With the big game just around the corner this guide will help you pick the HDTV that is best for viewing the annual spectacle.

The game will be broadcast in high definition on NBC on Sunday February 5th at 6:30 Eastern Standard Time. This means it will be past sunset on the east coast and about two hours before it in the west. The western time may affect ambient room lighting conditions if your game viewing environment does not have curtains or window shades. There are four main criteria for great sports HDTV viewing. The list appears after the jump.

The four HDTV criteria  for a great Superbowl viewing experience are: screen size, viewing angle, motion performance and screen brightness.

Screen Size

With the game broadcast in 1080 line resolution you will want to sit close enough to see all the detail. The further the seating distance, the larger the screen needed to see all the resolution of the broadcast. Here is a link to our viewing distance chart . Below are some examples of screen size viewing distances below (measured diagonal versus maximum viewing distance (distance may be slightly rounded up or down):

Screen Size=Max Viewing Distance

42-Inch =5.5ft.

46-Inch=6ft.

50-Inch=6.5 ft

55-Inch=7 ft. 2-inches

60-Inch=7 ft. 10-inches

65-Inch=8.5 ft

70-Inch=9 ft 2-inches

80-Inch=10.5ft

How Viewing Angle Can Affect Contrast

If you watch the game alone or with one person next to you all the current HDTVs will provide a good picture. However, if you expect to have a crowd over then you should know about viewing angles and how they affect picture performance. Called off-axis viewing some HDTVs images loss contrast and color saturation and may also shift colors, all these anomalies can degrade your viewing experience. There are two types of large flat screen technologies currently available, LCD and plasma. What TV makers often call LEDs are really LCD panels lit by LED lamps instead of fluorescent (CCFL) lamps. While the so called LED LCDs may have a thinner form factor, and can reach a higher maximum brightness (more on this later), the viewing angle with this type of lighting is no better than the lower cost CCFL LCD models.

Plasma TVs have the best vertical and horizontal viewing angle, everyone sees the same high quality image no matter where they are sitting or standing in the room.

LCDs and LED LCDs have a limited vertical viewing angle and  lighter blacks and darker whites know as lower contrast are noticeable as one moves above or below the screen.  LCDs and LEDs (LCD) also suffer from lower contrast as one moves from center to the side of the TV with performance varying greatly depending on the screen technology. LG and Panasonic LCDs use IPS panels in their respective large screen sets and these IPS panels consistently have the best off-axis horizontal viewing. Samsung, Sony and Sharp all use a type of panel called VA and these panels suffer from more contrast loss as one moves off center though results may vary from on model to another. If you plan to have viewers off center a IPS LED LCD or IPS LCD (CCFL) or a plasma TV should be considered. You can test this yourself by moving off center at your desired viewing distance at your local dealer showroom.

Motion Performance

All LEDs and LCDs with a 60 Hz refresh rate blur fast motion like runners and pans. In our tests of hundreds of sets we found 60 Hz models reduced image sharpness around 70% during fast motion. If you are considering a large screen LED or LCD you should get one with at least a 120 Hz refresh rate to reduce motion blur. 240 Hz is even better but the improvement is not as dramatic  as when comparing 60 Hz to 120 Hz. All plasma HDTVs have excellent motion resolution.

One more word of caution. While higher refresh rates work fine with sports that are shot by video cameras, these circuits called ME/MC have a side effect for film based content like movies and many scripted series. They make the film look like video and create other artifacts. Here’s a our article here and here explaining what is called “the soap opera effect” and how it affects picture performance.  Plasma TVs do not need this circuit for excellent motion resolution, so you will not see this effect (with the user controls set properly)

Brightness

If you are upgrading from a large screen CRT old style TV you will be happy with either screen technology as all are far brighter than the big bulky old CRTs. However, if you want to watch in daytime without curtains or window shades, LCDs and LEDs can be cranked brighter than a plasma. Keep in mind high ambient light levels degrade image quality by masking deep blacks you will see a better picture by controlling a room’s ambient light level via shade or curtains.

Reception Tips

If you are a satellite or cable subscriber, make sure a few days before the game that you can receive NBC in high definition. This requires a special high definition set top box, not the one you’ve been using on your 15 year old standard def TV. You will also need a special cable called HDMI to get full high definition picture and sound over a single wire from the set top box to the HDTV. We’ve used the Amazon Hi-Speed HDMI Cable with perfect results. A 3 meter length sells for $9.99 including shipping Best Buy sells similar ones for up to $140 each.

