LCD PLASMA: 2008-06-15

Directv HD Receivers Moving With Times

Label: Directv HD Receivers Moving With Times

by: David Johnson

Directv’s debut in 1994 turned out to be an auspicious entry into the satellite television market. With a variety of options in programming, some cable subscribers opted for satellite and now more and more are doing so, while others are taking the next technological step by purchasing Directv’s HD receivers as well.

And with the FCC handing down a decision to convert all television to high definition format, commonly known as HD, by 2006, content providers, cable and satellite companies like Directv are in full swing with marketing programs to sell their HD receivers. HD is broadcast digitally at a higher resolution for better picture quality. In the past high definition television used to be a term referred to newer technology in the 1930s that replaced experimental television technology at the time.

Currently, a Directv HD receiver can cost in the five hundred to six hundred dollar range on the cheap side and well over a thousand dollars for higher end receivers. Electronics manufacturers like Hughes, Samsung and others are all touting their HD receivers now for their features, but prices are still a little high, as well as for HD television sets, which average in price over one thousand five hundred dollars

Much has been made of the high definition issue of late and those with a more pessimistic mindset toward HD, some refer to them as hardcore analogue-ers, don’t think a full conversion to HD will be done in time. Even now, those who may purchase an HD receiver are limited to those providers, or television stations or networks that provide content in HD, which some say is up to five times sharper than regular television.

But while Directv has done its part by offering HD receivers, customers recently have complained about the exorbitant price of an HD and Tivo combination receiver, which rings in at a thousand dollars when purchasing it from Directv, a hard pill to swallow for those who may have already spent five hundred to a thousand dollars on a Directv HD receiver to begin with. Tivo allows customers to records hours of television without needing a VHS tape or DVD burner. For the time being some customers are buying a separate Tivo unit and hooking it into their current Directv HD receiver, unfortunately sacrificing some picture quality along the way.

But many customers feel that in time, as with the prices of plasma screen televisions, the Tivo and Directv HD receiver combination will come down in price. So for now, the best bet for those with their Directv HD receivers may be to wait. In time, not only will there be more HD content, but also more affordable receiver options. Standard Directv HD Receivers will likely go down in price as well, along with those with the added Tivo option.

Sources:
http://archive.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/history/topic/182395-1.html
http://www.pvrblog.com/pvr/2005/04/directvs_hd_pro.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDTV
http://www.chartercom.com/products/hdtv/hdtv.aspx
http://www.kaptainsatellite.com

The Apple of my Eye

Label: The Apple of my Eye

by: Warren Thompson

It appears that Apple has done it again, folks! I’m sure you have all seen the television commercials, or heard the radio spots, or viewed the ads on your computer. The little company that could has done it again, with the introduction of the iPod Video. Does it really come as such a surprise, though?

It seems that Apple is a company that cannot fail. Sure, they had some difficult times in the past. With so many aggressive plays by Microsoft back in the day, it is unlikely that any tech company would have weathered them with ease. But Apple has always had something that all of Bill Gate’s money could never buy; a true connection with their users.

Since introducing the iPod a few years ago, Apple has seen steady and sustained growth that does not appear to be waning anytime soon. Especially, as they seem to update the iPod every few months now. Dammit, I just bought my iPod Mini a few months ago and they have discontinued it already! They didn’t simply discontinue it, though. They replaced it with the iPod Nano, which is smaller, slicker, and has a color screen. I wanted one as soon as I saw it, or at least until I saw the iPod Video.

Now Apple has introduced to much fanfare, the iPod Video! I was certain that the next iPod would have a video camera in it, but perhaps they are saving that for next month. Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, didn’t seem too keen on the idea of a video iPod a few short years ago. Funny how things change, huh? They have also announced a partnership with Disney, in which they will provide customers with Disney’s feature films through the iTunes store. You can be sure that Pixar films are on the way, too.

