HD ready v Full HD-no viewing difference below 42"

Emrys Davies · 17-09-2009, 14:31

I am told that if I buy a HD tv which is less than 42" I will not be able to notice the resolution difference between a HD Ready and a Full HD set.

Would someone kindly explain this to me? Simple terms would be appreciated.

thorvertonian · 17-09-2009, 14:40

When sitting at a normal distance watching a TV below that size, many people say there is no visible difference between the 2 HD qualities

If you can afford 1080p (FullHD), get one!

GaseousClay · 17-09-2009, 14:58

^^^ nudge previous post to view

Nigel Goodwin · 17-09-2009, 15:23

As always, size doesn't make any difference - it's size related to VIEWING DISTANCE that makes a difference. Having a larger TV means you can view from further away and still see the HD detail, a smaller TV viewed closer is EXACTLY the same as a larger set.

However, no matter what size of set you are watching, if you're close enough for HD, you're too close for SD - if you compromise on the distance, then it makes no difference if it's HD ready or Full HD - you're too far away to tell.

Fatwaz · 17-09-2009, 18:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by thorvertonian

When sitting at a normal distance watching a TV below that size, many people say there is no visible difference between the 2 HD qualities

If you can afford 1080p (FullHD), get one!

prey tell what is a normal viewing distance?

and if he sits 12 feet from the screen what benefits is he getting by having 1080 lines instead of 768?its too far to tell the difference.

as nigel says its screen size PLUS viewing distance.you could have a 65 inch screen but if you were sat 20 feet away 1080 lines is useless

Tassium · 17-09-2009, 20:12

TV pictures are made up of dots nowadays. A "normal" TV is basically 720 dots across by 576 dots down (simplification, I know!)

"HD Ready" just means the TV will accept some kind of high definition picture (high definition just has more "dots" than normal definition, so MORE detail)

There can be both HD Ready1080 and just plain HD Ready

HD Ready 1080 is the same as Full HD

A TV that has the label on it FullHD or HD Ready 1080 has the highest resolution currently of 1920dots by 1080dots. (1920 x 1080)

If a TV just has a label on it that says HD Ready it will likely be a resolution of 1280dots x 720dots (1280 x 720)

So plain HD Ready means the TV has fewer dots both across and down than Full HD BUT it's still high definition and much much better than normal TV!

So imagine two TVs of the same size (say 37") but one has 1920 x 1080 and the other one has 1280 x 720.

If you buy a Full HD 37" but sit quite a distance away from it then you might not be able to tell that it's 1920 x 1080 dots.

This is because human beings are not owls and can't see detail in a TV picture if they are too far away from it.

I'm not sure from what distance a 37" Full HD would look like the slightly less detailed HD Ready, I would guess about 10ft but it's just a guess. It would depend on your eyes as well.

With a 32" you would probably struggle to tell the difference unless you sat quite close.

martysport · 17-09-2009, 20:39

I have both, massive differance!!!!!!!!!

Tassium · 17-09-2009, 20:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by martysport

I have both, massive differance!!!!!!!!!

Please elaborate.

Do you have identical sized screens and when comparing them are you doing so from the distance you would normally watch from?

Obviously standing directly in front of two TVs you can tell if one is higher resolution than another (assuming an FullHD signal and all other things equal)

But is that how people watch TV?

Nigel Goodwin · 17-09-2009, 20:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tassium

I'm not sure from what distance a 37" Full HD would look like the slightly less detailed HD Ready, I would guess about 10ft but it's just a guess. It would depend on your eyes as well.

10ft for a 37" is well over the minimum distance for SD viewing - so you wouldn't be able to tell it's HD at all, although you should be able to tell it's a slightly better SD picture.

I would suggest 6ft away for HD, and closer still if you want any benefit from Full HD.

Quote:

With a 32" you would probably struggle to tell the difference unless you sat quite close.

