Television Technology By Sean Cullinan Van Ness North Unit 607.

Television Technology

By Sean CullinanVan Ness North Unit 607

Who is Sean Cullinan?• BA in Television Production from

Salisbury University• Newscast Director for WMDT-TV (ABC) in

Salisbury, MD• Worked with the Associated Press for last

5 years on TV newsroom products• Resident of Unit 607 since April 2006• Owned an HDTV for 4 years

Topics We Will Cover

• What happens in February 2009?• Explaining TV Formats• Types of HDTV’s available• Shopping for for an HDTV• I have my HDTV, now what?• Question and Answer Session

Goodbye analog in 2009• February 2009 FCC mandates that

broadcasters shut down their analog channels

• The switch will allow the same number of “channels” but will consume much less bandwidth.

• Digital Television provides a better picture and allows for High Definition Images.

Who will be affected?

• Not cable subscribers!• Not Satellite subscribers!• Only those who receive television

programming Over the Air (OTA) via the VNNC Master Antenna or rabbit ears.

What will I do if I use OTA?• Get a set top Digital TV Converter box– Government providing a $40 subsidy (up to 2

per household) to convert Digital TV signals to Analog so that your old TV will work!

• Get Cable Service• By a new TV with a Digital TV Tuner– VNNC is looking at upgrading the Master

Antenna to receive and distribute digital signals. Will work with new TV or converter.

Television Formats

Traditional TV Format

• TV “Resolution” measured by number of horizontal scan lines displayed

• A standard definition US TV image consists of 480 horizontal scan lines drawn in an alternating fashion known as “interlacing”

New TV Formats

• “Progressive Scan” draws the entire image in order instead of interlacing.

• 480P Enhanced Definition TV• 720P, 1080I and 1080P High Definition TV

What does HDTV Get me?

• More scan lines means a much sharper picture

• HDTV allows for larger screen sizes…with more lines there is less “stretching” as the screen gets larger

• Almost all HDTV’s are now “widescreen” which gives a more cinematic experience.

HDTV Types

Traditional Picture Tube

– Good picture quality– Size limited to about 40”– “Burn in” not a big problem– Bulky and considered unattractive due to the

depth of the television– Generally lower cost than other types– Usually a max resolution of 1080i– Not energy efficient

Rear Projection Television

– Uses traditional picture tube– “Projects Image” to achieve

up to 60” of screen size– Can be prone to “burn in”– Narrow viewing area, very large footprint– Can be a good value if you have the space– Generally a max resolution of 1080i– Not energy efficient

DLP or “Microdisplays”

– Projection Technology– Brighter than traditional RPTV– Smaller footprint but not flat– Wider viewing angle that RPTV’s– More expensive than RPTV but cheaper than

“flat panels” at a given size– Available in 720p or 1080p

LCD Displays– Can be expensive but are

getting more affordable– Extremely Bright Picture– Size limited, generally to 46”– As thin as 3” and wall mountable– Not able to reproduce deep blacks– Maximum resolution of 720P or 1080P

depending on how much you spend– Most energy efficient– Check viewing angles..can be limited on some

sets

Plasma Displays– Allow for very large screen

sizes up to 70” and larger– Bright Picture– 4” footprint, wall mountable– “Burn in” less of an issue

in new models– Like LCD, not great at displaying “blacks”– Maximum resolution of 720P or 1080P

depending on how much you spend

Shopping For a New TV

Shopping for a new TV– What type of set do you need?• Screen size• How much space do you have for it?• Do you want to mount it on a wall?• Are you going to use the TV for sound or do you

have a home theater?• How many peripherals do you plan on hooking

up to it? How do you get your TV signal?• How “High” of a definition do you need?

Important Features• Inputs!!

– HDMI provides a digital connection for optimum HD picture and sound quality. Must support “HDCP” copy protection!

– “Component” inputs are “analog” but use 3 separate cables to deliver an HD picture.

– “Composite” and Svideo Inputs are not HD capable• Tuners

– Will you need a tuner to receive Over the Air TV?– If so make sure you get a digital tuner for 2/2009– Multiple tuners are useful for Picture In Picture– Cablecard remove the requirement to have cablebox

Reading the ad

Reading the ad

Reading the ad

Great Reviews• In print

– Consumer Reports– Home theater magazine

• Online– http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com– http://www.avsforum.com– http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-7608_7-1016109-

1.html?tag=dir– Google (http://www.google.com) a set before you buy

it!

Cables…beware!• Stores make a ton of money selling cables• HDMI Cables provide a digital connection…digital

means that signal loss is not a huge problem

Post Purchase

Installing Your TV– Wall mounting an LCD isn’t that hard…• Kits are available at all retailers• I mounted mine with 2” screws, washers, nuts

and “winged” drywall anchors to provide back pressure against the plaster walls.• More professional installers will run cables

inside walls

Hooking up Equipment– In order to get Progressive Scan you MUST

use Component or Digital type connectors

Receiving HDTV– Over The Air via built in digital tuner• UHF antenna will work, many now marked for

HDTV reception but any UHF antenna can work.– Comcast• Offers all local channels plus Discovery, National

Geographic, TNT, Premium Movie channels and more in HDTV.• Must have HDTV box which costs extra

– Digital Satellite– In the future the VNNC Master Antenna

Questions and Answers

Download this Power Point at http://www.skctechnologies.com/TVTechnology.pps