TV guidelines

The TV’s size refers to the display screen – measured diagonally. Naturally, the larger the screen, the greater the display area will be. Screen size is primarily a matter of personal preference, along with available space. However, the larger the display the more HDTV excels! This is quite different from the “Big Screen” Analog TV’s of several years ago. Analog TV’s lower picture quality and inherent artifacts are magnified as the screen size increases. But since Digital-HDTV has virtually a perfect picture, increasing the size of the screen enhances the picture quality. Compare different displays and select the size that best fits your situation.

Direct View or Projection

Direct View Sizes range from approximately 30" to 40."
Rear Projection TV (RPT): Sizes range from approximately 40" to 70".
Wide Screen (16:9 ratio): Consider a Wide Screen if most of your viewing will be High Definition Programming. Traditional Square Screen (4:3 ratio): Preferable if most viewing will be standard (NTSC) analog TV.

HDTV Resolutions

The ATSC Standard for High Definition Television requires a resolution of (either), 1080 interlaced lines, or 720 progressive scan lines; or higher. Lower (Digital TV) resolutions – 480i and 480p are both acceptable as SDTV Resolutions.

Although NTSC Analog TV also has 480i resolution, SDTV’s 480i improves the picture quality, since it’s Digital.

A Digital-HDTV Monitor is able to accept all ATSC TV Signals; the incoming DTV signals are converted to the TV’s "native" resolution. However, an External HDTV Receiver is required before an HDTV Resolution can be displayed. At present, Digital TV’s have both NTSC Analog TV and ATSC Digital TV Receivers built-in, allowing display of both Analog TV and Digital (SDTV) pictures.

I’ve read various articles debating the importance of the 1080p. I want to set the record straight once and for all: if you are serious about properly setting up your viewing room, you will definitely benefit from 1080p (and even 1440p.) Why? Because the 1080p resolution is the first to deliver enough detail to your eyeball when you are seated at the proper distance from the screen. But don’t just take my word for it: read on for the proof.

There are a few obvious factors to being able to detect resolution differences: the resolution of the screen, the size of the screen, and the viewing distance. To be able to detect differences between resolutions, the screen must be large enough and you must sit close enough. So the question becomes “How do I know if need a higher resolution or not?”. Here is your answer.

Based on the resolving ability of the human eye (with 20/20 vision it is possible to resolve 1/60th of a degree of an arc), it is possible to estimate when the differences between resolutions will become apparent.

- Geralyn Ong