Guys really great forum..... I'm happy to be here, and I'd appreciate some help, in my HDTV edumacation.
As far as practicality goes.... HDTV that is. I've been reading this, and another forum, trying to understand this HDTV stuff, so I won't be solely dependant on info provided by salesmen....
But let's look at the megapixel race with digital cameras..... I've come to the resolve, that depending on the intended delivery media, it doesn't make sense to go over 3 megapixels....
For instance, I'll never print a photo bigger than 8x11... & 3 megapixel gives you great resolution at that size. I'm quite sure there are some guys who can see a huge difference between 5 or 7 megapixels and 3 megs...... but for me, the point of diminishing returns was back at 1 meg. Of course you're not going to find a quality camera nowadays, that is limited to 3 megs, so I've got a 7 meg camera anyway.......... but that's another story all together.
So..... should viewable size be a consideration when discussing HDTV resolution??
If I'm watching a 23" widescreen HDTV capable TV..... HD upconverted via HDMI, do I really gain anything going 1080i over 480P?? is 720 as good as 1080i on such a small display??
Should I even worry about 720P vs 1080i If I'm at 42" and under??
& am I wasting my time with 1080i unless I'm watching a plasma regardless of size?? IN other words, is 480P on a plasma comparable to 1080i on a rear projection?? or 720P on an LCD??
and lastly........ IF my T.V.s Native resolution is 720P.... am I fooling myself upconverting to 1080i since it's going to be converted back to 720P??
I mean it's coming off the media at 480P right?? whether it's converted at the DVD player, or in my TV, I'm going to be watching 720P regardless right?? why go 480P> 1080i> 720P
OK... now that we got all that out of the way, on to something easier, like solving world hunger, or curing Cancer.......
2. CRT has the best picture, is more relable, costs less to purchase, and the warranty costs less. CRT weighs as much as 200 pounds, and doesen't come in the larger sizes.
3. LCD is the future, but CRT may be around a long time also.
4. Buy good cables.
5. Buy the extended warranty.
6. Prices will continue to decline, so waitng to buy is a good choice.