[Archived] Hd Ready Lcd Tv

[3rdpillar]

To you people getting HD.

HD is superb, - no doubts about it. BUT, to get the best picture on your new sets, the TV must be set up to it's optimum setting. Settings are everything.

Nor is it as easy as you might think. You have a combination of Backlight, Brightness, Contrast and Colour to adjust. Lot's more picture enhancers, such as black stretch, contrast enhancer, Gamma etc, as well. The possible combinations there are immense. Add to that, Sharpness and colour tints/tones and you will see there is a great deal more, to setting up a LCD TV, than there is with a CRT.

Set the TV badly and High Definition wont look as good as it should.

Just to re-itterate this, a friend came to our house last week and was amazed that we had HD, even though we dont have Sky OR NTL. He waxed lyrical about HD and wasnt it brilliant.

We were watching Wimbledon on a 25quid freeviw box from ASDA and the last in the line Sony CRT screens.

The brightness and depth to best of the CRTs blows alot of HD ready TVs out of the water. Not to mention it fooled a HD viewer into thinking we had HD on our CRT/freeview ....

Edited July 15, 2008 by 3rdpillar

[den]

Just to re-itterate this, a friend came to our house last week and was amazed that we had HD, even though we dont have Sky OR NTL. He waxed lyrical about HD and wasnt it brilliant.

We were watching Wimbledon on a 25quid freeviw box from ASDA and the last in the line Sony CRT screens.

The brightness and depth to best of the CRTs blows alot of HD ready TVs out of the water. Not to mention it fooled a HD viewer into thinking we had HD on our CRT/freeview ....

Are you saying that a CRT Tv displaying SD, is better than any LCD Tv displaying HD?

[3rdpillar]

Are you saying that a CRT Tv displaying SD, is better than any LCD Tv displaying HD?

I am catagorically NOT saying that! My point was to back up your advise to the masses re "its all in the settings".

My mates are like the "average Joe", their HD impresses the hell out of them. In their ignorance the assumed WE had HD. Far from it, we have nothing BUT SD/CRT, just a very impressive CRT.

LCD/PLASMA can look shocking with incorrect settings, BUT people spend 500quid to 1000s on them , and are quite happy to sit and look at shocking picture qualit ( for sake of a few settings ).

Dont get me started on the 1000s of TVs with incorrect aspect ratio settings. My pet hate.

[den]

I am catagorically NOT saying that! My point was to back up your advise to the masses re "its all in the settings".

My mates are like the "average Joe", their HD impresses the hell out of them. In their ignorance the assumed WE had HD. Far from it, we have nothing BUT SD/CRT, just a very impressive CRT.

LCD/PLASMA can look shocking with incorrect settings, BUT people spend 500quid to 1000s on them , and are quite happy to sit and look at shocking picture qualit ( for sake of a few settings ).

Dont get me started on the 1000s of TVs with incorrect aspect ratio settings. My pet hate.

Ah, thanks for clarifying that.

I've been fiddling with my settings now for around a year. Just about got there, but the difference settings make on an LCD is enormous.

[3rdpillar]

Settings get even more complicated, then the optimum for Film is no where near the optimum for live sport. My TV has 3 complete sets of "settings" stored, so I can quickly change from FILM or LIVE or VIDEO etc..... Very handy.

Then there are the setting for the virual dolby surround .. .

[Tris]

TV arrived this morning, SkyHD arrived this afternoon.

Very impressed with everything, especially with the TV which has a USB port and shows digital photos at a size and definition I've never seen before.

Also (by tactically moving my old Sky+ box from the lounge to the bedroom last night) ensured that the engineer put in a twin LNB feed upstairs so we have full Sky+ functionality in both rooms now - and the obsolete box is a standard digibox rather than the Sky+.

Cheers for the advice people

[den]

W4000 Tris?

[Tris]

W4000 Tris?

That's the one Den. Watching the U-19 European Champ match between Germany and Bulgaria on ch 412 in full HD and it's amazing! Doesn't look like I need to do anything with the settings at this stage either - certainly not for HD channels.

[den]

That's the one Den. Watching the U-19 European Champ match between Germany and Bulgaria on ch 412 in full HD and it's amazing! Doesn't look like I need to do anything with the settings at this stage either - certainly not for HD channels.

Aaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggghhhh, I didn't realise we had Eurosport HD!

Thanks Tris.

I'll be amazed if you can't better the default settings though.

This site is pretty good for settings.

Edited July 17, 2008 by den

[Biddy]

Had my SkyHD installed yesterday and am so far fairly pleased. Nothing too amazing as yet but pleased at the price I got it for. The only extra it is good for is actually being able to record in HD.

I did already have a Freesat HD box with BBCHD for the past 2 years plus ITVHD (even though it hardly ever transmits) and a Media PC with many high def programs so mabye I am spoilt.

Wouldn't go back to SD but still not sure HD is worth £10 per month extra.

[Tris]

...

Edited July 18, 2008 by Tris

[neekoy]

Just purchased an LG 96cm HDTV

From what I understand the FULLHDTV is a waste of money because the only time you get the advantage is when you play Blu-Ray.

My advice from the 'inside' is that Blu_ray ain't going to be around for much longer.

Buy the HDTV, when it's buggered in 5 years (yes 5 years) go for the digital equivalent after that.

[Biddy]

From what I understand the FULLHDTV is a waste of money because the only time you get the advantage is when you play Blu-Ray.

Blu-ray, xbox 360 and PS3 can all output "full HD" 1080p. There are also video cameras that can now record in 1080p so there would be a benefit there. My media center PC can also output 1080p if my TV could handle it (which unfortunately it can't).

Blu-ray will be around for a bit yet. The belief is that digital downloads will take over the HD distribution but that at the moment is a step back as places like xbox 360 marketplace only offer 720p and broadband in this country is a ) not good enough or quick enough to stream HD content and b ) downloading, legit or not, gets frowned upon by the ISP's that want us to pay for the service but not actually use it.

I personally have been mopping up buying HD-DVD's at the moment. As the format that lost, there were still well over 100 odd films released and places like hmv are getting rid of them from £2.99. That's not bad for a full High Def film, cheaper than the DVD counterpart.

[Guest Kamy100]

Wait till you watch the cricket in HD, it is amazing.

[den]

Probably the best channel PQ wise, is Rush HD. The content isn't all my kind of choice, but some of it is fantastic. The free-fall stuff off Angel Falls, is brilliant.

[Guest Kamy100]

Probably the best channel PQ wise, is Rush HD. The content isn't all my kind of choice, but some of it is fantastic. The free-fall stuff off Angel Falls, is brilliant.

Cool I'll check that channel out, I tend to watch BBC Hd, Sky Sports HD most of the time.

[thenodrog]

All very well all this hi-tech stuff..... but what excuse do you use for going down the pub to watch footy? Just the usual 5 channels available at our house and 80% of progs on them are crap.

btw do any of you lot ever get out to meet new people, make new freinds, to explore strange new places, to seek out new life and new civilizations and to boldly go where no man has gone before SkyTV .......?

Edited July 18, 2008 by thenodrog

[den]

I have a feeling that the Eurosport football that Tris was watching, wasn't in true HD. I think it could be upscaled.

[brian_gallagher85]

Aaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggghhhh, I didn't realise we had Eurosport HD!

Thanks Tris.

Thanks from me too Tris

Watching Live Beach Soccer World Cup as I type