Buying HDTV in the next 3-15 months, advice much appreciated

[c627627]

What is the approx. average cost difference between 1080p vs. 1080i native sets today (September 2005)? To what level do you hear the prices will be dropping to in the next two years?

What are the links you would suggest to find out resolution quality satellite channels are broadcast in today?

How about local cable companies such as Kansas City Time Warner cable?

Is it true that 1080p native sets would be most useful for viewing upcoming HD DVD/Blue Ray discs because at most 1080i instead of 1080p will be broadcast on cable/satellite for quite some time?

If you had a $2K budget to be spend in the next six months, what would you personally spend it on? How about $4K?

Thank you

[RDS1955]

Whew....Thats alot of questions...You might start by beginning your search here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/

and/or here:

http://www.highdefforum.com/index.php

Much can change in 3-15 months...

Have fun

[c627627]

Last I checked there are some pretty informed members about those things right here as well .

I was going to get those places later...

[handyguy]

Yes, we have a lot of informed members but there are also lots of topics on buying hdtv here already. I think you should write when you want to buy one, technology changes so much.

I saw regular cable tv on an LCD yesterday & it looks better on my CRT set.

[SatStorm]

Here in Greece we expect 42" LCD @ 1080i at a cost of around 1200 Euros for X-mass

Imagine the prices elsewhere at the same time

[c627627]

Thank you, SatStorm.

That's what I was looking for, although the price seems suspiciously low .

Would anyone know anything about prices for 1080p, will there be any?

It looks like the 1080i is the one to get now and then maybe 1080p when HD DVD / Blue Ray movies come out in the next couple of years.

[BodaZoffa]

HDLIA..... the wave of the future.

[Dragonsf]

Thank you, SatStorm.

That's what I was looking for, although the price seems suspiciously low .

Would anyone know anything about prices for 1080p, will there be any?

It looks like the 1080i is the one to get now and then maybe 1080p when HD DVD / Blue Ray movies come out in the next couple of years.

Go to Greece and buy the whole lot (if it was NTSC). In Japan 42" Wide LCD go from 3000$ and upwards.

But no 1080p in sight (yet). Latest I saw was a 65" LCD TV (Sharp Aquos).

[Epicurus8a]

Like you, I hope to purchase an HDTV monitor in time frame you mentioned.

I am convinced DLP monitors are the way to go, unless you want to the hang the monitor on the wall. In that case, get a plasma screen.

http://www.dlp.com/home_entertainment/default.asp

If I were buying tomorrow, I'd buy a Samsung DLP. Lovely in every way, IMO.


Use this formula to determine the proper screen size for you.

1. Measure the distance from you couch or easy chair to the TV screen.
2. Divide that number by 6*, and the result is the height your screen should be.

*Use 5 if you prefer a slightly larger screen. Use 7 if you prefer a slightly smalller screen.

[SatStorm]

3.000$ are 2.452 Euros.

After thinking about it, I just phoned to someone inside panasonic and told me the thuth about those new LCDs they are expecting...

Now be ready to read one of the bigest marketing tricks ever:

Those screens gonna be "Euro 1080i ready".

Where is the trick?

Euro 1080i is the name of the only current official HDTV channel in Europe! (visit: http://www.euro1080.com)

So, what they actually state, is that those new LCD screens, gonna be compatible with euro1080 channel. Not 1080i!

Why also "1080 ready"?

Because those TVs are ready to show euro1080 channel, when it starts to broadcast with the new mpeg 4 DVB standard next month!


The true is that those 1200 euro (~1500$) 42'' LCD screens, gonna be 768p or something close. Not 1080i !!!!

I bet many europeans gonna buy those screens without knowing this... You read "Euro 1080i Ready" and they mean the channel, not the resolution!

[Dragonsf]

Naruhodo (I see). That's why they are so cheap. What resolution do they actually have? My has 1368x786 (because I baught it 5 month ago, now they provide real 1920x1080).

[Nelson37]

I did not think that 1080P was an available resolution, either from the source or on the TV. I thought 1080I was the highest available.

There should be significant price changes in 3 mos, 15 mos out is too far to start serious checking now.

[c627627]

Wow, is there no end to deceptive marketing practices for these new TV sets (euro1080 ready, please.)

So then to recap, in 2005 there were no 1080p sets for lower screen sizes only on 65" huge TVs? Any links to news articles about 1080p being available for lower screen sizes in 2006 and their no doubt large price tags?

Finally, what are some of the rare hot deals you've seen up to now on 1080i = 960x1080 = 1,036,800 pixels TVs?

How about 720p = 1280x720 = 921,600 pixels TVs or even 480p EDTVs?

Just to get the pricing in perspective before the end of the year holidays.


P.S. What is HDLIA please, don't just say 'wave of the future' ?

