How do you improve a high definition TV?

by Dean Evans at Wednesday 18th March, 2009 at 12:25 pm [0 comments]

When manufacturers announce their new high definition TV ranges, it offers an interesting glimpse into some the new technologies that will tempt you to upgrade.

Sony, for example, recently whipped the sheet off of its 2009 range of new Bravia HD TVs – the flagship WE5 series TVs, followed by the W5500, E5500, V5500 and S5500 models. The new line-up will build on the success of well-received models like the Bravia KDL-37V4000 and KDL-32V4000.

Look closer and Sony’s new Bravia televisions include those new technologies that Sony hopes will (a) improve and evolve your TV watching and (b) inspire you to junk your current television and buy a new one. For example:

- Full HD (1080p) resolution
- Improved picture processing
- 100Hz technology (frame doubling)
- Internet connectivity
- DLNA connectivity
- USB Media Player
- Reduced power consumption
- Slimmer, more minimalist styling

These are some of the TV technologies that will define 2009 and 2010.

TV technology to watch out for

Full HD (1080p) is now firmly established and you don’t need to pay through the nose to get a TV that supports this top-end resolution. That said, 1080p is only a real benefit on HDTVs larger than 32 inches.

Sony’s new Bravia HDTVs feature the company’s latest picture processing technology – Bravia Engine 3. Picture-processing (aka pixel-processing and video processing) is designed to intelligently adjust the contrast, colour, brightness and motion. The result is a reduction in onscreen noise and sharper, more vibrant images when watching SD or HD content.

Every HDTV-manufacturer has its own picture processing equivalent. Toshiba’s TVs now feature a MetaBrain, incorporating Resolution+ upscaling and Active Vision II pixel-polishing. Samsung, meanwhile, has its DNIe (Digital Natural Image engine) wizardry, while Philips calls its technology Perfect Pixel HD.

100Hz technology is also becoming more widely adopted on high- and mid-range HDTVs. This ‘frame doubling’ technology intelligently creates extra frames in content you’re watching and inserts them into the signal to double the displayed frame rate.

The result? Manufacturers will tell you that it delivers smoother reproduction of moving images, reduced motion blur and increased sharpness. Newer TVs, however, promise improved 200Hz frame ‘quadrupling’ technology.

Internet connectivity

One of the more exciting trends this year is the arrival of Internet connectivity on new HDTVs. Technology solutions like Yahoo!’s Widget Engine will bring XML applications and onscreen RSS feeds to your telly-watching.

The DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) has been promising to standardise smart home connectivity for a few years now. But we’re only just starting to see TVs that support media streaming. It may well be overshadowed by the far simpler internet connectivity powered by the Yahoo! Widget Engine.

Eco-friendliness is also a major concern for TV manufacturers. Televisions are typically one of the home’s biggest energy guzzlers, but we’re likely to see more of them awarded the Euro Flower. This is essentially an EU badge of honour that’s been designed to help consumers identify products and services with reduced environmental impacts.

No related posts.