Is it worth to buy a Full HD TV or a HD ready TV

[jagadishareddy]

Dear friends

I have a question?
Is it worth to buy a Full HD TV or a HD ready TV?
I have gone thro so many reviews in this forum regarding the TVs.
Why I am asking this question is in our country we dont have HD TV broadcast and not by another 2 to 3 years or may be still late. So do you think we should go for a full HD TV or a HD ready TV. Is it worth to invest on a full HD TV now? Is it worth to wait for the time to come and invest on it? Because in this form I came to no that we need a full HD TV just to watch a move in full HD not more than that. This is just a thought I had and it is left to u to decide. Thanks in advance for not taking it serious.

 

[manumani]

I think it depends mainly on the TV size. Anything less than 40", it doesn't make any sense to buy full HD TV. The difference will not be significant. Moreover, if you are using the TV to mainly watch cable / STB, you do not need full HD TV. If you have a good collection of Blu Ray movies, or plan to build one, then full HD makes sense. Of course that also means that you need to invest in a blu ray player or a PS3.So the questions you need to ask yourself are

1. Am I planning to buy something less than 40" ?
2. Will I be using the tV to watch mostly cable / STB ?
3. Am I planning to buy blu ray player / PS3
4. Do I download a lot of Hi def movies over the internet ?

IF you answered "YES" to 1 & 2, but "NO" to 3 or 4, you need a HD ready, not full HD TV

Regards
Manumani

 

[frnd08]

it has been already summed up beautifully.

just an addition, viewing distance also is important. if ur viewing tv from less than 6 feet in case of tvs with over 40" size, going for a full HD tv makes more sense.

i think there is such a calculator on most company sites. u would have to do a bit of searching for it.

 

[adder]

well it comes down to ur viewing disntance,size of the tv and the content u watch.
eg in 32inch tvs the benefit of FHD won't be noticed unless u view 4 feet or less.but nearly every 40inch and above lcd tvs nowdays are FHD.

 

[jayad08]

I am sure at some point of time in the near future(3-4 yrs) you might consider plugging in your PC via HDMI (HTPC - Home Theater PC) so that you replace your screen with the 40" (I hope you are not looking less than that if you are thinking for full HD)
Trust me seeing digital images and upscaled videos on a 1920x1080(Full HD) would look better than a 720p(1280x720)

But if this is not something that you are going to do and would stick mostly to cable television and our desi movies via DVD then you are better of saving the extra 10k. I dont see 1080p broadcast over Cable even in the next 4 yrs(Sun/Reliance have launched STBs with HDMI, but I suppose they would start with 480p and max reach upto 720p) in India.

To sum it up, the 40" and above 1080p has its advantages only when :
1) You plug in your PC via HDMI(thru a MB or GFX card)
2) Play games via PS3
3) Plan to get a Blue Ray Player and source ofcourse(which would be mostly Hollywood)
4) Get a full HD upscaled DVD player(with a quality upscaler)

PS: Just to add I own a 1080p Samsung and am quite content with the performance.

 

[marsilians]

Dear friends

I have a question?
Is it worth to buy a Full HD TV or a HD ready TV?
I have gone thro so many reviews in this forum regarding the TVs.
Why I am asking this question is in our country we dont have HD TV broadcast and not by another 2 to 3 years or may be still late. So do you think we should go for a full HD TV or a HD ready TV. Is it worth to invest on a full HD TV now? Is it worth to wait for the time to come and invest on it? Because in this form I came to no that we need a full HD TV just to watch a move in full HD not more than that. This is just a thought I had and it is left to u to decide. Thanks in advance for not taking it serious.

I have a 720P TV and think that for the timebeing until Blu Ray becomes cheap and mainstream, its the best option. I have seen full HD TVs and in almost all cases there are no sources that can take advantage of it. Some people may say you are future proofing with this TV but in my opinion we are atleast 6 - 8 yrs before BR becomes a mass merchandise pricing solution for DVDs. Thats a signficantly long time in the HT world.

Given the TV sources, the plethora of standard DVDs and pricing of BRs 720P is more than enough.

PS. Downloaded 'HD' streams are not at 1080P resolution as many people think so.

 

[manumani]

I am sure at some point of time in the near future(3-4 yrs) you might consider plugging in your PC via HDMI (HTPC - Home Theater PC) so that you replace your screen with the 40" (I hope you are not looking less than that if you are thinking for full HD)
Trust me seeing digital images and upscaled videos on a 1920x1080(Full HD) would look better than a 720p(1280x720)

But if this is not something that you are going to do and would stick mostly to cable television and our desi movies via DVD then you are better of saving the extra 10k. I dont see 1080p broadcast over Cable even in the next 4 yrs(Sun/Reliance have launched STBs with HDMI, but I suppose they would start with 480p and max reach upto 720p) in India.

To sum it up, the 40" and above 1080p has its advantages only when :
1) You plug in your PC via HDMI(thru a MB or GFX card)
2) Play games via PS3
3) Plan to get a Blue Ray Player and source ofcourse(which would be mostly Hollywood)
4) Get a full HD upscaled DVD player(with a quality upscaler)

PS: Just to add I own a 1080p Samsung and am quite content with the performance.

I believe, even in the US, most of the HD channels are beamed at only 1080i. 1080p broadcasting requires substantial upgrade to existing equipment, even for US broadcast stations.

For India, even 720p broadcasting would be a first good step. I believe HD channels are not that far away. We should see first few channels as early as middle of next year. DD's broadcasting of commonwealth games in HD should open the doors for other channels to follow suit. :thumbsup: