http://www.audioholics.comWhere audio and video equipment undergoes rigorous objective and subjective tests by our staff, ensuring that marketing slogans aren't the only guidelines for your home theater choices.Thu, 30 Dec 2010 11:05:00 -0000http://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/led-vs-lcd-tvsToday, there are more options than ever before when it comes to purchasing a flat panel HDTV. The newest, hottest technology in HDTV are the super thin and lightweight LED TVs. But how is LED different from LCD? Should you expect to pay more for an LED TV? What are the benefits of LED vs LCD? We went to Westinghouse Digital and got some input on them regarding their take on this common question. While all manufacturers have their different opinions on the ideal TV, Westinghouse is really pushing hard on LED backlit technology, and in particular, edge-lit models.Thu, 30 Dec 2010 11:05:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/led-vs-lcd-tvsDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/idt-hqv-vida-processingWe've been very familiar with HQV video technology for some time, but when they released their new Vida chipset last year it was only a matter of time before it began to show up in new products. One of the newer products to feature this is the new line of Yamaha RX-A Aventage A/V receivers. The new chip, the IDT HQV Vida processor, takes the current high-end Hollywood Quality Video processing technology to a new level of performance, significantly improving the viewing experience for the consumer.Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:05:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/idt-hqv-vida-processingDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/the-truth-behind-hdmi-1.4aWay back on May 28, 2009, HDMI Licensing released the HDMI 1.4 spec. But wait, it's less than a year later (March 4, 2010) and here comes HDMI 1.4a. The big change from 1.4 was that 1.4a mandated two new 3D formats for broadcast on top of game and Blu-ray content. While some manufacturers would like you to believe that only their receivers/products sporting HDMI 1.4a will handle these formats, is it true? Depends.Wed, 05 May 2010 12:30:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/the-truth-behind-hdmi-1.4aDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/thx-video-calibration-trainingCalibration of displays is something that not many consumers know much about. Their expectation is that they buy a display, take it home, and plug it in. At this point they are done - or so they think. The next thing you know, they are telling their friends that HD isn't all that great and they never should have spent all that money. Is it true? Not by a long shot.Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:35:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/thx-video-calibration-trainingDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/flat-panel-tv-trendsFlat panel televisions are continuing to transform in teh marketplace. This year we saw a great number of companies looking to go "thin". While flat panels are traditionally advertised as being hangable on the wall, consumers have been reluctant to do so. With this year's batch of new products it looks like the trends may shift and these LCD televisions might be finding their way onto the walls of many consumers' homes.Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:00:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/flat-panel-tv-trendsDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/upscaling-is-your-friendGefen, Toshiba, DVDO... they all want to sell you on the joys of upscaling. Some of them incorporate their technology into their displays or dvd players (Toshiba) while the others want you to purchase a standalone box. The technology is valid - we know this from many, many tests but do you really need it? This year at CEDIA we explore some of the scalers that are out there and what they mean to you.Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:54:26 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/upscaling-is-your-friendDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/thx-videoTHX Display Certification primary goals are to drive quality in manufacturing and help simplify consumer buying decisions. According to THX, having a single testing methodology and specification enables display manufacturers to standardize on one benchmark that is recognized by both industry insiders and consumers alike. We put THX to the test with a series of questions we had about this program to ensure it wasn't just another logo branded on a product to pimp sales. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:38:23 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/thx-videoDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/understanding-difference-hdmi-versionsHDMI has changed versions so many times it's been hard to keep up for most people. We've talked about the versions as part of other articles and documents, but it seemed fitting that we'd formulate and maintain a definitive document outlining the changes in a straightforward and easy-to-digest manner for all concerned. Hopefully this article helps you understand the format differences and aids in your ability to discern what features are important to you as you shop for HDMI-equipped products.Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:24:57 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/understanding-difference-hdmi-versionsDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/toshiba-cell-broadband-video-processorToshiba showed off a lot of their new display products for us at the 2008 CES, but the one technological development that stood out was their use of the Cell Broadband Engine (yes the same processor found in the Sony PS3). They had a rather sophisticated demo involving both standard definition and high-definition content which utilized the Cell Broadband Engine to sharpen images with uncanny ability. Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:56:30 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/toshiba-cell-broadband-video-processorDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/epsons-d7-panel-c2-fineEpson has developed a new type of high-temperature polysilicon TFT liquid crystal (HTPS) panel that will further enhance the performance of 3LCD-type front projectors. The new 0.7-inch (1.9 cm diagonal) HTPS panels, which conform to newly developed design rules, use a technology which boosts aperture ratios by 20% compared with the previous model. By enhancing aperture ratios, this technology improves luminance while using the same lamp as previous models. It also enables the use of a lower-watt lamp to achieve the same levels of luminance.Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:21:23 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/epsons-d7-panel-c2-fineDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/dlp-darkchip4-technologyWe investigated the newest DLP technology from Texas Instruments which included their latest DarkChip4 chips. On location at CEDIA during our visit was a DLP projector from SIM2. This was a 3 chip, 1080p DLP projector featuring the new chipset producing trillions of colors combined with a native contrast ratio of 15,000:1. Additionally, there was a static demonstration of a DLP HDTV with DarkChip 4 and LED illumination with a stated contrast performance of 100,000 to 1.Thu, 20 Sep 2007 01:00:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/dlp-darkchip4-technologyDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/lifi-lamp-technology-primerLuxim Corporation has announced that it is partnering with Panasonic to integrate its new LIFI, or Light Fidelity, lighting unit (lamp system) into their rear projection LCD TVs. The LIFI system creates intense light output with digitally-controlled dimming for high contrast applications such as those required for rear projection lamps. The lifetime of the unit is up to 20,000+ hours, a HUGE increase from the typical ~4000 hour expectancy of current bulbs.Mon, 27 Aug 2007 16:38:11 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/lifi-lamp-technology-primerDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/1080p-and-the-acuity-of-human-vision1080p can be significantly better that 1080i, 720p, 480p or 480i. But, (there’s always a "but") there are qualifications. The most obvious qualification: Is this performance improvement manifest under real world viewing conditions?Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:32:48 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/1080p-and-the-acuity-of-human-visionDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/video-processing-in-dvd-players-receivers-and-displaysIt has come to our attention many times in the past that people are generally confused about video processing. They are confused about which components are responsible for doing what, and they are confused about which products should receive the most attention. If you are confused - you're not alone. If you don't think you're confused, you probably should be.Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:40:17 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/video-processing-in-dvd-players-receivers-and-displaysDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/understanding-hdmi-ver-1.3HDMI is an acronym that stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. As its name suggests, HMDI is an interconnectivity standard. Hitachi, Matsushita Electric (Panasonic), Philips, Silicon Image, Sony, Thomson and Toshiba are the primary members of HDMI LLC, a non-profit industry organization created specifically to usher in the new era of digital high-definition video and multi-channel audio connectivity. HDMI interconnects can carry video, audio and inter-component operability commands (remote control signals) on one digital interface. Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:36:10 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/understanding-hdmi-ver-1.3Display Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/benchmark-testing-for-dvdsThe Audioholics/HQV testing is rigorous; the simple fact is that many of the high-end DVD players cannot pass all the Audioholics/HQV tests. We at Audioholics feel there should be no compromise on borderline judgment calls on the tests. The DVD player either passes the test fully or it fails or gets partial credit when available). It is our hope that with this testing, the DVD player manufacturers will continue to upgrade their implementation of the technologies and strive to make products that are fully capable of passing these rigorous test standards. Wed, 27 Dec 2006 18:25:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/benchmark-testing-for-dvdsDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/audioholics-hdmi-1-3-q-aHDMI 1.3 has been the talk of the forums lately. Everyone wants to know what's going on with the new spec and what it means to the current and future crop of AV devices. We were fortunate enough to be able to do a brief Question and Answer exchange with Leslie Chard, President of HDMI Licensing, LLC to get a better idea of the recent changes to the HDMI spec.Mon, 28 Aug 2006 01:00:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/audioholics-hdmi-1-3-q-aDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/hdtv-past-present-and-future-part-2-futureJust as HDTV begins to enter consumer electronics mainstream, it is poised for yet another evolution. The architects of today's HDTV