Widescreen TV

Televisions have come a long way over the last couple of years with the introduction many new technologies such as plasma, LED and also the change in the shape of the television screen from a relatively square shape to what has become known as a wide screen television.  This change from the older style square televisions to the newer wide screen televisions has occurred and has been driven by the consumer wanting a television that is more closely shaped to the movie screen at a theatre.  The wide screen of these newer style televisions is suited perfectly for the viewing of DVD shows and movies and is also a great format for viewing other TV programming such as sporting events.

Traditional television have screen size that is a ratio of 4 units to 3 units which gives the screen and the television an almost square look.  Wide screen televisions by contrast have a ration of 16 units to 9 units which gives these televisions a rectangle screen.  A wide screen television can have a different ratio for the screen size however the length will always be considerably longer than the height to provide the wide viewing screen.

One of the main reasons that consumers have embraced these styles of television is that the larger screens and larger pictures have provided a clearer and sharper picture.  The popularity of wide screen televisions is not restricted to one type with LED, LCD and plasma televisions all having a share in this growing market.

Another reason that wide screen televisions have become popular as the screen size is closely matched to the size of the screen at a movie theatre.  With the traditional 4 units to 3 units ratio of the older style televisions the movie has to be converted from wide screen to fit the traditional square shape.  Wide screen movies can be show on a wide screen television without the need to convert or change the picture in any way.

Sports lovers have also seen the benefits of a wide screen television with a crisper picture that can cover more of the game.  Currently only a select few television programs are broadcast in a widescreen format however the demand is growing as consumers continue to purchase wide screen televisions.  Currently most people with wide screen televisions only use the full features of their television while watching movies on DVD.

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With a dramatic increase in the number of movies being released in the 3D format, it was only a matter of time before the 3D revolution hit home with the introduction this year of 3D televisions for the domestic market.  Many companies such as Samsung, Sony and Panasonic have all released 3D capable televisions onto the market to cash in on the increasing interest in this area of technology.  This technology is not new to consumers who have enjoyed 3D movies at the cinema for years while wearing those classic cardboard blue and red cellophane glasses.  What is new this time for 3D is the difference in technology used for the new 3D enabled televisions and the different technology used for the glasses that need to be worn for the full 3D effect.

As with all new technology there are positives and negatives for the consumer when it comes to purchasing or investing in the new 3D enabled televisions as well as the 3D DVD players.  Before committing to a purchase you should consider the following.

The first negative consideration when it comes to 3D TV is the large price tag for these new televisions and DVD players.  As with any new technology that it introduced onto the market to initial prices are quite high but as history has show most technology will come down in price both as newer cheaper alternatives come on the market or cost to build the technology is reduced.

The other consideration with 3DTV at the moment is that there is very little 3D material currently on the market.  At the moment very few television programs are broadcast in the 3D format and those shows that are broadcast in 3D required a subscription to a pay TV service which adds to the cost of owning and using this new technology.  People wanting to use the 3D option for viewing movies on DVD are also fairly restricted as there is only a small amount of material currently available and for many households a new DVD player will need to be purchased that has the capabilities to play the 3D format.

As this technology develops and finds its place in the market the consumer will eventually be the winners.  Current 3D TVs have come a long way from the original cellophane glasses at the drive in but due to this being very new technology its defiantly worth waiting as the best is yet to come with 3D TV.

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When television shows were first broadcast in Australia they used an analog TV signal which was delivered one of three ways to your house and then to the television.  Many people received the analog signal through a roof mounted or television mounted antenna while other households had the analog signal broadcast to their homes through cable or via a satellite dish.  Many households always had a battle with roof and television mounted antennas trying to get them in the just the right spot to receive all the channels with some picture clarity.  Households with the cable or satellite options received a much better quality signal that was broadcast in digital and then converted to analog by either an external converter box or a television with this capability built in.  Analog television has a maximum resolution of 720 x 480 pixels which is much less than its digital counterpart.

HDTV is part of the newer digital television technology.  Digital has a number of video resolutions with the main two of these being 720p and 1080i.  These two resolutions produce a picture in slightly different ways and have different pixel numbers.  The 720p resolution gives you a total of 921,600 pixels per frame where as the 1080i gives you a higher 2,073,000 pixels per frame.  Due to the pixel numbers of both of these resolutions, the pictures that are produced are sharper and clearer than the picture transmitted as an analog signal and then viewed on an analog television.  The HDTV picture has more pixels to work with and the sharp, clear pictures are able to be produced due to the depth of colour and the larger numbers of pixels making up the images in the frame.

HDTV is transmitted as a digital signal which can only be picked up by a HD enabled television or an analog television that has a digital receiver and can convert the signal the analog before sending it through to the television.  The picture quality will naturally be of a higher quality when the signal is viewed through a HDTV enabled television rather than changing the signal and viewing the picture on an analog television.  The sound which goes with the picture is also transmitted as part of the HDTV signal and as with the picture, it is of a much higher quality than the analog sound however you need to have the appropriate speakers to take advantage of this feature.

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Setting up your own home theatre is a great do it yourself project that you can defiantly sit down and enjoy when you have finished.  To make the job of deciding and purchasing of equipment much easier it is first necessary to understand what basic elements makeup a complete home theatre setup.  The home theatre can range from cheap all in one setups to the much more expensive custom built systems however all home theatre setups should have the following basic elements.

Once the size of the theatre area or room has been measured and planned out it is then time to consider the parts, furniture and electronic equipment that you will need to make up the home theatre system.  A good tip before you go shopping for home theatre equipment is to have a budget to work to as the set up costs, especially for electrical equipment can be quite expensive and it may be necessary to shop around.

The first piece of equipment you will need to decide on for the home theatre is screen or television that will be the centre piece for the room or theatre area.  When deciding on what size screen to install make sure that you have enough viewing space between the screen and the seating.

Once you have decided on the screen or television, purchasing equipment for the sound part of the theatre room is next.  Many people choose to get an AV receiver which will normally have separate functions such as a radio, switches and functions for other components such as gaming consoles and a DVD player and power and channels for the amplifiers.  For many home theatre set ups the receiver is the brains of the setup with all the other equipment connected to it including the television.

The next consideration for the home theatre is the speakers and subwoofer.  Many companies offer this equipment in packs which makes it easier and cheaper to get the right ones for your situation.  As with the screen size you will need to consider the size of the room or area that the home theatre is in to make sure that the speakers are suitable for the space.

Lastly, the home theatre setup requires equipment such as a DVD, Blu-ray and gaming consoles as well as the wiring and plugs to connect all the components.  Many of these items can be added and removed as required which means that upgrading or replacing any of the components can be done at any time.

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