliamp higher (Example: Sharp Electronics LCD Display).

Another important factor in the choice of backlighting is the consideration of "blur". Blur occurs when there is rapid motion in the programming, such as sports. When the picture changes quickly, the pixels can lag in response. Effective backlight engineering can reduce this significantly by strobing the backlighting, so that the individual pixels do not remain lit longer than needed. Examples of this technique include the Philips "Aptura" and the Samsung "LED Motion Plus".

Sidelighting

With sidelighting, the backlight is located in the back of the LCD panel, and to each side to create panel illumination. To make the light more uniform, a light diffuser is located between the lamps and the rear of the optical filter module. Most LCD systems that use sidelighting use cold cathode fluorescents (CCF) lamps. This technology provides a very bright white light. The lifetime of the lamps is usually between 10,000 to 20,000 hours (6-12 years at a rate of 5 hours of use per day).

The most important disadvantage is that the intensity of light cannot be varied locally, and sidelighting can look non-uniform. Some CCF lamps contain mercury. This is an ecological disadvantage.

The major drawbacks:


The intensity of light cannot be varied locally. This results in a lower contrast picture.
The light can be non-uniform.
Some CCF lamps contain mercury.

Conventional Backlighting

Most backlighting is performed with a single sheet of electroluminescent plastic. These panels can age (though improvements in this area have reduced this problem). Electroluminescent Panel backlighting uses colored phosphors to generate light. Displays using this technique can be thin and lightweight, and provide even light distribution.

The major drawbacks:


Limited life of 3,000 to 5,000 hours to half brightness (2-3 years at a rate of 5 hours of use per day).
The intensity of light cannot be varied locally.

LED Backlighting

LED backlighting uses a matrix of LEDs that can be controlled individually to offer very good control. In this configuration, a large number of LEDs are mounted uniformly behind the display. Brightness improvements in LEDs have made them more practical for backlighting. NEC pioneered this technique with their monitor, the 2180WG. Other companies, such as Samsung, have recently introduced versions of this technology. This should push prices down (the Samsung model cost less than 1/3 the price of a comparable NEC monitor).

This system offers local dimming technology and can achieve 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. True actual black levels (the "Holy Grail" of LCD) are attainable by shutting off a pixel's light source. This can eliminate the grayish black picture typical of many LCD HDTVs. Groups of LEDs can be locally controlled to produce more light, increasing the brightness when necessary.

The problem with conventional white LEDs is that their spectrum is not ideal for photographic reproduction because they are basically blue LEDs with a yellow phosphor on top. Their color spectrum has two peaks, one at blue and another at yellow. White LEDs that are based on a group of red, green and blue LEDs are ideal for the RGB color filters of an LCD and can result in the most saturated colors. Sony's "Triluminos" LED backlight system is an example of this technique.
Sometimes, these HDTVs have a row of LEDs across the top and bottom of the display. This improves the brightness and color reproduction, and enables almost complete uniformity across the display.

LED backlights are much more efficient that alternative techniques. And since the LED backlight waste less energy, less heat is generated, that must be managed with air conditioning. LED backlights offer a long operating lifetime of more than 50,000 hours (more than 25 years of use at a rate of 5 hours a day).

LED backlit systems may not show well in a typical retail environment. Typically, the screens are somewhat reflective in order to achieve the high contrast ratio, and subsequently, a brightly lit showroom may not flatter this technology. In a more typical less-lit environment, this problem should not be as noticeable.

Engineering Concerns

The electrical engineering is simpler with LED backlights. Cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCF) require high AC voltages (1,500 VAC) at startup, and operating voltages of 700 VAC or more. When the lamp is new it may take much less voltage to start, but with age the voltage requirements usually increase, complicating a designer's problem. An electroluminescent panel requires a voltage of about 100 VAC @ 400 Hertz.

A power inverter (to generate VAC) is needed for both CCF and electroluminescent panels to operate with a DC power supply. This is a significant expense, in cost, size, and weight of the system. The best inverter for this application permits the output voltage to automatically increase as the lamps age, extending the useful life of the lamps.

LCD systems with LED backlighting utilize low voltage DC, usually 12 or 24 VDC. This results in a smaller, simpler, and more reliable system. LED backlit systems must be well cooled or their performance can suffer. The LEDs generate less heat than CCF lamps, but the heat is very concentrated. Operating at high temperatures reduces the LED lifetime and shifts their light spectrum, while reducing output luminance.

OLED

A new technology that you will be hearing about in the future is Organic LED (OLED). This technology has a completely different backlight technology, it doesn't need one. Because of this, they draw much less power. And because there is no backlight, an OLED system has a larger viewing angle than an LED system. An OLED display is much thinner than an LCD display. The response time for OLED is faster than normal LCD screens. An average of 8 to 12 milliseconds in response time is normal for a LCD compared to 0.01 milliseconds in response time for an OLED.

