Transcript All About HDTV - The College of New Jersey

All About HDTV
TCF April 2008
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They Look Great
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50” Vizio
All About HDTV - Outline
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Digital TV (DTV) and High Definition (HDTV)
Frequency Allocation
What are Broadcasters Doing
Where are the Signals Coming from
Plasma, LCD and DLP Displays
How to Hook Up HDTV to Your System
HD Recording
Consumer Guide
Digital TV and HDTV
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OTA Analog transmissions to cease in 2009
after over 50 years. DTV offers better picture
quality – no snowy or degraded picture, no
convergence problems
Each pixel separately generated
Stereo and surround sound (5.1) built-in
MPEG-2 compresses 1 Gb/s video stream
One 6 MHz Channel can carry 20 Mbits/sec or
several DTV (HDTV and SDTV) sub channels
and other data (8-VSB and QAM)
Digital TV and HDTV
(cont.)
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DTV Formats – 480i, 576i, 720p, 1080i,
1080p (1080p Blue-Ray, HD-DVD only)
Native HDTV Formats - 720p or 1080i, up
or down conversion is required
Aspect Ratios – 4:3, 16:9 – black stripes,
missing foreheads or 300 lbs bodies
On-Screen Daily Schedules
2008 TV Receivers
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Sets with HD display and no tuners (HD
ready or HD monitor)
Sets with HD display, NTSC/ATSC and
QAM tuners with or without cable cards
(most common)
Sets with SD display (LCD or CRT) and
NTSC/ATSC tuner (least expensive)
Frequency Allocation
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Old Assignments: VHF (Ch. 2-13) and
UHF (Ch. 14-68)
New Assignments: Upper VHF, lower UHF
(Ch. 7-53)
Government Will Auction the Vacated
Channels for $$ Billions, is issuing rebate
coupons for converter boxes
What are Broadcasters Doing
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Broadcasters take advantage of uninformed
public
Saving on Quality for Profits – more channels,
less HD
Few Broadcasters provide a consistent true HD
Signal
Basic Cable May or May not Include Digital
Channels
Cable and satellite providers degrade the HD
signal by further compressing it
Over-the-air still the best – not publicized and
Transmission and Modulation
NTSC/ATSC/QAM Tuners
QAM
(Cable)
6 MHz
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Video Stream
1 Gbit/sec
MPEG-2
20 Mbits/sec
8-VSB (OTA)
6 MHz
Digital Transmission
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6 MHz Channel
Are You Watching HDTV?
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Sleeping in the Garage Doesn't Make You
a Car
Nearly half of the 24 million households
with HDTVs don't actually watch highdefinition programs
HDTV Material Doesn't Grow on Trees
Where are the Digital Signals
Coming from
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Digital Cable
Satellite (Dish Network)
Over the Air – A well kept secret. An old
antenna, even rabbit ears will often do
Blue Ray DVDs and other new formats
Plasma, LCD and DLP Displays
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Plasma – Generates its own light, vivid colors,
best viewing angle, but subject to burn-in,
ambient light a problem (glare, reflections)
LCD – Backlit, (Venetian blinds) good pastel
colors, poor blacks, low power consumption, low
weight, good in lighted areas, 42” or less
DLP – Reflected light (Rear projection), bright
colors, relatively expensive, fragile, 50” and up,
www.howstuffworks.com/lcd2.htm
Plasma Display
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Panel Cross Section
Plasma Display
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Cell arrangement
LCD Display
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Polarization
LCD Display
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More Details
DLP (Projection) Display
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How it works
How to Hook Up HDTV to Your
System (A/V Components)
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Over-the-air and cable combination
Analog vs. digital cable (cable cards, boxes)
Use of additional tuners (VCR, ATSC)
Analog and digital audio to your HiFi
Use with Laptop as Monitor
DVD Player
Games, computer and other components
How to Hook Up HDTV to Your
System (Inputs and Outputs)
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Varies between Manufacturers and Models
Composite - AVI (3 RCA cables)
Component (5 RCA cables)
HDMI
Svideo + audio
RGB (15 pins) + audio
Analog Audio (Stereo)
Digital Audio (5.1)
How to Hook Up HDTV to Your
System (Cable Types)
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HDMI, RCA, Svideo, RGB
How to Hook Up HDTV to Your
System (OTA and Analog Cable)
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Combining Over-the –air with analog cable
Cable
VCR
AV1
HDTV
Antenna
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DTV/TV
Recording of HD/SD Programs
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Lack of video outputs on most HDTV sets
makes recording difficult (DRM raises its ugly
head)
Recording to PC hard drive with external ATSC
tuner
Regular VCR if analog output available from
HDTV or digital cable box
TiVo recording to hard drive
DVRs with built-in ATSC/QAM tuners and DVD
recording media coming down in price
Pinnacle PCTV HD Stick
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HD Picture on PC Screen
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Current HD/SD Programming
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Networks simulcast their main analog channel
Plenty of weather channels
News, sports, specials and some shows in HD
PBS carries a separate HD channel with high
quality documentaries, cultural and science
programs (3 hour operas from the MET, full
concerts, etc)
Government Coupon Program
Analog OTA transmission will cease on
2/17/2009
 Between 1/1/08 and 3/31/09 you can call
1-888-388-2009 to apply
 1-2 $40 Rebate coupons per household
 Coupons expire 90 days after issue
 ATSC to analog converters will give new
life to old TVs and VCRs
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Consumer Guide
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Fit Size to Your Viewing Area
Built-in ATSC/QAM tuner or HD-Ready
Plasma. LCD or DLP
Availability of Inputs and Outputs
Price, warranties, repair cost
Ask questions on alt.tv.tech.hdtv and
check http://www.avsforum.com
Additional Resources
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Converter box site: www.dtv2009.gov:
Find out about OTA reception at your
home: www.antennaweb.org
Quiz to tell if you are ready for HDTV:
www.dtvtransition.org: