Sunday 9 June 2013

About HDTVs And Smart TVs


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TVs have come a long way from black-and –white with few channels to color with wide range of channels to HDTVs (High Definition Televisions) and to  Smart TVs . As the technology advancement has changed the quality of TV viewing, the requirement for high-featured TV has grown. Whether  Watching TV is national pastime or not, and without arguing  its influence on children, here are few tips for better TV viewing .

HDTV: HDTVs are those that provide high-performance mainly in terms of its picture quality and sound besides other things more than normal TVs. There are various types of them according to how they produce picture on screen such as  Plasmas(uses charged ions ), LEDs(Light Emitting Diodes), and LCDs(Liquid Crystal Display). The interesting comparison among these are as follows:
According to Webopedia.com, LED TVs are the most energy efficient among the three, also LEDs have slim panels and easier wall mounting. LEDs are good for viewing in dark or dimly-lit rooms and for wider viewing angels (more people can watch).
Plasma TVs have thick and heavy panels, least energy efficient with widest viewing angels and not available under 42” screen size.
LCD TVs are more energy efficient than plasma TVs with availability of wide range of screen size.

Although three types of TVs are similar in producing colourful pictures, there are some differences as described above which you may consider in buying a TV.

Picture Quality: 1080p (progressive)and 720p are the standard for defining picture quality, also called as “resolution” . It refers to number of pixels represented for a picture, 1,080 vertical pixels by 1920 horizontal pixels or column of pixels. High-definition signals have 1080p format which is highest.  Higher the resolution higher the picture definition as there are more lines of information, the level of detail can be much more precise. Not all channels are in HD mode and HD channels are pricey.

HDMI:  High Definition Multimedia Interface point or input  on HDTV provides  interface to computer  and other devices such as the home theater, set top box , gaming systems, and blu-ray players.  Internet can be accessed  via this port.

Set Top Box: ““Set top box” (STB) is a device, which is connected to a television set at the consumer premises and which allows a consumer to view encrypted channels of his choice. The basic function of the set top box is to decrypt the channels and to convert the digital signals into analog mode for viewing on television sets. A smart card or viewing card is a part of set top box which allow only those channels to be viewed which are subscribed by the consumer and authorised by the service provider” as mentioned by Trai.gov.in. This is in particular to STBs which are now mandatory to use in  India. This STBs are used for DAS(digitally addressable system) and not for DTH system.What it means for your TV…is a question. STBs may or may not provide timings of programs and other related functionalities. Without STB, channels can not be viewed on TV.

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Smart TV

Smart TVs: These are extended version of HDTVs with processor to provide Internet browsing, Apps(Twitter, YouTube and others) and other functionalities(gesture controlled, not remote controlled; 3D effects, etc.).There are devices by which any TV can be turned into Smart TV(Akai smart box) which provides emailing, web browsing and so on. Whether you want to watch TV with Internet or standalone is a matter of personal choice.

Today’s TVs are more than passive viewing and with new features added from time to time as tech is progressing rapidly, it is now possible to experience infotainment at whole new level.



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