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HDTV Basic Setup

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Smart TV, Streaming TV

How to Connect Headphones to TV

RF Modulator Connection Diagrams

Component Connection Diagrams

TV Picture in picture and Multi-view

TV



Screen size is the most notable feature of the TV but you should not focus on this alone. The LCD TV and the plasma TV are older display technologies now. The LED TV, and OLED TV are more current. Thin is in and the LED backlighted LCD TV is super thin. The OLED TV is even thinner.

Samsung and Panasonic are the best rated TVs with Sony, Toshiba, Vizio, LG and Sharp also offering quality products.

High definition TVs are generally from 26 inch screen size to 32, 40, 46, 50, 55, 65, 70, 85 inch screen sizes and more. The 40 inch to 55 inch screen sizes are best for living room while 32 inch is best for bedroom.
Best HDTVs


High Definition video 720p, 1080p, 4K and 8K.


HDMI - get a TV with several HDMI inputs as this is the connection of choice. At least 4 would be good but 2 minimum.

Refresh rate - 60Hz is minimum with 120Hz better and 240Hz excellent.

PC Input - Most HDTVs have an input for connecting your computer, both video and audio.

Internet Ready - Many HDTVs today are capable of connecting to the internet. An RJ-45 jack is required plus firmware or some of the newer TVs have Wi-Fi built in.

Most HDTVs have built-in tuners for over-the-air digital TV broadcasts (ATSC), analog TV signals (NTSC) and cable TV (QAM). For cable TV, you will need a decoder box if your cable TV provider scrambles any channels. Otherwise the QAM tuner will allow analog/digital channels to be viewed.

How to Clean your HDTV screen

HDTV FAQ
 


Samsung HDTV model codes:
U = LED, N=North America, E=2012, S=3D, series.
The H in a model number indicates a non-3D HDTV


 


Samsung HDTV





Samsung - 22" Class / 1080p / 60Hz / LED-LCD HDTV

Model: UN22D5000NFXZA



Smaller screen for bedroom with 2 HDMI, 1 USB 2.0,
1 PC (rear), 2 component video (rear), 2 component audio (rear),
1 digital audio (rear) and 1 PC audio (rear).

PC video input - Lets you connect your computer to experience high-resolution images.
USB 2.0 port - For quick connection of a digital camera or other USB device.
User-friendly interface allows access to videos, music playlists and pictures via the remote.

Easy HDTV Hookup Guide

HDTV Screen Size

4K TV 4K TV - You think 1080p is great? Wait until you see 4K at 4 times the resolution.









HDTV resolutions


Resolution, or picture detail, is the main reason HDTV programs look so good. The standard-definition programming most of us watched for so long on our analog TV sets, has at most 480 visible lines of detail, whereas HDTV has as many as 1,080. There are three common HDTV resolutions, called 720p, 1080i and 1080p. One is not necessarily better than the other; 1080i has more lines and pixels, but 720p is a progressive-scan format that should deliver a smoother image that stays sharper during motion. At the top currently is 1080p, which combines the superior resolution of 1080i with the progressive-scan smoothness of 720p. True 1080p content is rare outside of Blu-ray and the latest video games and none of the major networks has yet announced 1080p broadcasts. Look at the comparison chart below to see the differences.


Name Resolution HDTV Wide-screen Progressive-scan
1. 4K 3,840x2,160 Yes Yes Yes
2. 1080p 1,920x1,080 Yes Yes Yes
3. 1080i 1,920x1,080 Yes Yes No
4. 720p 1,280x720 Yes Yes Yes
5. 480p 852x480 No Yes Yes
6. Analog TV Up to 480 No No No

The true industry standard for 4K is 4096x2160 - 4096 pixels of vertical resolution to 2160 pixels of horizontal resolution.
4K also uses JPEG2000 compression and supports bit rates up to 250Mbps (megabits per second).
UHD (Ultra High Definition) is the successor of Full HD and doubles the resolution from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160.

Full Ultra HD, sometimes called 8K, refers to a resolution of 7620x4320. This is quadruple the pixels of 4K and sixteen times larger than Full HD.

Native Resolution

Every HDTV has a native resolution. Native Resolution is the number of physical pixels in a display device. For example, an XGA display has a native resolution of 1024 physical pixels of resolution horizontally and 768 pixels vertically or 786,432 total pixels.

An HDTV with a native resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 can display 1080p video sources without any "scaling" or video manipulation. An HDTV with 1,366 by 768 native resolution would have to modify the original 1080p source or "down-scale" in order to display it. The point here is that you want your HDTV to have a native resolution as close as possible to the video sources you are going to be viewing. HDTVs will up-scale or down-scale video to match native resolution without any problem, however you want your viewing to be as pure as possible. You can check the HDTV you plan on buying to see what the native resolution is by looking online at sites that sell that model, at the owner's manual or on the manufacturer's website. Sometimes a retail store will list the native resolution of HDTVs they have on display.

HDTV FAQ

Q: I bought an HDTV to replace our old analog TV. We had cable TV with a box. Do I need a new cable box?

A: Yes. You need a digital cable box and make sure it is HD. Look for the HDMI jack on the rear panel of the box. Call your cable TV provider to be sure you have everything you need for HD. An HDMI cable from the box to the HDTV is needed.

Q: Is DVD high definition?

A: DVD gives you very good video resolution but it is not HD. For HD you need to move up to Blu-ray Disc movies.

Q: Can I connect my VCR to my HDTV?

A: Yes. VHS (or Beta) tapes will not give very good video resolution but they can be viewed.

Q: Do I need to buy an hdtv antenna for local TV stations for my HDTV?

A: No. There is no such thing as an hdtv antenna. HDTV signals are broadcast using the same VHF and UHF frequencies as the old analog TV system. If you have a good VHF/UHF TV antenna and live in a major metro area, you should have no problem getting HDTV signals with your existing antenna.

Q: After I buy an HDTV do I get all high-definition TV shows?

A: No. You need to upgrade your cable or satellite TV package to include HD service and get an HD box/decoder (which may increase your monthly bill). Without an upgrade, you may only be able to watch standard-definition programming from cable or satellite. Ask your provider for details and costs. You will however be able to get broadcast (over-the-air) HD programs.

Q: After I add HD service, will all my channels be in HD?

A: No, you will have both HD and standard-definition channels to choose from. You should notice a significant difference in picture quality when switching between the two. Within some HD channels, not all programs have been recorded by HD cameras.

Q: Will all programs be in widescreen once I have HD?

A: Not necessarily. HD programming should automatically appear in widescreen format. However, standard-definition programs may appear in the square 4:3 box you were used to seeing on your old tube TV. You can adjust your HDTV's aspect ratio settings and stretch an 4:3 image to fill the screen but you may get distortion.

Q: What Is Internet-Ready HDTV?

A: Internet-ready HDTVs take the web content that has become increasingly popular and deliver it directly to your television. These televisions are equipped with an Ethernet port (and often a wireless connection or add-on) much like your PC or other network devices. Once connected to your router, they use your broadband Internet connection to provide you with content. Content varies depending on manufacturers and models, but you can gain access to streaming video and music services (both paid and unpaid), smartphone-like applications or widgets, social networking tools, online photo galleries, and more. Manufacturers continue to expand their offerings and can extend their devices' abilities via firmware updates.

Q: Can I Surf the Web on My Internet-Ready HDTV?

A: No. Most of these devices don't feature Internet browsers, so you can't simply surf the web as you would on a PC. The current exception is Sony's Internet TV Powered by Google TV, which does allow users to surf the Web while watching TV. The current focus of Internet TV is on streaming media--along with pared-down versions of popular web applications, for quick access to information you want to check regularly. Some applications provide a fully interactive experience. You can, for example, view your Flickr or Picasa slideshows, update your Facebook status, or perform other similar actions, but you can't pop open a browser and search for general web information.