If you want to see the Superbowl via over-the-air signals, you will need an antenna that can pick-up your local station and it must be pointed in the direction of the local NBC transmitter. For more information go to antennaweb.org. You may also call your local NBC station for advice.

Recommendations

This is a great time of the year to buy a new big screen HDTV as the makers are planning model changes starting in March and they are providing huge dealer incentives to move out the 2011s.

Here are some hot deals from Amazon direct

Toshiba 55G310U 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV, Black Retail $1500 now $799.99-47% off

Toshiba 40SL412U 40-Inch 1080p 60 Hz LED-LCD HDTV, Black Retail $1000 Now $529.99-47% off

Panasonic VIERA TC-P50S30 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Retail $1600 Now $1100-31% off

Panasonic VIERA TC-P50GT30 50-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV Retail $1900 Now $1049.99-45% off

Samsung UN55D8000 55-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D LED HDTV (Silver)Retail $3600 Now $2257.17-37% off

LG Infinia 65LW6500 65-Inch Cinema 3D 1080p 120 Hz LED-LCD HDTV with Smart TV and Four Pairs of 3D Glasses Retail $4500 Now $2499.99-44% off

Sony BRAVIA KDL55NX720 55-inch 1080p 3D LED HDTV with Built-in WiFi, Black Retail $2900 Now$1826.36-37% off

Sony BRAVIA KDL55HX820 55-Inch 1080p 3D LED HDTV with Built-In Wi-Fi, BlackRetail $3400 Now $2017.34-41% off

Sony BRAVIA KDL46HX820 46-Inch 1080p 3D LED HDTV with Built-In Wi-Fi, BlackRetail $2600 Now 1600.00-38% off

Panasonic VIERA TC-P60S30 60-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Retail $1600 Now $1099.99-31% off

From BestBuy.com

$700 and $800 Off Select Sharp HDTVs.Sharp 60-Inch LC60LE6300 Was $1700 Now $999.99
Sharp 70-Inch LC70LE632 Was $2800 Now $1999.99  Sale starts 1/22/2012

We recommend and affiliate (we may earn a small commission on referred sales) with Amazon because they have among the best HDTV policies in the industry including a 14 day low price guarantee and 30 Day returns with free return freight. They stand behind their sales. Note: prices are correct as of posting and may change at any time, please verify with our links; Most states do not collect sales tax on Amazon orders [with the exceptions of [CO, KS, KY, NY, ND & WA]. You always must pay sales tax when buying at any brick and mortar store. Should you buy an HDTV from on-line or from a retail store? Learn all the pros and cons in our article here.

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Ever get to that point where you think: “Man, these brats and beer are great, but wouldn’t it be cool if we could actually watch the game?”

Inveterate tailgaters, RV habitators, and anyone wanting TV away from home should be interested in the multi-use Tailgater from Dish Network.

Looking unfortunately like a portable toilet, the $350 Tailgater is a self-contained satellite antenna. It automatically finds satellites (110, 119, and 129, FWIW), so you’ll be able to get the same channels, including HD, you do at home. This isn’t for use on the go, it’s made for sitting still (hence the “Tailgater” name), but when you’re done, you can pack it up and move to a different location.

More than just tailgating, you can use the Tailgater for camping, at a cabin, or anywhere else you don’t want a fixed traditional dish. There is no phone connection required, so Dish Network won’t know where you’re using it.

The Tailgater is just the dish, though, you’ll need an HD Solo Receiver (Model ViP 211k). It’s $5 a month to rent the receiver (or $149 outright). Plus there’s a $7 “extra room” fee. You can deactivate this room fee during the off-season.

The Tailgater gets its power from the receiver box, which is AC only. So you’ll need to plug it into an AC inverter, presuming you don’t have one already for your TV.

It’s even got a handle and “integrated security bracket” so no one will snatch it and try to use it as a loo.

The Tailgater will be available from Dish.com, Dish Network retailers, Sears, and for a $10 premium, on Amazon.com.

For more info, check out the Tailgater site.

—Geoff Morrison
Follow me on Twitter @TechWriterGeoff

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CEA’s opinion? Do away with OTA HDTV altogether, and sell off the bandwidth.

In other words, eliminate free television reception.

What?!?

