High-Definition-Deals.com

Introduction
TV’s have come a long way and when it comes to choosing your TV the chances are you will probably be puzzled as there is a wide range of High Definition (HD) Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or Plasma TVs available in today’s UK market. It’s possible to regard TV’s as a necessity rather then a luxury and many of us in the UK now want to reap the benefits of such high quality content to ensure our time in front of the TV is as enjoyable as possible. Digital TV providers such as Sky and Virgin Media have opened new doors to enable TV’s into another level.
The tiresome standard definition is now fading out quickly as with out a doubt HD offers superior quality viewing experience. As with all new technology there are potential ups and downs, but don’t worry our articles provide you what you need to know.
What Is High Definition?
High Definition (HD) utilises the latest technology to provide clear sharp television pictures to your home. HD services are on-air in some parts of the world and they are launched in the UK.

How does It work?
Instead of using the conventional 576 lines to plot a TV picture High Definition Television (HDTV) displays the finest quality picture available in the home entertainment market by using 720 or 1080 lines. In order to allocate for the extra lines the pixels in each line are moved closer providing an improved picture quality with clearness and colour refinement.
What’s the difference between 720p, 1080i and 1080p ?There are formats which HDTV broadcast its pictures.

720p
The “p” stands for progressive, which is an image comprised of 1280 lines along the horizontal by 720 vertical lines. The image is shown as a single frame, progressively.
1080i
The image detail in increased with1080i which measures 1920 x 1080 lines and is displayed as two fields that are interlaced. However the interlace image is not as smooth as a progressively scanned one.It is possible for a HDTV with 720 lines will show both formats however it is important to remember to get the peak level picture a 1080-line screen will show 1080i footage at its best in an un-scaled form.

1080p
This is the best form of HD. These ‘Full HD’ screens displaying 1080p appearing are becoming more and more popular. A 1080p screen can de-interlace a 1080i signal or upscale a standard definition one. At present the disadvantage is that 1080p sources available are limited, however the benefit of a Full HD screen is its ability to view a source such as Sky TV 1080i, pixel for pixel to the screens resolution 1920 x 1080.At present movies made in 1080p which might appear in Blu-ray or HD DVD format. Sony’s PlayStation 3 produces 1080p output.
* De-interlace = To combine two interlaced fields into a single frame and render them at 30 frames per second (fps). Deinterlacing is done to remove artefacts and improve the quality of encoded video.

Which TV’s are HD Ready ?
When looking for a TV, look out for the industry ‘kite mark’ which is the HD ready logo. The HD ready logo appears on TV screens and other products such as projectors which have passed the HD ready test to show they are compatible with HDTV signals. In order for a TVs to be passed of as HD ready screens they must meet the following specification:
- Minimum 720 vertical lines (the latter figure when a resolution is written out, e.g. 1280 x 720)
- Able to display 720p (1280 x 720 at 50Hz and 60Hz progressive)
- Able to display 1080i (1920 x 1080 at 50Hz and 60Hz interlaced)
- Analogue component video and either DVI or HDMI inputs
- Support for HDCP content protection

Am I HDTV ready?
By jumping out and buying a 1080p HDTV you wont be doing yourself any favours.
In order to take advantage of HD you will need to take out a HD subscription with a broadcaster such as Sky or Virgin Media. Which provide a digital receiver box in order for you connect to your HDTV.
HDTV Broadcast

Sky HD – Satellite

At present sky currently sky offer 12 HD channels.
A range of HD channels are available with the attention being on Premiership football and dramas such as the Sopranos and Desperate Housewives in the US.

With Sky HD and Sky+ you can record your favourite TV shows in high definition. With up to 30 hours of HD recording or 80 hours of standard recording, which is a whopping twice the storage of the current standard Sky+ box. Sky HD brings hours of top HD movies, sport, entertainment, drama and documentaries into your home each month. With twice the sports coverage compared to a year ago, and with over 220 movies being shown each month, plus the bonus of more channels and shows becoming HD compatible, whatever you like to watch on TV, Sky have it!