system, long ago, envisioned a day when advancing technology would enable what is now known as "full HD resolution." For HDTV buffs this resolution is known simply as "1080p."Thu, 08 Sep 2005 01:00:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/hdtv-past-present-and-future-part-2-futureDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/plasma-tv-performanceThe digital television market is rife with misinformation and inaccurate perceptions of the performance capabilities of different display technologies.in particular, plasma televisions. Through extensive testing, IDC generated quantitative data on the video capabilities of current generation plasma TVs, LCD TVs and microdisplay (MD) rear projection TVs.Fri, 02 Sep 2005 01:00:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/plasma-tv-performanceDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/vesa-displayport-standard-v1.0DisplayPort is an extensible industry standard intended to consolidate both external (box-to-box) and internal (LCD panel) display connections. The Promoter Group (made up of ATI, Dell, Genesis Microchip, HP, Molex, NVIDIA, Philips, Samsung and Tyco) developed the initial specification and handed it off to VESA on August 17, 2005.Sun, 21 Aug 2005 01:00:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/vesa-displayport-standard-v1.0Display Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/hdmi-interface-a-beginners-guideStarting around 2003 we saw a rapid adoption of the Digital Visual Interface (DVI) across the digital consumer market. This included DTVs, high definition set -top boxes and computer graphics boards. By the end of that year, well over 500 consumer electronics products featured a DVI connection, with approximately 80% of DTVs shipped to the US using that technology.Mon, 11 Jul 2005 01:00:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/hdmi-interface-a-beginners-guideDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/hdtv-past-present-and-future-part-i-historyIt has been nearly 80 years since the first public demonstration of television took place in a crowded laboratory in London . Since that time television has advanced from blurry black and white pictures to stunning high-definition images with life-like depth and realism. How were these achievements made? More importantly, what should we expect in the future as we approach television's first centennial?Wed, 01 Jun 2005 01:00:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/hdtv-past-present-and-future-part-i-historyDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/fujitsu-plasma-tube-technologyFujitsu Laboratories Ltd. has been developing a revolutionary new plasma tube technology to produce narrow glass tubes, measuring one meter in length and one-millimeter in diameter, that emit light using the same phosphor structure as in a conventional PDP (plasma display panel). In addition, the company has developed a technology that sandwiches an array of these plasma tubes between two electrode plates to make up a display panel. Fujitsu succeeded in producing a prototype panel using 128 plasma tubes (for a screen size of 128 mm x 1 m) that display moving images in color.Tue, 15 Mar 2005 01:00:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/fujitsu-plasma-tube-technologyDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/understanding-widescreen-letterboxed-and-pan-scanWhy are There Black Bars on My TV? A Long Time Ago, in a Galaxy Not So Far Away someone introduced us to widescreen videos on VHS. These videos presented the full picture as you saw it in the theater, but did so on our 4:3 (non-widescreen) televisions. Later, DVD came along; followed by high definition widescreen televisions, and life got confusing (but better.)Wed, 19 Jan 2005 01:00:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/understanding-widescreen-letterboxed-and-pan-scanDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/cablecards-a-primerYou probably keep hearing about CableCARD technology (also called "Digital Cable Ready") - or perhaps you've never heard of it. In either case, there's good news for you as a consumer. After fighting it for almost ten years, the cable-TV industry is now subject to a Federal Communication Commission (FCC) mandate that states that all providers must offer CableCARDs as of July 1, 2004.Tue, 12 Oct 2004 01:00:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/cablecards-a-primerDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/display-technologies-guide-lcd-plasma-dlp-lcos-d-ila-crtA couple years ago it became apparent that in order to effectively review and compare the many upcoming display technologies, we'd need to publish an article or two about exactly what these differing formats mean and address the questions about which television or projection format is "best". After returning from CES 2006, we instinctively knew that it was high time we updated this article to reflect the newer technologies and discuss advancements made by current or older technologies.Tue, 31 Aug 2004 01:00:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/display-technologies-guide-lcd-plasma-dlp-lcos-d-ila-crtDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV Universityhttp://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/organic-led-displays-oleds-the-next-trendWouldn't you like to be able to read off the screen of your laptop in direct sunlight? Your mobile phone battery to last much, much longer? Or your next flat screen TV to be less expensive, much flatter, and even flexible? Thanks to a breakthrough technology called Organic Displays, this could soon be reality.Tue, 31 Aug 2004 01:00:00 -0000/education/display-formats-technology/organic-led-displays-oleds-the-next-trendDisplay Formats & TechnologyAV University