The methodology of this survey wasn’t elaborately explained. Merely that it was a phone survey (cell and landline) of 1,256 adults conducted in December 2010. The question was:

“Please think about all the different TVs in your household and the ways in which you receive television programming, such as cable, satellite, fiber to the home or an antenna that may mount on your roof or an antenna that sits on or near the TV. Thinking of all the televisions that are in your home, which of the following describes how your household receives its television signals?”

CEA claims to have weighted the data to “reflect the known demographics of the population under study. In this survey, weights were applied to cases based on gender, age, race and geographic region,” according to Chris Ely, Manager of Industry Analysis. The margin of error was 2.8%.

I’m not going to go all Nate Silver on this survey, but it’s clear that CEA’s assumption is that because OTA reception is trending downwards, that eventually it will reach zero. We at HD Guru feel that this is a false premise. To assume that everyone in this country who owns a television can or wants to pay for television service is foolish. By CEA’s own numbers, 9 million households currently rely exclusively on OTA reception. In other words, CEA would eliminate the only way 9 million households currently get TV reception.

Incidentally, CEA’s study not only has lower numbers for how many people rely on OTA, but is also the only one that finds these numbers dropping. I, for one, would like to see the demographics of the sample base. For example, here is a study by Knowledge Networks that finds 14% of US households still use OTA as their main source of TV reception. Their breakdown of demographics makes for an even more interesting story, which we’ll get to in a moment. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), their own slant decidedly pro-broadcaster, has already begun trying to push back.

Why does “pro-business” have to be “anti-consumer?”

CEA’s agenda is biased towards their members, that’s to be expected. What is surprising is the significant pro-Republican tilt CEA has developed over recent years. Think we’re making that up? Here’s a quote about the Republican tech plan from CEA President Gary Shapiro.

“CEA applauds the Republican Technology Working Group’s 2011 Technology Priorities. Providing additional spectrum for wireless broadband, completing free trade agreements and increasing the number of highly skilled workers here on visas are common-sense measures that will provide an immediate boost to investment and the economy, and will create America jobs. The troubling economic news over the last few days underscores the urgency of these issues – we do not have time to waste. CEA urges Congress to place laser-like focus on this pro-innovation agenda to give the dynamic technology industry more tools to lift America out of our economic doldrums.”

Where we at HD Guru feel the need to make a fuss is when any agenda trends on the side of being anti-consumer, regardless of what party it stems from. Asinine falsehoods about one party being the party of “business” is best left to the mindless demagogues (IMHO both parties are in the pockets of big business).

“Over-the-air TV was once the defining distribution platform,” said Gary Shapiro, CEA president and CEO. “But using huge swaths of wireless spectrum to deliver TV to homes no longer makes economic sense. Congress should pass legislation to allow for incentive auctions so free market dynamics can find the best purposes for underused broadcast spectrum, such as wireless broadband.”

Let’s be clear here. Once this bandwidth is sold, it is gone forever. The government won’t be able to ask for it back if some future need arises. If over-the-air transmissions cease, the government won’t be able take the bandwidth back and restart them.

More Issues

Eliminating HDTV has other consequences as well. Let’s start with the most obvious first. Over-the-air HDTV is vastly superior in picture quality than what’s available to most consumers with cable and satellite. A recent (and arguably un-scientific) survey I conducted of 2,400 CNET visitors found that 35% of them are dissatisfied with the quality of their HD service . With the exception of FIOS, no service provider offers the picture quality potential of over-the-air broadcast.

That’s not to say all OTA stations offer superb picture quality, it’s just that it’s possible, if the station desires. It’s easy to see a situation where an MP3-like situation of “good enough” when it comes to HD, if the bandwidth is forcibly limited.

Without a benchmark for OTA quality, what’s to stop cable and satellite providers from further reducing their quality? If OTA is eliminated or minimized, what would that do to the broadcast stations in each market? Do these “free market dynamics” mean the end of local TV stations? How much local advertising revenue will they lose when they have a smaller potential audience?

And let’s not mince words, the people left out in this situation are the poor and elderly, both of whom are statistically much more likely to rely on OTA. Also, according to the Knowledge Networks study, a third of Spanish-language dominant households use OTA exclusively.

Whether you use OTA or not, do you feel spectrum should be sold off to private industry?

I look forward to your Republican talking point comments. Please cite sources or you’ll be deleted.

The CEA responds.

—Geoff Morrison and Gary Merson

– Follow Geoff on Twitter @TechWriterGeoff
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The reasons for this are multi-fold, but one big contributor is that many who own an HDTV aren’t actually watching HD. Just because you have an HD set, doesn’t mean everything you watch is suddenly HD.