Sony introduced an 11" HDTV at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. The new 11" Sony TV is called the "XEL-1". It's very thin (1/10") and currently sells for $2500. Samsung demonstrated a 31" OLED HDTV with 1080P resolution at a tradeshow in Asia in November. LG, Toshiba, Matsushita (Panasonic), and others are investing hundreds of millions of dollars, developing this extremely promising technology. Toshiba has plans to sell a 30" OLED display in 2009. Samsung has announced they will sell large screen OLED HDTVs in 2010.

OLED displays have already been used for some time in digital cameras, cell phones and other devices with relatively small panels, because they are very energy efficient, which is very important in portable devices.

In theory, OLED displays can be more inexpensively manufactured than LCD or plasma displays, meaning that they should not be as expensive. Remember that the first large LCD and Plasma displays were much more expensive when they were first introduced.

Summary

LCD HDTVs and monitors with LED array backlighting are now the approach of choice because they exhibit better image quality while saving power. The ability to locally control light output is key to achieving high contrast ratios.

About the Author: Brian Bradshaw is a Certified Technical Specialist (InfoComm CTS). Areas of expertise include Video, Audio, Computation, [http://bradshaw-vacuum-technology.com]HDTV, Satellite Systems, and Communications. He has a communications technology business in Plano, Texas (Dallas). More information can be found at his [http://bradshaw-vacuum-technology.com]Website

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?LCD-Backlighting-For-HDTV&id=1417276] LCD Backlighting For HDTV
Related Links:
http://astore.amazon.de/LG-37-LD450-21
http://astore.amazon.de/LG-37-LH3010-21
http://astore.amazon.de/LG-50-PK550-21
http://astore.amazon.de/LG-50-PK350-21
http://astore.amazon.de/LG-22-LH2000-21
http://astore.amazon.de/LG-26-LD320-21
http://astore.amazon.de/LG-19-LH2000-21
http://astore.amazon.de/LG-42LH3000--21
http://astore.amazon.de/LG-32LH3000--21

Friday, May 28, 2010

Your Dream Home Theater Starts With These 3 Basic Components

You could buy a TV and a home theater in a box, but what fun is that? Besides you are looking to buy the best home theater equipment for your money. The best way to do this is to get your components separately.


Purchasing a home mean making a lot of decisions in the process, many among aren't even sure of exactly which components are included in a home theater or which ones are needed in order to create an artful and impressive home theater. For this reason, many people simply do not bother going through the process of looking at their options and simply purchase an all-in-one solution. For the bold I offer the following advice.

The first thing to understand is that there are varying degrees when it comes to home theaters. The following components are the makings of a very basic home theater that will provide excellent picture and sound. They are not however an all-encompassing list of every possible piece or part that could make up a home theater system. For now we'll go over the necessary basics. The Television. For a dream home theater I would only buy a plasma tv, LCD TV or projector. There are some newer technologies, but the improvements are almost imperceptible and the cost is much, much higher.

As I stated, there are essentially three choices in today's television market: Plasma, LCD and projector. There are variations within each of these and the prices fall anywhere from relatively inexpensive to costly. This is the component that most home theater owners spend the most time contemplating. Considering the current pricing, if you ever plan to buy a blu-ray player, buy a 1080p high definition set. The picture is amazing and the costs on both TVs and blu-ray players have come down. Choose a 120hz set over a 60hz set, it reduces or eliminates motion blur - especially on LCD sets. The receiver. This is the brains and the brawn of your system. Find one that supports the latest technologies.

The receiver is the box you plug them all into-it receives all of this inputs and correlates it so to speak. This is the ultimate traffic director when it comes to your home theater and I suggest you spend a good portion of your home theater budget making sure that this is a good quality part. Again if you plan to use blu-ray, find a receiver that supports HDMI 1.3, and DTS-MA HD and TrueHD sound formats. The best brands in my opinion are Outlaw, Denon, Onkyo and Marantz (If you have a good-sized budget). I own an Onkyo, to me it is the best value, but check them out yourself.

Speakers are the heart of your dream home theater. Nothing makes a movie come alive and puts you right smack in the action like a audiophile quality sound system. Speaker technology is has come a long way.

Sound that would have cost tens of thousands cost only a fraction of that today. One of the best things to me about my dream home theater is that sound is way better than what I experience in theaters while having the ability to put my feet up while wearing my pajamas (which simply can't be done in a theater).

My advice hear is to make sure your center , front and surround speakers are all from the same manufacturer and share the same design and driver size, this is called timbre matching and creates a smooth open sound. Recommended brands here would be, Paradigm, B&W, Polk, Meridian and the ones I own and love Definitive Technologies (that's right I did not mention Bose). But we all have different tastes, go listen to a few for yourself. Finally, you have your DVD player or recorder. If high definition is important to you, get a blu-ray.