There's not that much difference between a 32 and 37, 5ft away for HD instead of 6ft for the 37.

frasera · 18-09-2009, 07:01

hd ready is marketing label. it can mean it accepts hd signal, it doesn't guarantee a full hd picture. many early crt wide screens were of this type. beam scanned blindly 1080 times sure..yielding mush. but technically...that was enough to say hd ready. exact case doesn't apply anymore but the general idea does. that being said it can sometimes just mean theres no tuner..but i've not seen something that strange out. there are very few if any hd ready sets being sold:P you buying used? the different sets now are 720p and 1080p.

as for viewing distance... it depends. people sit closer for video games and such, and it makes a big difference there if its 1080p or 720p. but in any case its all very small at 42" and its not going to be close to a theater like experience at any reasonable distance from the screen. its going to be a tv experience. you don't look at 42" at 6-8 feet away and have it fill your visual field. it remains a tiny box. not theatrical, nothing close to imax. maybe the experience of sitting in nose bleed seats at a very long theater. if you dont believe me, just go to the store and look. stand 6 feet back from even a 65" and it won't fill your visual field. no easily affordable screen is too big for most homes. people are stuck in old ways of thinking thanks to decades of tiny tellys

Deacon1972 · 18-09-2009, 09:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tassium

There can be both HD Ready1080 and just plain HD Ready

HD Ready 1080 is the same as Full HD

A TV that has the label on it FullHD or HD Ready 1080 has the highest resolution currently of 1920dots by 1080dots. (1920 x 1080)

If a TV just has a label on it that says HD Ready it will likely be a resolution of 1280dots x 720dots (1280 x 720)

So plain HD Ready means the TV has fewer dots both across and down than Full HD BUT it's still high definition and much much better than normal TV!

HD ready can apply to all HD resolutions, even 1920x1080, not just the lower resolutions like 1280x720/1366x768. It all depends on the retailer and how they want to advertise it.

Pioneer used HD ready for their 1920x1080 displays.

http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/products...00A/index.html

Amazon can also use HD ready to describe 1920x1080 as well.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-LE40.../dp/B000PCX4VU

Nothing is guaranteed, it's always best to check the TV's specification.

Nigel Goodwin · 18-09-2009, 10:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by frasera

hd ready is marketing label. it can mean it accepts hd signal, it doesn't guarantee a full hd picture. many early crt wide screens were of this type. beam scanned blindly 1080 times sure..yielding mush. but technically...that was enough to say hd ready.

Sorry, but complete rubbish!.

No early CRT's approached HD resolution, they only had normal SD resolution.

There were a VERY, VERY tiny number of HD CRT sets made, Thomson were one manufacturer, but they were pretty crap, and bombed big style!. I've seen one, it went in the skip - working fine, but who wants such a thing?.

To meet the HD Ready spec, a set has to be able to display a certain minimum HD resolution, and that is well above normal SD resolution, which is all CRT's did (with the very tiny exception mentioned above).

BKM · 18-09-2009, 11:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deacon1972

HD ready can apply to all HD resolutions, even 1920x1080, not just the lower resolutions like 1280x720/1366x768. It all depends on the retailer and how they want to advertise it.

That's not true! Exactly for the purposes of NOT confusing the buying public the industry agreed on the meaning of "HD Ready"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_ready

1920x1080 is popularly known as "Full HD" - but the industry correct terminology is "HD Ready 1080p". No-one is going to call a 1920x1080 set just "HD Ready"

Deacon1972 · 18-09-2009, 11:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by BKM

That's not true! Exactly for the purposes of NOT confusing the buying public the industry agreed on the meaning of "HD Ready"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_ready

1920x1080 is popularly known as "Full HD" - but the industry correct terminology is "HD Ready 1080p". No-one is going to call a 1920x1080 set just "HD Ready"

It may be the correct terminology but some retailers will just advertise it as HD ready, that's why the public is confused, always best to look at the TV specs.

Nigel Goodwin · 18-09-2009, 11:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by BKM

1920x1080 is popularly known as "Full HD" - but the industry correct terminology is "HD Ready 1080p". No-one is going to call a 1920x1080 set just "HD Ready"

HD Ready 1080P would only apply to a 1080P set - Full HD applies to a set with a 1080 screen, and doesn't mean it HAS to be 1080P.

HD Ready
Full HD
Full HD 1080P (or HD ready 1080P)

Are the general terms used.

Tassium · 18-09-2009, 12:50

Terminology is actually no help to the OP.

People fixate on resolution because it's really hard to find anything to base a buying decision on. The picture quality seems the same to most people.

Screen size seems to have greater impact than resolution anyway, for most people.

