Lots of people are not so happy about all this 1080p talk. They say that the benefits of 1080p over 1080i and/or 720p is negligible. Or non-existent, for that matter, at certain screen sizes. If you’re one of those people, then you might not want to read the rest of this.

Displaybank has done some research about plasmas and LCD’s, and they say that 1080p versions of those displays will go from 3.9% marketshare this year to 58% by the year 2010.

The expected increase in the share for full HD comes from the introduction of a wide range of content and formats that can utilize full HD, such as Blu-ray DVD, HD-DVD, the PS3 and Xbox 360, as well as TV broadcasting content, said Displaybank. At the same time, the trend also reflects LCD and PDP panel manufacturers’ mass production plans for full HD panels, according to the research firm.

Sharp and Pioneer have already released 1080p LCD’s and plasmas, respectively. Panasonic and LG Electronics are coming out with their versions in the fall.

Full HD TVs to account for 58% of overall 40-inch and larger TVs in 2010

Popular Mechanics has an article that starts off with this image:

It then goes on to discuss various problems people have with HDTV imagery, and some common solutions to those problems. The only one I really disagree with is number 6. The problem they talk about is how SD material looks so bad on HDTV displays. I agree that this can be a big problem with lots of SD material. But I don’t agree with their solution - which is to wait for better scaler technology to see how it improves the problem. While it’s true that manufacturers are coming out with better scalers all the time, the quality improvements are incremental. I don’t think we’ll be seeing anything anytime soon that would markedly improve an SD image over what we’re seeing with today’s scalers.

[via HD Beat]

PM Diagnosis: What’s Wrong With This Picture?

CNET and HDTV Magazine are both running articles on the whole 1080i versus 1080p debate. Remember that 1080p is being touted by a couple manufacturers as “True HD”, as if 1080i and 720p were not HD. Which is sad, because all three HD formats are truely astounding and the differences between SD and 720p, 1080i, or 1080p is truly astounding. That’s where the debate should really be - trying to get people to upgrade to HDTV from SDTV, instead of incessantly bickering about 1080i versus 1080p.

That said, it’s awfully fun! We’re tech-heads, and like to dissect all the latest technologies. And since HD DVD, BD, and the PS3 will all support 1080p, the question on everyone’s mind is of course: is it worth it?

Unfortunately, as a writer for a site like this, it’s really unfortunate that I actually haven’t had a chance to do a 1080p versus 1080i comparison. So maybe I’m not the expert to consult, which is why I have these links for you right here:

Why 1080p?
Why 1080p? - Part 2 - A Brillian(t) Case
Why 1080p? - Part 3 - Front Projectors
1080i vs. 1080p HDTV

Peter Putman, the self-proclaimed HDTVExpert, wrote an article about 1080p about a year ago, and it proved to be quite a popular read. Now Mr. Putman has decided to revisit the subject.

First off, he points out one glaringly obvious fact that everybody’s missed. Manufacturers want to sell you 1080p because they can charge more for it! Yup, makes sense, doesn’t it. Of course a 1080p set would cost more than a 720p set. Why wouldn’t it? But that won’t last long when everyone gets on the bandwagon and 1080p sets can be had as easily as 720p sets used to be.

But here’s the important part. It’s been said before, but is worth repeating. Mr. Putman noticed a difference between 1080p and 720p under certain conditions. The screens were 50″ or larger and the viewing distance was no more than 3 times the screen height. Now lots of us have displays 50″ or larger. But how many of us sit within 3 screen heights of the display? Let me go measure my room, I’ll be right back….

… I’m back. I sit about 5 screen heights from my 57″ HDTV. And I think that’s plenty close enough, or my room would look funny. Then again, Mr. Putman did says fifty inches. Larger displays would of course allow you to sit further.

No matter which way you slice it, there are only certain conditions under which you’ll even notice the difference between 720p and 1080p. But bragging rights are another thing entirely!

HDTVexpert — 1080p: A Year Later

[Edit: no, HDMI doesn’t need new connectors. See the comments section.] You know what it means to assume. But I assumed anyway, and I may have done that in error. What’s that? Well, I knew that the new-fangled HDMI 1.3 was coming down the pike, and that it would allow Dolby True-HD, DTS-HD, and higher bit-depth video. I assumed, maybe incorrectly, that this could all be done inside the electronics components. That is, I thought that the HDMI cables themselves, and their connectors, would remain the same.

CE products with new HDMI 1.3 connectors will be available in stores before Christmas […]

The new connector offers the potential for enhanced audio and video performance in future CE products, a mini connector for camcorders and other small devices, and automatic synchronization of audio with video when audio is transported to a surround-sound processor from a video source but video is delivered directly to the display.

