[mythtv-users] OT: HDTV TV's

Michael T. Dean mtdean at thirdcontact.com
Thu May 11 11:58:19 EDT 2006


On 05/10/2006 03:01 PM, Mike Frisch wrote:
> Not all sets that are able to handle an HD signal
> (720p or 1080i) are able to *resolve* all 1280x720 or 1920x1080 pixels.
> These sets are approporiately called EDTV (enhanced definition TV),
> although they're able to handle HDTV signals.
>
> For example, my BenQ 20" LCD TV can handle 1080i signal, but it's only
> an 800x600 resolution LCD panel.
>   

Exactly.  And, technically, a 1920x1080 (1080p) display cannot fully 
resolve a 1920x1080 input signal (whether 1080i or 1080p).  As a matter 
of fact, a 1920x1080 (1080p) display cannot even fully resolve a 
1280x720 input signal (i.e. 720p).  Until TV's are using a resolution of 
3840x2160 (or better), we likely won't see the HDTV image in its full 
glory.  :)  (The 3840x2160 is not an exact value--the value depends on 
too many factors, including the display type and the input signal--but 
it's a good "rule-of-thumb" guess.)

So, my prediction is that although the ATSC specification (I'm not 
willing to make predictions outside my home country :) will not increase 
the number of pixels in transmitted signals, HDTV's will be created with 
higher-and-higher resolutions until we have at least 4x the pixels of a 
1080p input signal (3840x2160).  Marketers will hail it as a triumph.  
Reviewers will talk about how much of a waste of money it is, "because 
ATSC doesn't even support those resolutions" (kind of like they say 
1080p displays are a waste of money because you can't get a 1080p input 
signal), and only those who have some familiarity with sampling theory 
will realize that this is one of those cases where the marketers are 
more correct than the reviewers (even if the marketers don't understand 
why they're correct :).

Mike


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