Sony's PS3 is actually a very good, and well priced blu-ray player - and you get a great game system to boot! These items are a great start for your dream home theater and you can build, expand, and upgrade over time for an even better system. Enjoy!

I'm Roger Sandoval, a Home Theater enthusiast, who finally built his own dream home theater, but I'm always upgrading and checking out new equipment. I love to share my advice to how to buy home theater equipment and where and how to build your own [http://dreamhometheater.net]dream home theater. I invite you read my LCD and [http://dreamhometheater.net]Best Plasma TV reviews as well as reviews and all home theater equipment.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Your-Dream-Home-Theater-Starts-With-These-3-Basic-Components&id=1905434] Your Dream Home Theater Starts With These 3 Basic Components
Related Links:
http://astore.amazon.com/Onkyo-TXNR1007-20
http://astore.amazon.com/Onkyo-TXSR608--20
http://astore.amazon.com/Onkyo-TXSR607--20
http://astore.amazon.com/Onkyo-TXSR507-20
http://astore.amazon.com/Onkyo-TXNR807--20
http://astore.amazon.com/Onkyo-TXNR5007-20
http://astore.amazon.com/Onkyo-TXNR3007-20

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Samsung Vs LG - A Head to Head Battle

Things are definitely changing fast. You can see improvements and introduction of newer models from the top LCD TV manufacturers. Take for example, Samsung and LG. But as we all know, not all LCD televisions work the same. Improvements are different, and technologies applied are distinct. Let's take a look at how these two brands differ.

Samsung LCD HDTV

Samsung as the world leader in the LCD TV market has always provided the consumers with something to look forward to. The Samsung LN52A650 was a great addition to their lineup of best LCD TV models because of its 1080p, 120 Hz, HDTV feature. The brand still improved televisions from their Series 6 and included a 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, LDNA, and Yahoo Widgets. It delivers the same exceptional performance as those of previous models only that deeper blacks are delivered and more exciting features were added.

For the following year, Samsung finally introduced their Series 7 lineup. The Samsung LN52B750 is a 52 inhc LCD TV with an impressive 240Hz refresh rate. The response time was changed from 4ms to 2ms making it reload faster. The contrast ratio was increased to 150,000:1.

Owners of this model expressed extreme satisfaction not just because of its outstanding performance but also because of its affordable price of $2000. Perhaps the features of Samsung LN52B750 are the perfect ingredients that compose a best selling LCD HDTV.

LG LCD HDTV

On the other hand, LG will not of course compete without providing an equally outstanding LCD television. One of the reasons behind LG's success in the previous year is the LG 47LG60 which is a 47 inch screen. Because of its top of the line feature, solid performance, and unique design, they were able to compete with larger brands.

For the current year, LG came up with a competitive collection of LCD televisions. There is the LH30 series of LCD HDTVs that come with extremely appealing looks and specifications. Color adjustments, picture wizards that are very user-friendly, 24p film processing, 120 Hz dejudder processing, and other features make up the series' LCD TV models.

What sets them apart from other premium LCD TV models is their complete user controls. Additionally, prices are on the mass-market level making LG LCD HDTVs offer cheap but quality LCD televisions. A 42 inch LG screen would only cost $900 while a 47 inch screen like the LG 47LH30 of the premium line would sell at $1200 only.

This is just one of the eight series from LG. The LG LH50 allows consumers to stream Netflick movies directly on the TV. Internet connectivity is the greatest addition for this series. The LG LH55 series, on the other hand, renders a 240Hz refresh rate which eliminates motion blur.

Both brands produce good LCD televisions, right? But these facts clearly indicate how other LCD TV brands compete with the leading LCD TV manufacturer, which is Samsung. If you'd like to know which one you should choose, maybe you could ask yourself this - which one appeals to you more: is it the challenger or the one being challenged?

Check out the largest collection of [http://www.lcdtv-wholesale.biz]LCD TV Wholesale and get Free Shipping!

Discounts from 45% - 75% : [http://www.lcdtv-wholesale.biz]Samsung LCD TV

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Samsung-Vs-LG---A-Head-to-Head-Battle&id=2597772] Samsung Vs LG - A Head to Head Battle
Related Links:
http://astore.amazon.com/LG-60-PK750-20
http://astore.amazon.com/LG.55-LE8500-20
http://astore.amazon.com/LG-50-PK750-20
http://astore.amazon.com/LG-32-LD550-20
http://astore.amazon.com/LG-55-LD650-20
http://astore.amazon.com/LG-47-LE5400-20
http://astore.amazon.com/LG-42-LD550-20
http://astore.amazon.com/LG-55-LE5400-20
http://astore.amazon.com/LG-42-LE5400-20