John Lewis have this Samsung Plasma 50" "HD Ready" for £650 and I would rather have that than a 42" "Full HD" set.

http://www.johnlewis.com/230667576/Product.aspx

Five year warranty too!

Emrys Davies · 18-09-2009, 15:47

I am very grateful for all of your well considered and most helpful comments, particularly as I am quite new to this science.

I am thinking of buying a Panasonic TX-L37G10B LCD, but at the same time I am considering its opposite number in Plasma.

Whatever I decide, it will now be a Full HD rather than HD Ready because you have persuaded me that the latter will scale down or scale up resolutions to fit the screen and I want to see HD in all its glory. So, to that end you have convinced me that I need to place the tv at an ideal viewing distance and arrange the seating accordingly. Hopefully I shall be a happy viewing bunny.

Tassium · 18-09-2009, 16:17

For a 37" FullHD I would say around 5ft to 8ft would be the seating range in order to be able to see the detail.

But a little bit further back wouldn't really hurt.

GaryB · 18-09-2009, 16:21

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that more=better. Whilst this is generally true, things like the type of the screen and the quality of the picture processing can make a massive difference to the picture quality. I've seen some stunning pictures from some good quality sets with 1366x768 screens and some very average pictures from sets with 1920x1080 screens. Manufacturers know that punters will often go for what looks best on paper, so they partner 1080 screens with very average electronics to get the price down and sell to those who only look at the headline figures.

It's very similar to the still camera market, where most people think that more pixels must mean a better picture. If often doesn't.

Pugwash69 · 18-09-2009, 16:41

When I bought my TV, I made sure I got 1080p because I thought if I didn't, I'd want it later.

It's only 37" but I love how crisp and clear the image is. I sometimes sit within 6ft on a low gaming chair playing PS3 games so it would make a difference having 720p.

Most importantly, read lots of reviews.

Fatwaz · 18-09-2009, 16:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pugwash69

When I bought my TV, I made sure I got 1080p because I thought if I didn't, I'd want it later.

It's only 37" but I love how crisp and clear the image is. I sometimes sit within 6ft on a low gaming chair playing PS3 games so it would make a difference having 720p.

Most importantly, read lots of reviews.

but there are just a handful of 1080p games,99% are 720p so you aren't seeing anything different

Emrys Davies · 18-09-2009, 17:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tassium

For a 37" FullHD I would say around 5ft to 8ft would be the seating range in order to be able to see the detail.

But a little bit further back wouldn't really hurt.

Thanks a lot. This and your other well reasoned contributions are much appreciated. I am getting there slowly.

frasera · 19-09-2009, 06:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

Sorry, but complete rubbish!.
No early CRT's approached HD resolution, they only had normal SD resolution.
There were a VERY, VERY tiny number of HD CRT sets made, Thomson were one manufacturer, but they were pretty crap, and bombed big style!. I've seen one, it went in the skip - working fine, but who wants such a thing?.
To meet the HD Ready spec, a set has to be able to display a certain minimum HD resolution, and that is well above normal SD resolution, which is all CRT's did (with the very tiny exception mentioned above).

err perhaps you shouldn't jump on people so eagerly if you are so ignorant. perhaps the decade headstart of hd in the us kind of explains your lack of knowledge. there were plenty of "hd ready" tv's sold here. they were everywhere. they were only phased out rather recently within the last 2-3 years when flat panels finally dropped in price far enough to render them totally uncompetitive. many totally cr@p with awful dot pitch sets claiming hd ready were sold here, esp on the low end. as long as they scanned that beam 1080 times it didn't matter that the phosphor dot pattern was too crude to render much into reality. look closely at an sdtv and you can see the phosphor pattern, its quite coarse, now look at the "hd ready" wide screen crts they sold near the end...the same phosphor density! the only ones that got close were the super fine pitch sonys, which cost a fortune. we're talking like ~1600+ for a 34" or so crt..so you can see why they had to die even though their image quality was very good. hd label has nothing to do with actual rendered resolution in reality, if sets had to pass such a test most would have failed ...even flat panels. i mean seriously, how did you think that many odd resolution 1280x1024 or worse got 1080i ratings esp in the early days of plasma, its not because they could show 1080i/p pixel detail, but because they accepted the signal and displayed something.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tassium

For a 37" FullHD I would say around 5ft to 8ft would be the seating range in order to be able to see the detail.