So if you own an HDTV, make sure to check this guide to be sure you’re actually watching HD.

1) If you’re like most Americans, you have cable or satellite. The first step is to get an HD-capable box from your provider, and in that process, making sure you have access (i.e. pay for) the HD channels.

2) If you have an HD-capable box, you’ll need an HD connection like HDMI or component. The single yellow cable is SD only. HDMI carries audio as well as video, and is an inexpensive cable.

3) Once everything is connected, make sure in the cable/satellite box’s setup menu that it is set to output HD. This is a big one. You could have everything else set correctly, and the box could be secretly keeping you in the SD realm. Some boxes may just label this “aspect ratio” which should be 16×9.

4) Find out what channels are actually HD. Some providers stack the SD and HD channels together. Others, like AT&T, place them in a different channel area (1000 and up). Some channels, like TBS and TNT, show SD programs stretched out and claim them to be HD, so these channels aren’t a good test for what’s HD. As an aside, if you’re watching one of these channels and everyone is stretched out, your TV’s aspect ratio button should be able to squeeze them back into shape.

5) If you want to watch a movie in HD, the only option is Blu-ray. DVDs are not HD. Upconverting DVD players may output HD resolutions (like 1080p), but an upconverted DVD looks nothing like the real HD of Blu-ray.

Checking your work
If you’re watching TV with black bars on the top and black or gray bars on the sides, chances are you’re not watching HD.

Another check is if you’re watching 1st-run programming (primetime HD programs like Castle
, House, 30 Rock, etc), the image should fill the screen, you should be able to see details like strands of hair, wrinkles, texture in clothes, and so on. If you don’t, or if everyone looks fat and stretched out, you’re likely not watching HD (unless, of course, you’re watching The Biggest Loser).

Another easy check, if your TV has it, is the “Info” button. This can sometimes be found in the menu. This tells you the incoming signal’s resolution. It should be 720p, 1080i, or 1080p.

If you’re watching an HD image, it should look amazing, detailed and exceedingly “clear.” The improvement over standard definition is pronounced. If your HDTV just looks “ok” then go over all the steps above. If you don’t think HD is anything special, it’s likely because you’re not watching HD.

—Geoff Morrison – Follow me on Twitter @TechWriterGeoff

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Copyright ©2011 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark.

My cable bill is $69 a month. That’s for AT&T U-Verse U200. I pay extra for HBO, $24 a month, and the privilege of HD for an additional $10. Many people I talk to think that’s pretty cheap, but $1,236 a year is a lot of money no matter how you look at it.

So the thought goes: how easy is it, today, to cut the cord?

I’m not talking about waiting for a show to be available on Netflix. Let’s be realistic. If you want to be that person who piously proclaims they don’t have cable, OK. Just know other people think you’re weird while they talk about and spoil shows you won’t be watching for a year.

With AppleTV, Roku, and the current crop of connected TV and Blu-ray players, if a person wants to remain relevant around the watercooler and save some money, is it doable?

There are a lot of options to do this, but I’m going to say up front that I don’t feel watching shows on your computer is a valid alternative. First of all, if you’re coming to HDGuru.com, you’re looking for the best  TV you can buy. Why sacrifice all that for a tiny computer screen? If you want to hook your computer to your TV (certainly possible) or build/buy an HTPC, that’s great. In reality, most people aren’t or can’t do that. The fact is HTPCs have a cost and complexity most people shy away from.

So let’s keep it simple. With minimal fiscal and technological outlay, what can you get on your TV to replace cable/satellite but still watch all the shows you enjoy.

I’m going to assume in the cost analysis you already have an Apple TV, and something that can get Hulu Plus, like a Roku, which also has Amazon Video on Demand. If you don’t, obviously you’ll have to add that to your personal calculations.

A little research on your part is also required to determine where your favorite shows are available. My mind reading skills are sub-par, so for this article I just used myself as a test subject. I did this as I know me pretty well, and I feel I watch a reasonable amount of TV. Less than some, more than others. I broke down my normal viewing week to see where my shows were available. Feel free to mock my viewing selections in your mind, but if you feel it necessary to do so in the comments, you’d better well list your favorite shows too so the rest of us can condescend.

Sunday

Family Guy- Easy, Hulu Plus. At $7.99 a month Hulu Plus is available on a variety of products. Sadly, there are still commercials, but not as many as broadcast TV.