The new iPod Video comes in 30 and 60 Gigabyte models with color screens. You can now store music, graphics, pictures, and video on your iPod. It also comes with a video output that will allow you to hook it up to your television or video projector. I can hardly believe all of the features that the iPod now has. I suspect that the inclusion of a video camera and a cell phone with give Apple complete market domination. They should be out in a couple months, or so one would think. The only thing missing after that would be a Star Trek-type teleporter! Remember, you heard it here first!

About The Author

Warren Thompson is currently obsessing over his new iPod Video. When he is not dreaming up potential iPod improvements, he writes freelance articles for hometheaterfocus.com – an independent home theater guide specializing in the latest information about audio cables - http://www.hometheaterfocus.com/accessories/audio-cables.aspx, S video cables - http://www.hometheaterfocus.com/accessories/s-video.aspx, Plasma televisions - http://www.hometheaterfocus.com/televisions/plasma-televisions.aspx and more.

The Science Behind DLP Television

Label: The Science Behind DLP Television

by: Mitchell Medford

DLP televisions are based on a technology invented by Texas Instruments back in 1987 called Digital Light Processing. The technology is based on an optical semiconductor called DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) chip. It is a highly reliable, all-digital display chip that delivers the best picture across a broad range of products, including large screen digital TVs, and projectors for business, home, professional venue and digital cinema.

The chip consists of over one million mirrors to process light. They come in either single chip or 3 chip configurations. One-chip DLP systems use a projection lamp to pass white light through a color wheel that sends red-green-blue colors to the DMD chip in a sequential order to create an image on-screen. Only one DMD chip is used to process the primary RGB colors. Three-chip DLP systems use a projection lamp to send white light through a prism, which creates separate red, green, and blue light beams. Each beam is sent to their respective red, green, and blue DMD chip to process the image for display on-screen. One-chip models are said to produce a display of over 16-million colors. Three-chip models can produce a display of over 35-trillion colors. The result is maximum fidelity: a picture whose clarity, brilliance and color must be seen to be believed.

When a DLP chip is coordinated with a digital video or graphic signal, a light source, and a projection lens, its mirrors can reflect an all-digital image onto a screen or other surface. The DLP chip and the sophisticated electronics that surround it are what we call Digital Light Processing™ technology.

Benefits of Single chip DLP:

1. Fantastic color accuracy.

2. The best contrast ratios and shadow detail.

3. Generally very quiet.

4. Very little space between each pixel creates a very smooth image, even when using lower resolution projectors.

5. Light engine failures are very rare so repairs are less costly than other technologies.

6. Technology doesn't degrade over time. With proper routine maintenance, DLP™ projectors consistently provide just-out-of-the-box performance. (DLP™ is the only technology that makes this claim).

Benefits of Three chip DLP:

1. Good contrast; much greater than film theaters.

2. Good shadow detail.

3. Can provide high brightness compared to the limited brightness of single chip versions.

4. Overall image quality deemed as the best of any type of micro display technology.

5. Same technology as projectors installed in digital theaters.

6. Pure digital technology.

The bit-streamed image code entering the semiconductor directs each mirror to switch on and off up to several thousand times per second. When a mirror is switched on more frequently than off, it reflects a light gray pixel; a mirror that's switched off more frequently reflects a darker gray pixel. In this way, the mirrors in a DLP projection system can reflect pixels in up to 1,024 shades of gray to convert the video or graphic signal entering the DLP chip into a highly detailed grayscale image.

The white light generated by the lamp in a DLP projection system passes through a color wheel as it travels to the surface of the DLP chip. The color wheel filters the light into red, green, and blue, from which a single-chip DLP projection system can create at least 16.7 million colors. And the 3-chip system found in DLP Cinema™ projection systems is capable of producing no fewer than 35 trillion colors. The on and off states of each micromirror are coordinated with these three basic building blocks of color. For example, a mirror responsible for projecting a purple pixel will only reflect red and blue light to the projection surface; our eyes then blend these rapidly alternating flashes to see the intended hue in a projected image.

About The Author

Mitchell Medford is an author and product consultant for several consumer electronics manufacturers. Visit his website for more information on home theater, LCD TVs, and plasma televisions: http://www.newtechnologytv.com