But a little bit further back wouldn't really hurt.

i'm not sure theres a seat far back enough in most theaters to approximate what you see at 8ft on a 37". you don't have to sit that far back to see detail, at all. you gain nothing from sitting back other than realizing how small and un-theater like an experience it is.
and you have to realize its even worse than that. 1.85 and 2.35 aspect ratio movies will only use even less of that screen, making the experienced image even smaller.

Deacon1972 · 19-09-2009, 10:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by frasera

err perhaps you shouldn't jump on people so eagerly if you are so ignorant. perhaps the decade headstart of hd in the us kind of explains your lack of knowledge. there were plenty of "hd ready" tv's sold here. they were everywhere. they were only phased out rather recently within the last 2-3 years when flat panels finally dropped in price far enough to render them totally uncompetitive. many totally cr@p with awful dot pitch sets claiming hd ready were sold here, esp on the low end. as long as they scanned that beam 1080 times it didn't matter that the phosphor dot pattern was too crude to render much into reality. look closely at an sdtv and you can see the phosphor pattern, its quite coarse, now look at the "hd ready" wide screen crts they sold near the end...the same phosphor density! the only ones that got close were the super fine pitch sonys, which cost a fortune. we're talking like ~1600+ for a 34" or so crt..so you can see why they had to die even though their image quality was very good. hd label has nothing to do with actual rendered resolution in reality, if sets had to pass such a test most would have failed ...even flat panels. i mean seriously, how did you think that many odd resolution 1280x1024 or worse got 1080i ratings esp in the early days of plasma, its not because they could show 1080i/p pixel detail, but because they accepted the signal and displayed something.

Surely these were the early HD CRT's that scanned 1080 lines behind a shadow mask, front detail was less than 960x700 - Normal consumer CRT tech would put that closer to 800x600, early SD widescreen CRT's were only 720x480 and the term HD Ready was never used for these displays.

Quote:

Originally Posted by frasera

hd ready is marketing label.

US and UK terminology is totally different, I understand the term HD Ready is now obsolete and the term 'Digital TV' is now used in the USA. The term HD Ready mainly meant the display didn't have a HD tuner, now the FCC now requires digital tuners in all sets except those sold as monitors. A "Digital TV" is required to receive all 19 ATSC formats (even 1920x1080p/24) but processing and display starts around 640x480i which is below EDTV (defined as 720x480p).

HD Ready may have been a marking term designed to mislead the US consumer as it didn't relate to resolution, other than an implication that display resolution exceeded "EDTV" which was tightly defined around 720x480p DVD - This is not so in the UK as the definition of HD Ready is clearly defined. In the UK the term HD ready means the set has to have.....

Analogue YPbPr HD input
Digital HDMI or DVI HD input
720p HD progressive (1280x720 @50 & 60 Hz)
1080i HD (1920x1080 interlaced @50 & 60 Hz)
The HDMI or DVI input supports copy protection (HDCP)

Nigel Goodwin · 19-09-2009, 11:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by frasera

err perhaps you shouldn't jump on people so eagerly if you are so ignorant. perhaps the decade headstart of hd in the us kind of explains your lack of knowledge. there were plenty of "hd ready" tv's sold here. they were everywhere.

Perhaps you haven't noticed?, we aren't in the USA.

I'm perfectly aware that the USA had a wide range of HD CRT sets available.

However, in the UK there weren't, LCD/Plasma had already ousted CRT before HD launched here, and there were only ever an absolutely tiny number of HD CRT's sold. As I mentioned previously, Samsung did one - and I think perhaps one other manufacturer? - but so few sold, I can't even think who it was.

There certainly wasn't 'plenty' of HD CRT's available, and they certainly weren't 'everywhere' (most retailers wouldn't touch them - there was just no point).

Perhaps you would care to suggest what these 'plenty' of sets were?.

17-09-2009, 14:31	#1
Emrys Davies Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Solihull, UK Posts: 185	HD ready v Full HD-no viewing difference below 42" I am told that if I buy a HD tv which is less than 42" I will not be able to notice the resolution difference between a HD Ready and a Full HD set. Would someone kindly explain this to me? Simple terms would be appreciated.