America’s Next Great Restaurant – Why does Lorena Garcia always stand with one leg in front of the other? Interestingly, this isn’t available on Hulu Plus despite being an NBC show. It’s available on NBC.com, though, and seeing as it’s not terribly well shot, nor is there anything gained by watching it on the big screen, I’m going to go back on what I said above and just watch this one online. It’s not worth paying extra for (not that it’s available on iTunes or Amazon Video on Demand)

Robot Chicken – I love this show, but I don’t think I’d pay $30 to watch the season via iTunes, the only place it’s available. I’d wait for the DVD/Blu-ray. So for that we should add Netflix to our list of cable replacements. Let’s go with the 1 Blu-ray at a time plan, which also includes unlimited streaming for $12.99 a month.

Walking Dead, Mad Men – Walking Dead is easily worth $15.99 for its shortened season on iTunes. In fact, this is exactly what I did when this was airing as I didn’t have AMC HD and SD looks horrible on my screen. Via Amazon, it’s $2 cheaper. Mad Men is $34.99 on iTunes, $5 cheaper on Amazon.

Entourage, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones – These HBO shows deserve to be on our big screen, so they’re worth paying for. Unfortunately, this is the first of our problems. They’re not. Because it’s HBO, and they make their money from cable/satellite providers, there really isn’t any way to buy these shows while they’re airing, or even shortly thereafter. You’ll have to wait their release on Blu-ray, which sort of goes against our goal here. We’ll mark them down as a casualty of our cord cutting.

Monday

Top Gear – The best show on TV isn’t available in HD on U-Verse, so I rent each episode in HD via iTunes on the Apple TV. These become available the next day after airing, which isn’t a big deal to me. Each “series” or season is around 7 episodes, and if we’re lucky we get two each year. So I’ll estimate the total cost of this at $13.86. You can buy the episodes on Amazon for $13.99 for the season, or presumably $26.98 a year.

Castle, House, Lie To Me – These are available in HD on Hulu Plus. The picture quality is pretty much the same as over U-Verse. It might have been a touch softer, but the difference isn’t really noticeable.

How I Met Your Mother – A bit of a stumble with this excellent show. Being on CBS, it’s not on Hulu. On iTunes it’s a staggering $52.99 for the season. The season pass on Amazon is for $2.84 per episode, which works out to $68.16 for the 24 episode season. That’s a lot of money for a single show, and likely double than the inevitable Blu-ray box set. I really like this show, though, and if you look at it as lowering you costs overall versus cable, it’s not quite as hard to swallow. Still, ouch.

Stargate: Universe – For some reason I’m still watching this horribly written show. Wright and Cooper have clearly fallen down the Berman/Braga hole of creative incompetence. Too bad, too, as this show held a lot of promise. Once again the season pass is a lot: $53.99 on iTunes, and $2.84 per episode on Amazon (presumably $56.80 for the 20 episode season). Tough call on this one. I included it, though in hindsight given how bad it is and that it’s been cancelled, it’d probably say wait for the Blu-ray.

Tuesday

Glee – On Hulu, in HD, so this one’s easy.

Deadliest Catch – The new season just started airing, though no pricing is available yet. Season 6 is $12.99 on iTunes and $30.24 on Amazon, so I’ll use that pricing for now. This show is shot in HD, and isn’t available as such on either provider, so I’m going to count this one as a casualty as well.

Louie – Such stunning genius. Watch this show. Sadly, the first season was only 13 episodes and it’s $29.99 on iTunes and $30.99 on Amazon.

I’ll gladly give Louie C.K. my money, though, so this one is a no-brainer. If you haven’t seen it, I can’t recommend it highly enough: Louie: Season One ($35.99)

Wednesday

Modern Family, Cougar Town – HD on Hulu Plus

Mr. Sunshine – $26.91 on iTunes and $25.56 on Amazon for the nine episodes of Matthew Perry’s new show. I’ll include it, though if it’s not on Hulu next season, I would probably wait for a disc.

Breaking In - No pricing yet for this new show. I’d expect the same as Mr. Sunshine, as it’s only 7 episodes for this season, and I don’t think I love it enough to really pay for it.

Thursday

30 Rock, Outsourced, Grey’s Anatomy - All on Hulu Plus in HD.

Community - Interestingly, like a few other titles on our list, Community is only available on Hulu.com, not streaming via Hulu Plus onto a TV. Big money again, $53.99 on iTunes, $68.16 on Amazon.

Friday

Camelot, Real Time with Bill Maher – Here we have the same problem we had on Sunday. Camelot is on Starz, Real Time is on HBO. There really isn’t any way to get these shows other than subscriptions. Camelot will be available on Blu-ray certainly, but not Bill.

There’s a few vital daily shows like The Daily Show and  Colbert Report, on Hulu Plus as well.

Conclusions

It took a bit of research to check what shows where available and where, but in the end I got some interesting results. If I were to “cut the cord” and ditch my U-Verse, I’d have to spend about  $517.47 to watch most of the shows I watch now. That’s a savings of $718.53 in a year, or about $60 a month. You could save even more if you choose SD, but why would you do that?

This, however, isn’t the full story. There are a number of shows that simply aren’t available unless you subscribe to cable/satellite. HBO and other pay channels have some of the best original programming going, and without paying you’ve got to wait for the disc. The issue with that is if your friends and family are watching, you’re unquestionably going to hear spoilers. I’ve never seen an episode of Sopranos or Dexter, but I can tell you how the former ends and all the twists of the latter. But there’s a bigger problem.

Sports. I’m not a big follower of the sports, but if you are, this could be an issue. You’re limited to what’s broadcast, and that itself is limited to blackouts and other things that I have no idea about. Being an expatriate of Boston who’s a fan of the Patriots, I barely get to watch 4-5 games a season anyway. YMMV.

Speaking of broadcast, that brings a whole other level into this. Most cities broadcast some excellent looking HD, far better looking video than any cable or satellite broadcast. All current TVs have built-in ATSC (HD) tuners, allowing you to get the networks for free with just a simple antenna. The problem, and this is a deal breaker in my book, is you have to watch commercials. No thanks.

So you’ll need something like TiVo, at an initial cost, plus a monthly fee of $19.99 a month. So in the one year we’re discussing, that would be $325.61 or $490.63 depending on model. Plus there’s still the cost for the shows on “cable,” about $100 in the cheapest option. You wouldn’t need Hulu Plus, though. So in the first year, this is pretty much a wash, though over time it’s obviously a lot cheaper.

So the reality is, yes, you can save some money by ditching cable. But if you like TV and don’t want to wait for the Blu-rays to come out, it doesn’t save a ton of money. Even in the best-case scenario with my viewing habits, I’d only save $67 a month. That’s not going out to dinner or lunch a few times in a month.

There are many, many ways to save money, but ditching cable isn’t the best option if you love TV. Though I guess in hindsight, duh?

Yearly cost of U-Verse U-200 with HBO and HD: $1,236

or

Yearly cost of Hulu Plus: $95.88 ($7.99/month)
Yearly cost of Netflix: $155.88 ($12.99/month) – ranges from $95.88 – $395.88 depending on plan
iTunes Purchases $265.71
Amazon Video on Demand Purchases: $320.88
Total: $457.47 – $812.64

Over-the-Air/TiVo Option: $325.61 or $490.63 plus about $100 in non-OTA content.

Savings over U-Verse (my viewing): $437.35 – $764.54 or $645.37/$810.39 with TiVo

Unable to watch “live” – Entourage, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Robot Chicken, Real Time, Deadliest Catch (in HD), Camelot, Real Time with Bill Maher, Sports

—Geoff Morrison – Follow me on Twitter @TechWriterGeoff

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Notice To Our Readers

HD Guru extends our sympathies to the victims and their families of the disasters in Japan.  To aid victims of the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami with a direct contribution, here is a link to the  Red Cross Relief Website.

Copyright ©2011 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark.

Last night at 8:00pm, DirecTV launched the latest all 3D network, 3net on channel 107.  The new network is a partnership between Discovery, Sony and IMAX. HD Guru viewed the first three programs on a Panasonic TC-P50GT25 50-inch 1080p 3D Plasma . All were documentaries, broadcast in the side-by-side 1080i format.

First the good news, all 3net programs have excellent 3D image quality with no visible artifacts, no eyestrain inducing segments and only one very brief instance of slight crosstalk (ghosting) during one program. This corporate triumvirate really knows how to shoot and choose well produced 3D .

