Learn the latest happenings in the TV technologies from the TV reviews

Online TV reviews are good sources of information to those have the interest of knowing the latest in the TV technology. Whether it is the technology related to the display or the addition of a number of functions or the loaded features, TV technology has come a long since the good old days of the cathode ray tube (CRT) based voluminous TVs. Many critics point to the fact that the SED, or the ‘surface-conduction electron emitter display’ will be the display technology of the future. It makes use of nano-technology.

There are many benefits of this technology. Most importantly, it combines the features of both the LCD/LED/ OLED TV and the CRT TV. Deep colour contrast ratios, good aspect ratios, flat-panel size, wide viewing angles and much more are the main features of this technology. Apart from these, the technology allows usage of less power than both the LCD and the CRT TVs.

With high definition television sets adding the required punch by enabling multi-functionality and connectivity with other digital devices, the use of SED technology is going to further improve the viewing quality of the TVs. The HDTV, available in large screen modes, delivering amazing audio-visual quality makes a perfect home-theatre system. With these systems, you can experience the visuals and sound as if you are in a theatre.

The connections between TV and the different devices like the DVD player, blu-ray, A/v receiver and even personal computer, does not require multiple wires of different types. Rather, a single port in the SED HDTV will make connections easier using the HDMI cables. Also, you would not be required to keep a number of different remotes with you. Just one remote will control all the functions of your ‘home-theatre’ system.

The LCD or LED HDTVs are easy to install, though these require expert handling. These could fixed on the wall or can be supported by the mounts. Interestingly, you can also find the various designs and styles of the TV mounts developed by the companies while reading the TV reviews. These are used not only for keeping the TV but also for the purpose of keeping the various other devices on it that can be connected to the TV. These allow for efficient utilization of space and for keeping the room clean and well organized.

TV screen has not only increased in size but have also diminished in size considerably. Had Mr. Baird, the widely recognized inventor of the first TV, been alive today, he would not believe his eyes that he can now keep his invention in his pockets! Portable TVs are now coming in roughly the same size as that of the mobiles. These TVs receive the transmission through wireless antennas and can therefore be taken to all those places where transmission reaches. Considering the small size, the audio-video quality and basic functionality does not leave much to be desired.

These new TVs have become a style statement and a craze of the people. With all major consumer electronics companies in the fray, there is a lot that the market has to offer to the right customer.

What Are The HDMI Standards?

The conversion of analogue to digital technology led to the creation of new devices and gadgets making use of the digital revolution. One such area where this digitization has found great usage is that of the TV and large display devices. The common platform of digital technology has enabled and hastened the pace of convergence of different devices, making them more compatible with one another. Therefore, the need has been felt for evolving some standards of delivering the consistent and uniform output to different audio-visual platforms. A beginning was made by major consumer electronic giants like Hitachi, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba and others when they developed a set of standard guidelines for interconnecting different digital audio-video media. These are called the High Definition Multimedia interface (HDMI) standards.

These standards continued to be further improved and each new standard was progressive to the older one and combined more features. Each new version was also compatible with the old one. The HDMI cables and switches based on these standards were developed to deliver the same set of quality functions across different interfaces. These standards for audio/video are elaborated below:

1. Version 1.0: It was made only the DVD players.
2. Version 1.2: This was an improvement over the earlier version in that it could be used for both the television and the personal computers. The type A connectors allowed full compatibility and support to different audio/visual format on the PCs.
3. Version 1.2a: The most important thing that was accomplished with this version was the introduction of the so called, 1.2a HDMI compliance test specification (CTS). This required all the devices to be tested at an authorized testing center (ATC) for the meeting the set of compliance regulations. For a device to pass all the tests at an ATC, the connectors of the device shall be appearing on the approved connector’s list.
4. Version 1.3: This is the latest in the series of versions of standards. It has following main features:

a. Greater Speed: To satisfy the demands of future HD display devices, the new version comes with greater speeds, of about 10.2 Gbps.
b. Colour depths: This version supports the 10-bit, 12-bit and 16-bit colour depths, RGB or YCbCr. This is an improvement over the earlier versions which only supported 8-bit colour depths.
c. Removes the limitations of colour space and enables the display of any colour that can be viewed.
d. Mini connector: For connecting the small portable devices like cameras and camcorders with HD TVs, it offers smaller form factor connectors.
e. Support new lossless audio formats: It supports high-bandwidth uncompressed digital audio and all the compressed formats, like the pervious versions. It also adds additional support for new lossless compresses digital audio formats.

The non-promoter companies like LG, Samsung and a few others are also adding to the heat of competition in this segment which makes use of the HDMI cables, connectors, extenders, communication channel protocols and switches, for connecting to multiple digital devices with single or multiple-ports.

Selecting The Right Television

If you are to go shopping for the right television for home or office, there are great chances that you will get confused by the variety of TVs available in the market. You not only have to make a choice from among the many brands that are available but also from among the various functions, sizes, picture and the technologies that these are based on. The salesperson is likely to elaborate on many a technical jargon and tell you the specialities and limitations of each of the technologies. 

Here are the broad criteria which you shall consider while selecting the right TV:

1.      Technology being used: Always enquire about the technology being used. The LED TV is an improvement over the LCD TV. Similarly, you shall know why the plasma TV competes with other modern TVs. Therefore, if you understand the technologies, you will know which TV is better and why.

2.      Features: Modern day TVs come with many features. Before buying a TV, you shall consider the different features of the TV. These could be the wired and wireless feature, ability to use them as computer monitors, the different types of connections these offer with other gadgets and many others.

3.      Price: Some of the hi-end TVs could be very pricey. So, it is important that you keep control over yourself and make a buy according to your budget. 

4.       Accessories: Accessories like TV Cables could be a limiting factor for data transmission. So, appropriate cables have to be used for the same. 

5.      Take a demo: The demo shall not be restricted to only the audio-visual aspects. Take a complete demo of all the features. This demo is the best way to check all the features in reality. You can make comparisons and also know what you do not like about the TV. For some products, like the one using the 3D TV Plasma technology, the demo is a must since most of the people did not find it quite conducive to get the 3D viewing experience.

6.      Main disadvantages: Every salesperson will harp about the best features and advantages. However, you shall insist on being informed about their disadvantages. For example, a Plasma TV could be a better choice over the LCD TV or the LED TV but its negative feature of ‘burn-in’ might compel you to turn to other options.

7.      Life span: Some of the modern TVs have a life of 10,000-30,000 hours whereas some others using a different technology have the life of about 50000 hours. If you are tech-savvy and keep on changing your gadgets often, then you shall consider the relatively cheaper, less life-span TVs. Otherwise, generally, people prefer the one with large life span. 

8.      Guarantees and Warranties: Some of the TV parts like the display screen or the remote control are susceptible to damage. If you know the replacement costs of the product which is likely to get damaged, or the guarantees or warranties given by the company, then you will take greater cautions and care for the same. 

Before you go for selecting a TV, you shall be clear on why you need it. This pre-thought will help you in selecting just the right one.