Gadgets Blog » TVs

Television as we once knew it may be approaching its final days. Thanks largely in part to Internet sources for TV series and movies, the slowly emerging market of streaming-based TV content has become a prominent force in the electronics world.

Once just a distributor of by-mail DVD rentals, Netflix has solidified its place in the 21st century, providing the best quick-streaming services out there. Competitors like Hulu for TV and movies and VEVO for music have followed suit with a similar business model, leading to a whole new market of internet-TV streaming devices.

Apple and Google have both jumped on board this bandwagon, with Apple TV and Google TV bringing a wide variety of content to users thanks to TV set integration as well as standalone units. With titans such as these in the ring, is there even room for smaller companies? Boxee, a gadgets maker that has been utterly unknown save for a beta version of today’s product, may very well say yes.

Ever since the release of James Cameron’s spectacular Avatar motion picture, 3D technology has been all the rage in the world of visual media. While other movies have experimented with bringing the technology to the big-screen, the experience sadly cannot be duplicated in the living room.

As companies race towards building a functioning 3D display, there remain many complications. Most 3D displays that have been revealed required glasses for the users, which can limit the number of people who can enjoy the picture at once.

The result could be a serious detriment to bringing 3D technology to the average consumer. Sony, however, took matters to their own hands when they unveiled their new RayModeler television display earlier this week.

Google recently made waves in the Internet world by introducing Google TV. The service, which would be directly implemented into a television or delivered via an external router, brought web-based multimedia straight onto your HDTV. It’s an issue that has plagued television and media enthusiasts for some time now.

While a variety of content is available online, crowding around a laptop or computer screen is a less-than-ideal viewing environment. Google’s idea is one possible solution, bringing the Internet to the television via some intense hardware intervention. Intel, however, apparently shrugged their shoulders and came up with an efficient solution.

Navigating the wilderness of high definition televisions can be a confusing mess with so many specifications and features to choose from. For a new consumer, there are several key factors to keep in mind while purchasing a new HDTV television set. There are different types of television available on the market, and with a number of choices, it’s easy to become confused as to the distinctions between genres. In the realm of flat-panel TVs, the primary categories are plasma and LCD sets. If you’re shopping for a set smaller than 42″, only LCD sets are available. For larger screens, the two different types of screes offer slightly different viewing experiences. If you’re on a limited budget, a plasma set will have slightly worse contrast of colors, and the darker shades will appear muddled compared to a similarly priced LCD screen. Alternatively, more expensive plasma screens will have noticeably better picture quality than LCD models.

The specifications of a television can be confusing, and a talented floor salesmen will be able to hurl them at a customer in an impressive and puzzling barrage of statistics. There are only a handful that you, as the customer, should be concerned about. The first, and arguably most important, is the screen resolution. Just as in computer monitors, the resolution measures the number of pixels present on the screen, with the first measure measuring the width of the screen and the second measuring the height. Currently, the digital content that appears on a TV screen comes in only a handful of formats, which can be broken down as follows:

480i: A typical analog TV display
480p: A progressive-scan DVD player
720p: Satellite and Cable broadcasts
1080i: Some higher quality satellite and cable broadcasts
1080p: Blu-Ray DVD player

It should be noted that these are the optimal settings for such a television. Just because you own a 720p television doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Blu-ray DVDs, it just means you’re not tapping into the full potential of the player. To take full advantage of a high-definition input source, you’ll also need a high quality video interface. An HDMI or DVI interface will allow for the best-quality in picture, and most DVD players and video game consoles have the ability to connect into one of these ports.

The final important specifications are the aspect ratio and the contrast ration. The aspect ratio is the relationship between screen width and screen height. Old-school analog sets had a ratio of 4:3, but the industry has slowly been moving towards wide-screen formats like HDTV. Wide screen models have a ration of 16:9, which will make most movies and TV shows look great. Finally, the contrast ratio, which measures the difference between dark and light colors, should be examined. LCD specifications start around 600:1 while plasmas have an advantage at 1000:1. However, it should be noted that your primary concern should be how the screen fits your viewing environment, and the lighting conditions therein. Hopefully, with these guidelines, you’ll be able to narrow down the search and be well on your way to a brand new HDTV.