How Far Does the Digital Go?

[Mike Walker]

By "1080i" I was speaking of the broadcast standard, not the resolution of panels (I should have been more clear). I don't think they can exceed 1080i in a broadcast.

At any rate, by their nature LCD (and plasma) panels are progressive. They don't display interlace per-se, they convert whatever comes in to the resolution of the panel (which obviously you know, Chuck). Which is why "upconverting" dvd players can be a ripoff, as your flat panel MUST "upconvert" standard def content to the display's resolution. Of course sometimes a player does it better than the tv!

That's interesting about the lack of flicker you noticed in Ireland. My take (from reading British electronics mags...several of which are carried at most Barnes and Noble stores) is that they've gone to 60hz for DTV, though I can't say specifically where I've read that.

 

[Carmine5]

I'm not sure about Britain but for the rest of Europe the scan formats are 720p50 and 1080i25. So they're still using 50 cycles.

You'd think we could all agree on a digital TV standard but that hasn't happened. We use ATSC w/8VSB modulation and Europe (including Britain) uses DVB-T w/COFDM. Japan uses yet another standard.

Supposedly, 8VSB enables greater coverage at lower power levels while COFDM is better at handling multipath interference. Manufacturers could have built both systems into their HDTVs but the FCC wouldn't allow it.

Hmm, sounds like the same thing happened with HD Radio.

C5

 

[Chuck]

That's interesting about the lack of flicker you noticed in Ireland. My take (from reading British electronics mags...several of which are carried at most Barnes and Noble stores) is that they've gone to 60hz for DTV, though I can't say specifically where I've read that.

I thought it was unusual. It may have something to do with the persistence time of plasma or LCD displays and not frame rate. I'm not sure. At least two of the hotels we stayed in had HDTV's in the room. I didn't notice any flicker. The rest of the places had conventional CRT based PAL TV sets. It usually takes me several days to get used to the flicker watching PAL. The funny thing is most of my UK friends think American TV flickers. It is amazing how our brains compensate for these things.

Of course, it is the same reason we can be happy (more or less) listening to highly compressed audio. As John Lennon said, "It's all in your mind, you know."

 

[KB1OKL]

Mike, I agree. FMExtra should be mandatory in HD radios.

Why would anyone want to link a promising new technology with an anchor like HD? Give it a chance. HD's dead as a door nail and will bring down anything that is linked with it or vice versa which is why Satrad Companies are fighting it's inclusion so much, besides the fact that they fought for their position and HD radio does nothing but lie, cheat and steal and try to ride on their coatails. HD is going absolutely nowhere and anyone that can be honest with themselves here knows it.

CQuam should be mandatory in HD radios.

CQuam should be mandatory in analog receivers, again why saddle it with a lead balloon like IBOC?

Switchable wide AM bandwidth should be mandatory in HD radios.

again forget HD which is going nowhere and make this proposal for analog and then you're talking.

A switch to force analog in HD radios should be mandatory (and just plain common sense).

A switch to BLOCK ALL TRACES OF HD should be included in all analog receivers

AND - if they (NAB) keep pushing it - IF the FCC mandates that all SatRad's have to include HD radio, then I say all HD radios should also include SatRad reception! How's them cookies?

If that ever really comes to pass then the current FCC is either even stupider or more crooked than I already thought