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The HTSA has picked Sony’s XBR8 as one of its favorite TVs for the season.
You may be very proud of that new TV purchase. You may have even punched someone in the head for it. Black Friday shoppers’ remorse aside, the Home Theater Specialists of America say you could be paying for that cheap TV purchase in the long run.
HTSA experts say many of those $700 TVs that keep popping up this season are seriously flawed. David Berman, the HTSA’s director of training and public relations, cites cheap processing engines and lesser warranties as some of the common problems associated with TV deals. The HTSA also says that although you may be excited about a new HDTV, you may not be getting “real” HD. They say that many of the bargains being sold right now have a pixel count more like 1366 x 768, which is “less than half the pixel clarity of a true HDTV and only about 10 percent of all HD programming comes across in this format.”
As part of the announcement, the organization also announced some of its favorite sets for the season: To help consumers, HTSA has published a list of their favorite flat panel models for this holiday season. Those include:
- Limited Edition Sharp Aquos LCD
- Pioneer Kuro
- Sony Bravia XBR7 and XBR8
- LG
- Mitsubishi
Of course, for some, a new TV is better than no TV—and some of those models are beyond the average shopper’s budget.
Do you agree with the HTSA’s statements? Do you worry about your recent purchase or are you too busy basking in the glow of a new TV? Sound off in the comments section below.
“720p is full HD, 1080i is full HD, both are broadcast standards. 1080p which you are referring to as true HD is a bunch of garbage. It is only used by Blu ray. A 720p set is going to give you a wonderful picture. I notice that the sets they recommend in the article are high end…. pompus article.”
You are flat-out wrong. To see 1080i (most cable) in all its glory, you need a 1080p TV that properly de-interlaces 1080i video. There is no such thing as a 1080i TV (except CRT, and a few oddball Hitachi plasmas). What they call 1080i is in fact 768p. Unless you are using 1080p24 (rare) they ia no difference, once de-interlaced, between 1080i video and 1080p video. If you are seeing a difference, it’s because your TV fails at properply de-interlacing. Few TVs fail at 30fps video content (again, most network TV is 30fps 1080p delivered as 60-filed 1080i).
http://www.robertruffo.com/HDTV.htm
Get informed!
720p is full HD, 1080i is full HD, both are broadcast standards. 1080p which you are referring to as true HD is a bunch of garbage. It is only used by Blu ray. A 720p set is going to give you a wonderful picture. I notice that the sets they recommend in the article are high end…. pompus article.
I don’t disagree with the suggestion that we purchase a quality name brand product, but what we really need is to be able to get parts for these products. Fortunately I purchased an Expert Protection service plan with my flat panel TV. The servicer told me parts were no longer available on my 18 month old TV. I checked my service plan and they provided me with a new TV. Not all service plans are alike, so if you are going to make such a purchase read all of the fine print to be sure you get this coverage. I’m glad I did.
Yeah, you definitely want to warn people about buying 720p 40” tv’s, cause they’ll for sure be able to see it’s not 1080i coming in on the cable.
Are you kidding me? 1080p 40” tv’s are a joke, and most people don’t sit close enough to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p even with a 50” tv. This is all manufacturer marketing hogwash. If I was on Digg, this would be buried.
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@Robert Ruffo
I’d like to see you take the “pepsi” challenge with a few different sets in a room. Bet you couldn’t tell which was which (HD content). I read this website from time to time and I’m not impressed. Very biased articles to inflate egos.