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New member Username: Krzyboy2oPost Number: 3 Registered: Feb-05 | hello all, newbie to the hi-def world. so please bare with me. just bought panasonic's 37" EDTV Model# TH-37PD25UP. http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=ELEC&pid=0 5775524000&tab=spe#tablink correct me if im wrong. since this tv already has a built in ATSC tuner, i do not need a stb for hd right? (yes,i know this isnt a htdv set, but reviews say that its relatively close). what are my options to gain optimal performace for this plasma? type of dvd player, hook up cables, stb (if needed), etc. here are the specs: 480p display capable 4000:1 contrast ratio (dark area illuminance) Advanced Plasma Adaptive Brightness Intensifier HDMI input/PC in (front) 3D Y/C digital comb filter Photo viewer PC card slot/SD card slot Built-in ATSC tuner/QAM/CableCARD ready* *CableCARD related services/subscription may be not available in all areas BBE ViVA HD3D sound Trilingual on screen display Thanks! |
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Bronze Member Username: CableguyDeep in the ... U.S. Post Number: 33 Registered: Mar-05 | EDTV's are essentially digital televisions, not HDTV's. Since local broadcast are usually 1080i you will not be able to view any HD without having a STB that you can down convert the 1080i output to 480p. You basically can watch DVD's on your component input or HDMI. If you get a cablecard for your EDTV you can eliminate the need for a STB to gain access to analog and digital channels, again NO HD. As far as STB's, I'll let somebody that has Comcast let you know what options you have there. I've actually had a few customers that wanted to use an HD STB even though the TV doesn't support 1080i, like I said earlier it can be done only if your STB lets you pick your output format, deselect 1080i and select 480i/480p. Hope this helps. |
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RB Unregistered guest | You can get HD (1080i or 720p) on your new ED plasma. With Comcast Cable in Spokane, WA all you need is a cable card. The cable card acts the brain part of the cable tv set top box that you used to have to have...it "authorizes" for the services you subscribe to. Then your tv's ATSC tuner receives the HD channels, the QAM tuner in your tv tunes the QAM channels (digital cable channels non HD) and the NTSC tuner in your tv receives the analog 480i channels. Your tv has a scaler built into it and converts any received channel (analog, QAM, HD 1080i and HD 720p) to 480p (the "native" resolution of your ED plasma). A 480p DVD player outputs to your tv's native resolution, 480p, and wouldn't need to be "scaled". |
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New member Username: Krzyboy2oPost Number: 7 Registered: Feb-05 | so all i need to received HD channels is cablecard from comcast. no STB with fancy cables? right? "Your tv has a scaler built into it and converts any received channel (analog, QAM, HD 1080i and HD 720p) to 480p (the "native" resolution of your ED plasma). " RB - do u mean that i can input a 1080i signal but the tv will output a 480p? |
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New member Username: Krzyboy2oPost Number: 8 Registered: Feb-05 | "RB - do u mean that i can input a 1080i signal but the tv will output a 480p?" -sorry didnt finish my previous post. what would be the advantages of outputting a 480p signal? |
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formerly xvxvxvx Unregistered guest | Yes that is what he means. The advantage is you saved money compared to buying an HD plasma display. xvxvxvx |
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RB Unregistered guest | That's right, Andre, you wouldn't need a STB. The combination of the cable card and your EDTV's ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuner, in essence, replaces that old STB. Your tv must scale (convert) all signals (1080i, 720p, QAM and standard analog 480i) it recieves to 480p because that is your EDTV's "native" resolution...480p (852 X 480p). So the question really isn't "What would be the advantages of outputting to 480p signal?" It's just what your EDTV does (no choice in the matter)because the resolution of the "panel" (screen) is 852 X 480p or 480p for short. Or as the unregistered guest "formerly xvxvxvx" posted, "The advantage is you saved money compared to buying an HD plasma display." You bought an EDTV plasma and they look great in my opinion. I don't really know but I'd guess maybe 9 out of 10 people or higher (95 of 100?) would assume by looking at a 1080i signal into your EDTV that their looking at High Def. A progressive scan or 480p DVD players output just happens to match the 480p resolution of your EDTV perfectly so the picture will actually look 10% better, than an HDTV plasma would, using it. Be sure to set the DVD player's output to 480p and use its component output (or DVI or HDMI). |
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Unregistered guest | All these questions surrounding the 1080i conversion to 480p for EDTV resolution seeming circumvent my question at hand. Some pana EDTV monitors (1080i/480i to 480p) do not scale 720p resolution. ie. (1080i/720p/480i to 480p). Will 720p broadcasts being converted to a 1080i/480p scale factor mean that you will have to live with croping bar's when the source program input is 720p since zoom/full/and just modes are not available in high density mode ??? |
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Anonymous | Face it dudes. All this chatter is a poor mans effort to convince himself that EDTV is as good as HDTV. An HDTV signal with an HDTV monitor is HDTV (1080i/720p) and an HDTV signal(1080i/720p)with an EDTV monitor (480p)is EDTV(480p) Next time save your money and buy what you really set out to buy. Then you don't have to waste your time writing convincing articles to yourself but would be sitting home with your stinkers out in front of you watching quality res stuff. |
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Bronze Member Username: PhialphaNorth Canton, OH Post Number: 13 Registered: Apr-05 | Starwarrior~ "Some pana EDTV monitors (1080i/480i to 480p) do not scale 720p resolution." The EDTV Panasonic plasma that cannot scale 720p also does not have a built-in HDTV tuner. That means if you have this TV and want to watch HD content, go to your cable company and get a STB. In the STB settings, there will be output options, which you will want to uncheck 720p. The STB will scale the video properly to fill your screen. |