17-09-2009, 14:40	#2
thorvertonian Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Devon Posts: 1,289	When sitting at a normal distance watching a TV below that size, many people say there is no visible difference between the 2 HD qualities If you can afford 1080p (FullHD), get one!

17-09-2009, 14:58	#3
GaseousClay Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Worcester Posts: 4,185	^^^ nudge previous post to view

17-09-2009, 15:23	#4
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	As always, size doesn't make any difference - it's size related to VIEWING DISTANCE that makes a difference. Having a larger TV means you can view from further away and still see the HD detail, a smaller TV viewed closer is EXACTLY the same as a larger set. However, no matter what size of set you are watching, if you're close enough for HD, you're too close for SD - if you compromise on the distance, then it makes no difference if it's HD ready or Full HD - you're too far away to tell.

17-09-2009, 18:31	#5
Fatwaz Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Essex Posts: 1,992	Quote: Originally Posted by thorvertonian When sitting at a normal distance watching a TV below that size, many people say there is no visible difference between the 2 HD qualities If you can afford 1080p (FullHD), get one! prey tell what is a normal viewing distance? and if he sits 12 feet from the screen what benefits is he getting by having 1080 lines instead of 768?its too far to tell the difference. as nigel says its screen size PLUS viewing distance.you could have a 65 inch screen but if you were sat 20 feet away 1080 lines is useless

17-09-2009, 20:12	#6
Tassium Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: It's Grim Posts: 24,412	TV pictures are made up of dots nowadays. A "normal" TV is basically 720 dots across by 576 dots down (simplification, I know!) "HD Ready" just means the TV will accept some kind of high definition picture (high definition just has more "dots" than normal definition, so MORE detail) There can be both HD Ready1080 and just plain HD Ready HD Ready 1080 is the same as Full HD A TV that has the label on it FullHD or HD Ready 1080 has the highest resolution currently of 1920dots by 1080dots. (1920 x 1080) If a TV just has a label on it that says HD Ready it will likely be a resolution of 1280dots x 720dots (1280 x 720) So plain HD Ready means the TV has fewer dots both across and down than Full HD BUT it's still high definition and much much better than normal TV! So imagine two TVs of the same size (say 37") but one has 1920 x 1080 and the other one has 1280 x 720. If you buy a Full HD 37" but sit quite a distance away from it then you might not be able to tell that it's 1920 x 1080 dots. This is because human beings are not owls and can't see detail in a TV picture if they are too far away from it. I'm not sure from what distance a 37" Full HD would look like the slightly less detailed HD Ready, I would guess about 10ft but it's just a guess. It would depend on your eyes as well. With a 32" you would probably struggle to tell the difference unless you sat quite close.

17-09-2009, 20:39	#7
martysport Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Exciled in France Posts: 363	I have both, massive differance!!!!!!!!!

17-09-2009, 20:49	#8
Tassium Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: It's Grim Posts: 24,412	Quote: Originally Posted by martysport I have both, massive differance!!!!!!!!! Please elaborate. Do you have identical sized screens and when comparing them are you doing so from the distance you would normally watch from? Obviously standing directly in front of two TVs you can tell if one is higher resolution than another (assuming an FullHD signal and all other things equal) But is that how people watch TV?

17-09-2009, 20:56	#9
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by Tassium I'm not sure from what distance a 37" Full HD would look like the slightly less detailed HD Ready, I would guess about 10ft but it's just a guess. It would depend on your eyes as well. 10ft for a 37" is well over the minimum distance for SD viewing - so you wouldn't be able to tell it's HD at all, although you should be able to tell it's a slightly better SD picture. I would suggest 6ft away for HD, and closer still if you want any benefit from Full HD. Quote: With a 32" you would probably struggle to tell the difference unless you sat quite close. There's not that much difference between a 32 and 37, 5ft away for HD instead of 6ft for the 37.