Q: What are my Costs in addition to the Internet-ready HDTV?

A: Internet service and home network costs. This includes the cost of monthly broadband Internet service, a router for distributing your Internet connection among your different connected devices, cabling or optional wireless hardware, and, finally, the cost of any paid services (such as Netflix or Vudu).

Q: Is the HDTV as Fast as My PC?

A: The answer to this question would depend upon the specific TV and PC being compared, but in general Internet TVs are not as powerful as modern PCs that are designed for more demanding processor tasks.

Q: Is There HD-Quality Internet Content?

A: YES. Video can be streamed in full 1080p resolution with services like Vudu or Netflix (although resolution and compression may be adjusted for slow Internet connections).

Q: How Do I Navigate Internet Content on My TV?

A: The means of navigation depends upon each television's manufacturer and model. Nearly all units include a remote control for accessing content, including input of alphanumeric characters. Vizio provides a Bluetooth remote with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard for several of its models--similar to certain cell phone designs. Other models even allow you to attach a USB keyboard, such as Panasonic's TC-P46G25.

Q: What's the Difference Between Internet Television and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)?

A: The main difference between these two means of delivering content is that Internet TV is delivered over the Internet—the global, public World Wide Web—and IPTV is delivered over a private managed network (by a telecom company, for example). IPTV requires a set-top box, and viewers receive the provider's own channels--it is being deployed by telecom operators as an alternative (or addition) to cable/satellite television. The benefits are interactivity with the quality, consistent service, and added security of a private network. Internet TV's advantage, however, is that publishers can deliver their content to any number of devices without being tied to a specific service provider or system. For example, Netflix can be streamed to Internet TVs, Blu-ray players, video game systems, etc., regardless of manufacturer, and which company is providing broadband service.

Q: What Can I Expect to Get in a TV That's Internet-Ready? Does It Come with a Computer Inside It? A Keyboard? A Mouse?

A: Generally, on the outside, an Internet-ready TV will look the same as a standard HDTV, aside from the Ethernet port for connecting to your network. While you won't see too many keyboards or mouse peripherals, some models do feature different controls than their non-Internet equivalents, such as Vizio's Bluetooth QWERTY remote mentioned above. Others may include an external dongle/piece of hardware for a wireless connection. But these are not all-in-one computers: one might think of them as enhanced televisions offering a handful of entertainment bonuses on top of all the other modern HDTV features.

Q: What Do I Need to Connect My TV to the Internet, Wired or Wirelessly?

A wired connection requires the following:

1. A broadband Internet connection (with modem)

2. A router connected to your modem

3. An Ethernet cable for connecting the HDTV

A wireless connection requires a router with Wi-Fi and a means of connecting wirelessly (this may be built in to the television or the manufacturer may sell/provide additional hardware).

One additional necessity might be a credit card for handling per-view or subscription fees on paid services and an Internet-connected PC for setting up and managing accounts, etc.

Q: How Do I Decide Which TV Is Best for Me?

A: The landscape is changing fast in this arena and it is best to check with the TV's manufacturer or their website for the latest offerings be it sports, social, movies or other areas of interest.

Q: How Can I Get the Internet on My TV if I Don't Have an Internet-Ready TV?

A: Several DVD and Blu-ray players now offer similar services to those outlined here, and many devices allow you access to particular content such as Roku's Netflix devices. Another option is accessing content through video game systems, something many consumers have been doing for some time now. Perhaps the most obvious would be simply connecting a PC to your television. Several manufacturers offer low-profile media PCs these days that are equally at home in an office or living/family room.

Q: Can I give up satellite/cable TV?

A: You could if you do not want certain programming like pay-per-view, on-demand or specific event shows. Many TV shows and movies are available online but this is a personal decision.


Columbia ISA Audio/Video
Contact: columbiaisa@yahoo.com


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