Virgin Media - Cable


Richard Branson’s re-branding of Telewest/NTL as Virgin Media, resulted in the new V+ box.
Virgin V+ box enables to watch High definition programmes and movies with Virgin TV on demand. This service comes with the V+ service and is a library of programmes that you can access whenever they like and pause and rewind just like a DVD. Various broadcasters are planning to launch high definition channels, with V+ service Virgin offer BBC HD which Includes live sports coverage, plus spectacular series like Planet Earth as well as other documentaries and dramas. Remember by installing an HD box not all the programmes will be HD. HDTV in the UK is in its early years, the current programme choices available in HD is a fraction of that available in the conventional SD format. BBC launched a trial of HDTV with coverage of the football world cup, but for a limited number of people only as HDTV services over a normal aerial will certainly not be an option until the next decade. So you should by now have concluded that the quality of your picture depends on the source of the broadcast as well as the quality of your TV.

How do I choose between Plasma, LCD or Rear Projection?
So now you’ve decided that HDTV is for you and you want to get HD ready. It’s a case of Plasma or LCD but which one is right for me?

Plasma TVs
Perfectly flat Plasma TV’s produce natural, lively colours while maintaining a detail, unlike normal TVs, where the image has to be scanned across the screen. The image is kept sharper and brighter by pixels on a Plasma screen being lit at once. The plasma proves to be easy on they eye as the screen can be watched from most distances and angles without affecting your viewing experience. All plasma TVs are designed in widescreen. With Plasma TV’s only being a few inches in depth, they provide a range a standing or mounting options. Plasma TVs can be hung on a wall or from a ceiling. Plasma displays do not use electron beams, therefore immune to the effects of magnetic fields allowing for speakers to be placed close to the screen without compromising set up.

Main advantages of Plasma over LCD are:
- Plasma TV’s have tend to have larger screen sizes ranging from 37″ up to 60″, although the choice of LCD TV’s growing rapidly.
- The motion tracking is better on Plasma TV’s as there is little or no motion lag with fast moving images.
- Better colour accuracy and saturation helping to make the picture quality clear.
- Plasma TV’s have better contrast ratio and ability to render deeper blacks.

Main disadvantages of Plasma over LCD include:
- Depending on what you intend to use your TV for, Plasma TVs are more vulnerable to burn-in if static images are displayed for a long period of time.
- Plasma TV’s have also been found not to perform well at high attitude. Not that we would think you’re taking you 42” plasma to watch in your plan.
- Plasma TVs need to light of phosphors to create images, and consequently generate more and considerably more power than LCDs.

LCD TVs
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) TVs screen are made up of millions of tiny liquid crystal molecules, called pixels. To create an image, LCD screen function like a camera shutter where light is allowed to either pass through or be blocked as voltage is individually applied. The colour is added to LCD displays through three filters (red, green, and blue) that are applied to each pixel. Without reflection from artificial lights or bright sunlight through windows LCD TV screens always maintain sharp, clear pictures. Extremely lightweight LCD technology results in products them being both highly portable and versatile. Screen sizes range from 13″ (4:3) to 40″+ widescreen. LCD screen provide flicker-free images for a more comfortable viewing experience with less eyestrain, even when viewing close-up. Also, LCD screens remain virtually dust free and clean for perfect viewing all the time since no static electricity is generated.

Main LCD television advantages over plasma include:
- Unlike Plasma, LCD screens produce no burn-in. This is why Photo frames are LCD.
- Cooler running temperature means less power consumption.
- LCD screens are extremely portable with no high altitude issues.
- Increased image brightness over plasma.
- LCD Screens can also be used as computer monitors.

Main disadvantages of LCD vs. Plasma televisions include:
- The LCD lacks in its lower contrast ratio as they do not render deep blacks as well as Plasma.
- LCD’s also do not have as good at tracking motion which results in a slight blur with fast moving images.

