Info and forum posts by 'Arfa Daily'

RE: Full HD or HD ready?

Most sources on the `net would suggest that the problem of genuine plasma screen burn has been all but eliminated by improved manufacturing and driving techniques - certainly to the level of CRT technology anyway. Take a look at

http://hdguru.com/plasma-tv-burn-in-fact-or-myth/826/

which has fairly lucid comment on the subject

Arfa

RE: Full HD or HD ready?

Hi Jimbo. Not disputing what you say. Perhaps I didn`t put it very well. What I intended to imply was that modern plasma panels do not genuinely `burn` or even lock in an image as the early ones used to. On the originals, it was a big problem with static sat channel logos, and was largely the reason that most stations muted any that had peak white in them. They could cause real phosphor burn to the cells that was unrecoverable, or sometimes image retention or lock-in, that could only be cleared with either a wiping routine or running for a while with a full white screen. I don`t know of any modern plasma TVs that still incorporate such service routines in their user menus. Of course, you can still get low grade image retention from a static logo as you say, and as you experienced on your set, but the trick is that it goes away on its own on modern panels, as you observed for yourself.

As for angling the set down on a wall bracket, I was referring only to LCDs. The vertical viewing angle is not especially good on them, and on a lot of screens, it tends to be biased towards the looking-down angle, so that when the TV is on a regular height stand, the picture is good from standing up to sitting down, where you are about level with it. However, mount it 5 feet up a wall, and it will be fine whilst you are standing up, but will lose significant clarity and eveness of overall illumination, when you are sitting down and looking up at it.

Plasma screens do not suffer from this effect, as the cells are light emitters, close to the surface of the screen, as opposed to LCD cells which are light transmitters, illuminated from some distance behind them, creating the `light pipe` effect that causes the viewing angle issue.

Arfa

RE: Full HD or HD ready?

`Full HD` refers to the native resolution of the screen itself. `HD Ready` refers to the TV`s ability to deal with a full resolution signal. So, although an `HD ready` set should be able to accept a full resolution HD signal without issue, it can never actually display it at greater than the native resolution of the display itself. Generally not too much of an issue with `HD` content such as Sky HD, but might cause disappointment on a Blu Ray full resolution feed.

For my money, I`d go with plasma every time, if you are used to a good large screen CRT set. IMHO, even the best of the LCDs still have problems with motion artifacts and slow response on fast moving content such as F1. I also do not like the contrast ratio (blacks to whites) on most LCDs, nor their rendition of some colours. Plasma screens use the same phosphors as CRTs to produce light, so have a picture very compatible with a CRT, and none of the viewing angle issues either. Modern plasma screens no longer suffer from stationary logo burn as the early ones did. I have a 50" Panasonic plasma that I have had for 2 years, and the picture is faultless. I don`t know if they still do, but John Lewis / Waitrose gave a free 5 year full warranty on these sets, including the panel.

If you do go for an LCD, don`t buy cheap. You will be disappointed with a `Tescosonic`. Spend as much as you can afford on a good `name`, and remember if you are going to fix it on the wall, it will need to be angled down towards your viewing position, otherwise you can have viewing angle issues. Be sure to buy from somewhere that can demonstrate all the content types that you will be watching - Freeview, DVD, Blu Ray, Sky HD etc to avoid disappointment when you get it home ...

Hope this helps

Arfa

RE: The Walking Dead - season two

Friday 21st 10PM UK FXHD. It`s in my planner ...

RE: Minimum Wage Changing from 1st October 2010

We have to pay minimum wage, but unfortunately, we can`t guarantee minimum intelligence ...

We have two employees over 21 and one who is 17. The 21 year old has just turned 21. Up until last week, her wages would not have changed until she is 22. Now, the increased wage bill is just another extra burden on top of the downturn, increased rents and the prospect of increased VAT in a couple of months` time etc, so we have no option but to reduce the older girls` shifts, and give more to the younger one. So the only person who has gained, is her. Even the government have lost out, as they will now receive less in tax and NI contributions. I am sure in the current economic climate, when you have to do what you have to do to stay solvent, our situation will be echoed many times over. We don`t like having to do it, but ...

RE: Sky HD - Should I cancel?

The TV is very important to receiving good HD pictures, viewed as intended by the programme makers. Many TV sets, particularly cheap LCDs from the barns, are not "Full HD". They are just what is known as "HD Ready". What this means is that although the TV can *accept* a full 1080i or 1080p resolution signal, the actual display panel only has a physical native resolution of 720 vertical pixels, so the TV has to downscale the content to match the panel. This makes the HD picture that is *actually displayed*, little better than an SD one. As an example of this. My son-in-law`s parents have an `HD Ready` Samsung LCD. They recently invested in an HD box, and a Sky HD subscription. They are actually most disappointed with the results, and having seen it for myself, so would I be for the extra tenner - soon to become eleven quid - that they are paying. However, I have a 50" Panasonic plasma that is `Full HD` i.e. has a native panel resolution of 1080 vertical pixels, and my Sky HD programmes look stunning - and I use that word without reservation. Although the missus moans at me about the cost of Sky, I watch a lot of subscription only HD channels, and I have to say that for myself, I don`t begrudge them a penny of the subscription cost.

Arfa

Tesco DVD Hack ?

Region hack for Tesco Aitro model DVDSS08 anyone, please ?

TIA

Arfa

This item was edited on Friday, 29th August 2008, 15:34