18-09-2009, 07:01	#10
frasera Inactive Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 8,063	hd ready is marketing label. it can mean it accepts hd signal, it doesn't guarantee a full hd picture. many early crt wide screens were of this type. beam scanned blindly 1080 times sure..yielding mush. but technically...that was enough to say hd ready. exact case doesn't apply anymore but the general idea does. that being said it can sometimes just mean theres no tuner..but i've not seen something that strange out. there are very few if any hd ready sets being sold:P you buying used? the different sets now are 720p and 1080p. as for viewing distance... it depends. people sit closer for video games and such, and it makes a big difference there if its 1080p or 720p. but in any case its all very small at 42" and its not going to be close to a theater like experience at any reasonable distance from the screen. its going to be a tv experience. you don't look at 42" at 6-8 feet away and have it fill your visual field. it remains a tiny box. not theatrical, nothing close to imax. maybe the experience of sitting in nose bleed seats at a very long theater. if you dont believe me, just go to the store and look. stand 6 feet back from even a 65" and it won't fill your visual field. no easily affordable screen is too big for most homes. people are stuck in old ways of thinking thanks to decades of tiny tellys

18-09-2009, 09:52	#11
Deacon1972 Guest Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 8,103	Quote: Originally Posted by Tassium There can be both HD Ready1080 and just plain HD Ready HD Ready 1080 is the same as Full HD A TV that has the label on it FullHD or HD Ready 1080 has the highest resolution currently of 1920dots by 1080dots. (1920 x 1080) If a TV just has a label on it that says HD Ready it will likely be a resolution of 1280dots x 720dots (1280 x 720) So plain HD Ready means the TV has fewer dots both across and down than Full HD BUT it's still high definition and much much better than normal TV! HD ready can apply to all HD resolutions, even 1920x1080, not just the lower resolutions like 1280x720/1366x768. It all depends on the retailer and how they want to advertise it. Pioneer used HD ready for their 1920x1080 displays. http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/products...00A/index.html Amazon can also use HD ready to describe 1920x1080 as well. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-LE40.../dp/B000PCX4VU Nothing is guaranteed, it's always best to check the TV's specification.

18-09-2009, 10:00	#12
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by frasera hd ready is marketing label. it can mean it accepts hd signal, it doesn't guarantee a full hd picture. many early crt wide screens were of this type. beam scanned blindly 1080 times sure..yielding mush. but technically...that was enough to say hd ready. Sorry, but complete rubbish!. No early CRT's approached HD resolution, they only had normal SD resolution. There were a VERY, VERY tiny number of HD CRT sets made, Thomson were one manufacturer, but they were pretty crap, and bombed big style!. I've seen one, it went in the skip - working fine, but who wants such a thing?. To meet the HD Ready spec, a set has to be able to display a certain minimum HD resolution, and that is well above normal SD resolution, which is all CRT's did (with the very tiny exception mentioned above).

18-09-2009, 11:22	#13
BKM Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 6,288	Quote: Originally Posted by Deacon1972 HD ready can apply to all HD resolutions, even 1920x1080, not just the lower resolutions like 1280x720/1366x768. It all depends on the retailer and how they want to advertise it. That's not true! Exactly for the purposes of NOT confusing the buying public the industry agreed on the meaning of "HD Ready" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_ready 1920x1080 is popularly known as "Full HD" - but the industry correct terminology is "HD Ready 1080p". No-one is going to call a 1920x1080 set just "HD Ready"

18-09-2009, 11:32	#14
Deacon1972 Guest Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 8,103	Quote: Originally Posted by BKM That's not true! Exactly for the purposes of NOT confusing the buying public the industry agreed on the meaning of "HD Ready" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_ready 1920x1080 is popularly known as "Full HD" - but the industry correct terminology is "HD Ready 1080p". No-one is going to call a 1920x1080 set just "HD Ready" It may be the correct terminology but some retailers will just advertise it as HD ready, that's why the public is confused, always best to look at the TV specs.

18-09-2009, 11:55	#15
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by BKM 1920x1080 is popularly known as "Full HD" - but the industry correct terminology is "HD Ready 1080p". No-one is going to call a 1920x1080 set just "HD Ready" HD Ready 1080P would only apply to a 1080P set - Full HD applies to a set with a 1080 screen, and doesn't mean it HAS to be 1080P. HD Ready Full HD Full HD 1080P (or HD ready 1080P) Are the general terms used.

18-09-2009, 12:50	#16
Tassium Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: It's Grim Posts: 24,412	Terminology is actually no help to the OP. People fixate on resolution because it's really hard to find anything to base a buying decision on. The picture quality seems the same to most people. Screen size seems to have greater impact than resolution anyway, for most people. John Lewis have this Samsung Plasma 50" "HD Ready" for £650 and I would rather have that than a 42" "Full HD" set. http://www.johnlewis.com/230667576/Product.aspx Five year warranty too!