What size screen should I buy?
When deciding which TV to buy the first thing you need to decide is what size screen you want. TV should deliver the right-size picture for when you are seated in front of the screen.
If you are seated closely to your TV then you will be please to know a small TV would be ideal, meaning you won’t have to spend as much on a big screen.

Ordinary TV-viewing distances
Generally, viewers feel at ease sitting away from the TV at a distance that’s between three and six times the width of the screen. The following chart will provide you with a rough guide of the minimum and maximum viewing distances for normal 4:3 TVs.

Wide-screen TV-viewing distances
Wide-screen TVs displaying high-resolution provide improved viewing over normal TVs, allowing you to sit closer and experience a more immersive, cinema-like picture.
Wide-screen sets enable you to sit as close as 1.5 times without noticing any loss in quality, while on the other hand sitting more than three times the screen size means you’re likely to miss out on the immersive feel from the HD TV. The following chart will provide the minimum and maximum recommended viewing distances for wide-screen sets.

TV sizes and your room
Typically 24-inch TVs or smaller are perfect for bedrooms or guest rooms, but too small for the main living room. Larger then 24-inch screens would be ideal for family to enjoy. Remember as the screen size increases you’ll want to choose a deep enough spot for the TV so that it doesn’t protrude awkwardly into the room.

Connections
These can be really baffling, as the number of different connections available with an HDTV are truly mind boggling. Salespeople, written Reviews and promotional material will often compare Plasma or LCD TVs by making reference to their connections. All will now be explained.
When talking about connections this is referring to the various shaped sockets that you will find at the back of a TV screen.
Below are a list on connections from poor to best quality.

Composite

Low quality – Composite are best avoided if possible. Composite is an analog, encoded video signal that includes vertical and horizontal synchronising information. Most HDTVs may have the ability to still allocate for such connections for backward compatibility purposes.

S-Video

Medium quality Short for Super-video, a technology used for transmitting video signals over a cable by dividing the video information into separated signals: one for luma and one for chroma. (S-Video is synonymous with Y/C video). S-video is a more improved quality video signal than Composite. S-video is most commonly used to connect VCRs, consoles, or camcorders to a TV.

Scart

Medium quality - Scart is a 21-Pinector found primarily on European televisions providing stereo sound and video inputs. Found in many homes today scart leads are common way of connecting TV and video equipment.

VGA

Medium quality - VGA is commonly is used for PC monitors however these are becoming common on new LCD HDTVs.

Component

High quality - Component is a signal that’s recorded or transmitted in its separate components. Component uses a three-channel video signal wherein the luminance, hue and color saturation information are carried as R, G and B (Red, Green and Blue) signals or as one of several variations of colour difference signals. Component Video provides DVD players and HDTV televisions with high quality video connection between components.

DVI

High quality - DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface. The DVI port provides a pure digital video signal to a digital flat-panel display or projector. Using a digital signal for the entire path maintains the image quality at the highest level, because the signal is not degraded as a result of a digital-to-analog conversion.

HDMI

High quality - HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. For the best quality digital, HDTV audio/video connectivity use HDMI. HDMI combines video and audio using a USB-like digital video connectivity into a single digital interface for use with DVD players, digital television, set-top boxes, and other audiovisual devices. HDMI carries high-definition video and multi-channel digital audio on a single cable

What can i get for my budget?
By reading though the HDTV Guide you should now have decided what you looking for. Use the links below to find the best deals and discounts for LCD and Plasma screens which have been hand picked for ourselves.

LCD
Click Here To Find Small Screen Deals (24″ or smaller)
Click Here To Find Medium Screen Deals (25″ to 42″)
Click Here To Find Large Screen Deals (43″ or larger)

Plasma
Click Here To Find Small Screen Deals (24″ or smaller)
Click Here To Find Medium Screen Deals (25″ to 42″)
Click Here To Find Large Screen Deals (43″ or larger)