[Gargoyle]

P.S. What is HDLIA please, don't just say 'wave of the future' ?

http://www.jvc.com/presentations/HDILA/index2.html

[junkmalle]

As of June 2005 there were only 3 1080p tvs:

http://hometheatermag.com/directviewandplasmatvs/605sharp/

There are very few native 1080i displays too. Almost all big screen flat panels are about ~1366x768 native.

[edDV]

What is the approx. average cost difference between 1080p vs. 1080i native sets today (September 2005)? To what level do you hear the prices will be dropping to in the next two years?

What are the links you would suggest to find out resolution quality satellite channels are broadcast in today?

How about local cable companies such as Kansas City Time Warner cable?

Is it true that 1080p native sets would be most useful for viewing upcoming HD DVD/Blue Ray discs because at most 1080i instead of 1080p will be broadcast on cable/satellite for quite some time?

If you had a $2K budget to be spend in the next six months, what would you personally spend it on? How about $4K?

Thank you

I wrote an intro on the subject last Dec. Prices have come down since then but the subject matter still applies.
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=244182&highlight=

Today you will pay $1500-2000 for a 42" EDTV Plasma. A similar HDTV plasma (~1280x720 to 1440x1080 native resolution) will sell for $2500-4500. Full 1920x1080p LCD HDTV monitors are now down to around $6000 and up.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-o0tnsbx2AVs/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=146350&I=305LTP468W

These prices will come down considerably over 2yrs. Expect the next big wave to be the large LCD sets next year. Prices will optimize around a 46" HD LCD with approx 1280x720 resolution. I would estimate such a set will be available for ~$1000-1500 by Christmas 2006.

HD movie DVDs will be encoded as 1080p24. Broadcast 1080i material must be hardware deinterlaced for display on a LCD or plasma panel. Each year expect the quality of the deinterlacer chips to improve.

[junkmalle]

Crutchfield is a good example:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-8VDh12m86Q7/cgi-bin/ProdGroup.asp?g=146350

Out of 60 flat panels listed only two are 1920x1080 native (US$6000). I saw one at 1024x1024, and the rest are 1366x768 or less.

Keep an eye out for the SED displays in the spring of 2006. If the technology pans out it should have the best properties of CRT, LCD and plasma without the problems of each.

[c627627]

What is the best link on SED info and where did you hear info about them for spring 2006? EDIT: NM, found it here: http://www.dvhardware.net/article6835.html

edDV, big thank you for posting.


EDIT: in full:

Toshiba has developed a prototype of a SED display in cooperation with Canon. The prototype was displayed at the IFA show in Berlin and the companies claim this technology combines the image quality and the response times of CRT displays with the thin profile of LCD and Plasma displays.

The company says a SED (Surface-Conduction Electron-Emitter Display) uses a mini-electron cannon for each pixel and claim a SED display consumes three times less energy than LCD displays.

At the IFA show a 36-inch SED display was showcased behind closed doors and according to our sources the image quality was really impressive. The companies hope to release a 50-inch display by Spring 2006.

Mass production of SED displays is expected for 2007 and the companies hope SED will dominate the market of displays larger than 40-inch by 2010.


and while searching for that, came across this:

http://www.graskinhometheatre.bigstep.com/generic80.html
SED's Sound Great, But Watch For OLED's
You'd think with all the R&D money poured into Plasma Displays, LCD's FED’s and SED’s, there wouldn't be any money left. But believe it or not, quite a few companies, principally Kodak and Dupont, found the cash to develop what many now think will ultimately supplant every FDP technology mentioned here -- it's called OLED (Organic Light Emitting Display).
Are OLED's Better Than SED's?
Many technologists believe so. OLED's, like SED's, differ from LCD's in some critical ways. For starters, they are also emissive displays. And, they have an extremely fast response time (i.e., “refresh rate”) unlike LCD’s, which suffer from "latency", an inherent design limitation that slows response time.

Because of this faster refresh rate, OLED's can adjust to changes in light and color output more quickly, producing extremely color-accurate, sharp, detailed images with excellent black level, brightness and contrast. And, OLED's operate with extremely low power consumption (between 7 and 10 volts).

Initially, OLED displays will be made of glass, but later they will be made from special, dime-thin plastics that will yield the same performance as glass but at lower costs and with greater resistance to damage.

OLED developers believe that the technology is so promising that not only large screen flat panel television display products will benefit, but small screen consumer products like PDA's, laptop computers, video games and cellular phones will also look dramatically cleaner, sharper and vivid.

[junkmalle]

What is the best link on SED info and where did you hear info about them for spring 2006?

It seems like every story I've read about SED for the last few years has said production will start in about 6 months! The last was a few weeks ago. I don't remember where. It said early production runs would be available in the spring of 2006. But the number of units was very low -- thousands? It also said "mass production" would start in 2007.

http://www.itworld.com/Comp/3825/050823sed/
http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=47900163