18-09-2009, 15:47	#17
Emrys Davies Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Solihull, UK Posts: 185	I am very grateful for all of your well considered and most helpful comments, particularly as I am quite new to this science. I am thinking of buying a Panasonic TX-L37G10B LCD, but at the same time I am considering its opposite number in Plasma. Whatever I decide, it will now be a Full HD rather than HD Ready because you have persuaded me that the latter will scale down or scale up resolutions to fit the screen and I want to see HD in all its glory. So, to that end you have convinced me that I need to place the tv at an ideal viewing distance and arrange the seating accordingly. Hopefully I shall be a happy viewing bunny.

18-09-2009, 16:17	#18
Tassium Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: It's Grim Posts: 24,412	For a 37" FullHD I would say around 5ft to 8ft would be the seating range in order to be able to see the detail. But a little bit further back wouldn't really hurt.

18-09-2009, 16:21	#19
GaryB Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: St Albans Posts: 4,088	Don't fall into the trap of thinking that more=better. Whilst this is generally true, things like the type of the screen and the quality of the picture processing can make a massive difference to the picture quality. I've seen some stunning pictures from some good quality sets with 1366x768 screens and some very average pictures from sets with 1920x1080 screens. Manufacturers know that punters will often go for what looks best on paper, so they partner 1080 screens with very average electronics to get the price down and sell to those who only look at the headline figures. It's very similar to the still camera market, where most people think that more pixels must mean a better picture. If often doesn't.

18-09-2009, 16:41	#20
Pugwash69 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: The Sticks Posts: 3,720	When I bought my TV, I made sure I got 1080p because I thought if I didn't, I'd want it later. It's only 37" but I love how crisp and clear the image is. I sometimes sit within 6ft on a low gaming chair playing PS3 games so it would make a difference having 720p. Most importantly, read lots of reviews.

18-09-2009, 16:48	#21
Fatwaz Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Essex Posts: 1,992	Quote: Originally Posted by Pugwash69 When I bought my TV, I made sure I got 1080p because I thought if I didn't, I'd want it later. It's only 37" but I love how crisp and clear the image is. I sometimes sit within 6ft on a low gaming chair playing PS3 games so it would make a difference having 720p. Most importantly, read lots of reviews. but there are just a handful of 1080p games,99% are 720p so you aren't seeing anything different

DS Forums

HD ready v Full HD-no viewing difference below 42"

18-09-2009, 17:39	#22
Emrys Davies Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Solihull, UK Posts: 185	Quote: Originally Posted by Tassium For a 37" FullHD I would say around 5ft to 8ft would be the seating range in order to be able to see the detail. But a little bit further back wouldn't really hurt. Thanks a lot. This and your other well reasoned contributions are much appreciated. I am getting there slowly.

19-09-2009, 06:14	#23
frasera Inactive Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 8,063	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin Sorry, but complete rubbish!. No early CRT's approached HD resolution, they only had normal SD resolution. There were a VERY, VERY tiny number of HD CRT sets made, Thomson were one manufacturer, but they were pretty crap, and bombed big style!. I've seen one, it went in the skip - working fine, but who wants such a thing?. To meet the HD Ready spec, a set has to be able to display a certain minimum HD resolution, and that is well above normal SD resolution, which is all CRT's did (with the very tiny exception mentioned above). err perhaps you shouldn't jump on people so eagerly if you are so ignorant. perhaps the decade headstart of hd in the us kind of explains your lack of knowledge. there were plenty of "hd ready" tv's sold here. they were everywhere. they were only phased out rather recently within the last 2-3 years when flat panels finally dropped in price far enough to render them totally uncompetitive. many totally cr@p with awful dot pitch sets claiming hd ready were sold here, esp on the low end. as long as they scanned that beam 1080 times it didn't matter that the phosphor dot pattern was too crude to render much into reality. look closely at an sdtv and you can see the phosphor pattern, its quite coarse, now look at the "hd ready" wide screen crts they sold near the end...the same phosphor density! the only ones that got close were the super fine pitch sonys, which cost a fortune. we're talking like ~1600+ for a 34" or so crt..so you can see why they had to die even though their image quality was very good. hd label has nothing to do with actual rendered resolution in reality, if sets had to pass such a test most would have failed ...even flat panels. i mean seriously, how did you think that many odd resolution 1280x1024 or worse got 1080i ratings esp in the early days of plasma, its not because they could show 1080i/p pixel detail, but because they accepted the signal and displayed something. Quote: Originally Posted by Tassium For a 37" FullHD I would say around 5ft to 8ft would be the seating range in order to be able to see the detail. But a little bit further back wouldn't really hurt. i'm not sure theres a seat far back enough in most theaters to approximate what you see at 8ft on a 37". you don't have to sit that far back to see detail, at all. you gain nothing from sitting back other than realizing how small and un-theater like an experience it is. and you have to realize its even worse than that. 1.85 and 2.35 aspect ratio movies will only use even less of that screen, making the experienced image even smaller.

