[mythtv-users] 120 Hz LCD TVs and mythtv

[Daniel Kristjansson]

On Tue, 2008-12-09 at 17:52 -0500, Michael T. Dean wrote:
> On 12/09/2008 05:41 PM, Matthew Asplund wrote:
> > I am getting ready to buy a 47" LCD TV to run with my mythtv box.  I 
> > have two questions
> >
> > 1. Can I run 1920x1080 @ 120 Hz over DVI/HDMI?  I currently have an 
> > NVidia 8200 onboard graphics in my mythfrontend, though I could easily 
> > move to a discreen graphics card.
> 
> TTBOMK, no 120Hz TV takes a 120Hz input.  Instead, the 120Hz is useful 
> because a) it's an integral multiple of 24Hz, 30Hz, and 60Hz (typical 
> video frame rates) and b) it allows makers of LCD panels to compensate 
> for LCD shortcomings on displaying video ( 
> http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/the-trouble-with-lcd-tvs-motion-blur-and-the-120hz-solution-290237.php 
> ).
> 
> > 2. Is 120 Hz really worth it for watching stuff recorded from OTA HD 
> > broadcast?

This is really fascinating, the first method described would actually
make for a much better picture on an LCD, and the second method is
actually a cheapo version of something I've talked about implementing
in MythTV as a software only method to reduce motion problems.

But there is such a beast as a 120 Hz monitor! And even higher refresh
rates exist. They can not be driven by HDMI at 1920x1080, but some of
the last ones made can be driven by a dual link DVI cable; I've done it
after hunting down a consumer priced card that actually supported
dual-link. Unfortunately, I have only seen CRT's that do this, not
LCD's. They were all the vogue back in the days of shutter glasses.
These days I think cheap stereo is usually done with two matched DLP
projectors + circularly polarized filters, so that the glasses you wear
are just a matching set of passive circularly polarized glasses. (You
also need a non-diffusing projection screen, to preserve polarization).

PS I gave my last high-res 120 Hz CRT away 3 years ago to a little old
lady who probably had no idea what a nice monitor she was getting for
free. I had bought it used for only a few hundred $ after the dot-bust.
I still have a pair of nVidia branded shutter glasses, I figure I'll
have a use for the parts someday and throwing them away would feel like
throwing away a historic relic.

-- Daniel