The first product incorporating an HDMI 1.3 connector is expected to be the Blu-ray-based PlayStation 3, due in November from Sony. HDMI 1.3 connectors could appear later on next-generation HDTV displays, next-generation Blu-ray and HD DVD players, A/V receivers, surround-sound preamp/processors and PCs.

That sounds to me like I’ll need to buy a new cable if I want to use the new features. Which makes me wonder - I can’t really use the new features yet. Does that mean I still need to buy a new cable? I wouldn’t think so, but you can never be sure. Maybe an HDMI 1.3 device can only accept HDMI 1.3 cables with their HDMI 1.3 connectors. That wouldn’t be fun.

That issue aside, this is a very informative article about HDMI, in case you were at all interested in this new technology.

HDMI 1.3 Connections Due By Year End

The HDMI 1.3 spec is currently being finalized, and is thought to be one of the reasons for the PS3’s delay. HDMI 1.3 has several things going for it. One, it will support the new audio formats like Dolby DD+ and TrueHD on HD DVD and BD media directly. No more converting to PCM.

HDMI 1.3 will also support bit-depths greater than 24bit. Currently, most computers can support up to 24 bit colour (8 bits each for red, green, and blue). Often you see 32 bit colour mentioned, which often is the same as 24 bit colour, but with an added 8 bit alpha (transparency) channel. (Refered to as RGBA.) The problem with 24 bit colour is that it’s just not enough. If you display a gradient wash, for example, going from dark gray to light gray, you’ll see banding. 24 bits is just not enough to resolve that many colours. That’s where HDMI 1.3 steps in, allowing you to transport 30-, 36-, and 48-bit RGB colour imagery. 36- and 48-bit imagery is beyond what the eye can resolve, so you won’t see any banding.

The PS3 will support deep colour, which is an interesting thing to make note of.

As well, the HDMI 1.3 spec will add support for a mini-connector, for things like camcorders.

HDMI Upgraded To Support ‘Deep Color’

I ran across a few articles this morning that were all HDTV and tech related.

First, “DVD” Jon Lech Johansen has moved to San Francisco and is working for a reverse engineering company. Could this company be working on ways to copy HD DVD’s and/or Blu-Ray? Can you say 321 studios?

DoubleTwist Ventures focuses on the development of interoperability solutions for digital media and the reverse engineering of proprietary systems for which licensing options are non-existent or impractical

In other news, NVIDIA is upping its PureVideo ante by adding video acceleration to HD:

NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology provides:

* Hardware acceleration for decoding high-definition movies in the required formats (H.264, VC-1, and MPEG-2) with minimal CPU utilization and low power consumption.

* Advanced post-processing features for razor-sharp HD movie playback at resolutions up to 1080p, the highest HD resolution available.

* Support by the leading HD movie player software companies that take advantage of PureVideo HD’s hardware acceleration and HDCP features.

Last I have a little tidbit for those who want to buy some HDCP tech to add to their hardware:

The Inquirer reports that licenses for the video DRM system HDMI/HDCP cost $15,000

So for $15k you can have your own HDCP key. “Honey? Where is the checkbook!”

HDMI and HDCP licences cost $15K each

Happy Monday!

So the other day I was discussing how important contrast ratio is.

Today, I found this article over at HomeTheaterhifi that goes deep into contrast ratio and has everything you never need to know about it.

Note: This article is very long (6 parts) and technical. You may just want to skim over it. The article has many good examples of how to tell if your system is well calibrated and how better contrast can help in dark scenes.

Two quick quotes:

2000:1 On/Off CR is generally considered enough in our home theaters

In real life, the ratio of luminance between white paper in sunlight and white paper in moonlight is approximately 1,000,000:1

So since my projector is rated at 2500:1 I guess I never need to upgrade. I’ll have to think about this one a little more.

Understanding Contrast Ratios in Video Display Devices

My friend the other day held up his hand, wiggled his fingers, and said “purely decorative”. That is to say, he is not a handy-man. I could have said the same thing. I felt proud of myself when I put up some light fixtures in my house. The idea of finishing my basement is daunting, though maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to do it.

One of the things I might consider doing is to create my own screen. Projector Central has a tutorial about how to create a screen for less than $100. That’s in contrast to the many hundreds that you could end up spending on a purchased screen.

Make a Projection Screen for under $100

John Dvorak and his Cranky Geeks tackled the HDTV industry and had some great discussion on LCD, SED, MPG-4, VC-1, Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, and PS3

This is Episode 7 from April 27th

In WMV:
Right click here to download CrankyGeeks in WMV, 128MB
For the video iPod:
Right click here to download CrankyGeeks for the video iPod, 174MB
In MPEG4:
Right click here to download CrankyGeeks in MPEG4, 121MB