19-09-2009, 10:53	#24
Deacon1972 Guest Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 8,103	Quote: Originally Posted by frasera err perhaps you shouldn't jump on people so eagerly if you are so ignorant. perhaps the decade headstart of hd in the us kind of explains your lack of knowledge. there were plenty of "hd ready" tv's sold here. they were everywhere. they were only phased out rather recently within the last 2-3 years when flat panels finally dropped in price far enough to render them totally uncompetitive. many totally cr@p with awful dot pitch sets claiming hd ready were sold here, esp on the low end. as long as they scanned that beam 1080 times it didn't matter that the phosphor dot pattern was too crude to render much into reality. look closely at an sdtv and you can see the phosphor pattern, its quite coarse, now look at the "hd ready" wide screen crts they sold near the end...the same phosphor density! the only ones that got close were the super fine pitch sonys, which cost a fortune. we're talking like ~1600+ for a 34" or so crt..so you can see why they had to die even though their image quality was very good. hd label has nothing to do with actual rendered resolution in reality, if sets had to pass such a test most would have failed ...even flat panels. i mean seriously, how did you think that many odd resolution 1280x1024 or worse got 1080i ratings esp in the early days of plasma, its not because they could show 1080i/p pixel detail, but because they accepted the signal and displayed something. Surely these were the early HD CRT's that scanned 1080 lines behind a shadow mask, front detail was less than 960x700 - Normal consumer CRT tech would put that closer to 800x600, early SD widescreen CRT's were only 720x480 and the term HD Ready was never used for these displays. Quote: Originally Posted by frasera hd ready is marketing label. US and UK terminology is totally different, I understand the term HD Ready is now obsolete and the term 'Digital TV' is now used in the USA. The term HD Ready mainly meant the display didn't have a HD tuner, now the FCC now requires digital tuners in all sets except those sold as monitors. A "Digital TV" is required to receive all 19 ATSC formats (even 1920x1080p/24) but processing and display starts around 640x480i which is below EDTV (defined as 720x480p). HD Ready may have been a marking term designed to mislead the US consumer as it didn't relate to resolution, other than an implication that display resolution exceeded "EDTV" which was tightly defined around 720x480p DVD - This is not so in the UK as the definition of HD Ready is clearly defined. In the UK the term HD ready means the set has to have..... Analogue YPbPr HD input Digital HDMI or DVI HD input 720p HD progressive (1280x720 @50 & 60 Hz) 1080i HD (1920x1080 interlaced @50 & 60 Hz) The HDMI or DVI input supports copy protection (HDCP)

19-09-2009, 11:04	#25
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by frasera err perhaps you shouldn't jump on people so eagerly if you are so ignorant. perhaps the decade headstart of hd in the us kind of explains your lack of knowledge. there were plenty of "hd ready" tv's sold here. they were everywhere. Perhaps you haven't noticed?, we aren't in the USA. I'm perfectly aware that the USA had a wide range of HD CRT sets available. However, in the UK there weren't, LCD/Plasma had already ousted CRT before HD launched here, and there were only ever an absolutely tiny number of HD CRT's sold. As I mentioned previously, Samsung did one - and I think perhaps one other manufacturer? - but so few sold, I can't even think who it was. There certainly wasn't 'plenty' of HD CRT's available, and they certainly weren't 'everywhere' (most retailers wouldn't touch them - there was just no point). Perhaps you would care to suggest what these 'plenty' of sets were?.