Now the bad news, just because a program is a professional 3D production does not mean the video content is compelling. For example, the debut program “China Revealed“  about the Great Wall of China., consists of long, drawn out shots of the wall or a drawing. See the side of a flat wall in 3D, panned to the right, followed by a shot of an archway, panned from top to bottom, followed by a view of the wall from the top. Almost all shots last around thirty seconds. For anyone raised on the quick cuts of MTV, it’s excruciatingly drawn out. Interspersed between the shots of the wall are pans of a Chinese line drawing. Boring!

I am no expert on making a documentary; however, to me it appeared to be about twenty minutes of 3D content stretched into an hour program. The spoken narration sounded like the reading of a textbook, informative, but as dry as the mortar between the wall’s bricks.

The second program, Into The Deep is the best of the three premier programs with gorgeous 3D underwater shots of sea life in the kelp forest off the coasts of California and Mexico.

The third, entitled “Forgotten Planet“ is the depressing story of the contaminated ghost towns of Pripyat, Ukraine, done in by the nuclear disaster at the nearby Chernobyl power plant and the former lead mining town of Picher, Oklahoma. The 3D video mainly consists  of a variety of shots of abandoned building interiors and exteriors, which we found slightly more compelling than watching water boil.

3net plans to add a new 3D programs every night for the remainder of February. Titles include Magnificent  Desolation: Walking on the Moon; Ghost Lab; Bugs a Rainforest Adventure; Dinosaurs Giants of Pangonia (first seen on DirecTV’s N3D channel); 3D Sun; I (Almost) Got Away With It; Deep Sea; Oceana Air Show; The Haunted; Puppy Bowl VII; Under The Sea; High Octane and Bugs A Rainforest Adventure. Based on the descriptions and promos, many appear to be interesting and visually dramatic . We plan on posting another review once these programs air.

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Thinking of buying a new TV and want to make sure your room can support it? Wondering what to keep in mind once you’ve bought your TV? Want to know what settings to use to make sure you’re getting the best performance? Or maybe you’re just feeling we were being a bit too negative with our HDTV No Nos article.

Well have no fear, we’ve mirrored it up with today’s HDTV Yes Yeses.

Get a Setup Disc – This one is fundamental. Sure you could mess around with the user settings till you get an ok image, but you won’t be able to eyeball the best settings for the TV. Even the pros can’t do that. A full ISF calibration is the ultimate in ensuring you’re getting the best from your TV, but a calibration disc will get you a lot of the way there. I did an article on these a few months back, and all the same editions are around (I use the Spears&Munsil disc to setup and test up every TV I review).

Get Shades/Blinds – Seems like an obvious one, but it’s worth mentioning. Even the most light-tolerant LCD will look far worse in direct light. Even if you can’t or don’t want to darken the whole room, you should at least ensure that light won’t hit the TV directly.

Move your lamps – Speaking of reflections, most TVs these days have a glossy screen that reflects light really, really well. Even those with special anti-reflective coatings will still reflect some of the light from behind you. Think of the TV like a mirror. If you’d be able to see the lamp in the “mirror” it will be visible when you’re watching TV. Something to keep in mind while you’re pondering setup.

Mount Up – If you plan on getting an LCD of any flavor — especially the new passive 3D models — and you plan on mounting it above your seated eye line (i.e. where your eyes naturally fall when you’re seated) make sure you invest in a tilting mount. All LCDs have diminished performance at angles away from their center line. On some models this is most pronounced side to side, but most lose contrast, color accuracy and worse when you’re above or below them. Even a few degrees down from their center line could result in a significantly worse picture. Tilting mounts aren’t expensive and will ensure that you’re looking directly at the TV for its best picture.

Passive 3D models have specific polarization for each line of resolution, adding another potential artifact when you’re off axis, as well as possibly losing the 3D effect.

You don’t have to worry about this with plasma as it looks the same off axis as it does on.

Here’s a Peerless model for 32″-50″ that’s 45% off and only $74.

Or a Sanus model for 30″ to 56″ that’s 24% off and $130. Both models will work with any flat panel TV.

For more info check out this article that I wrote on Mounting your TV.

Buy some HDMI cables – HDMI cables are cheap, and the expensive ones do nothing other than empty your wallet. If the cable works, you’re getting 100% of the image. Amazon has some cheap HDMI cables under their own brand that will work just fine. You need HDMI or component to do HD from any source. S-video or composite will not pass HD. If you want to get the latest high-resolution audio formats, you’ll need an HDMI connection to your receiver (or six analog cables from a Blu-ray player that has those outputs).

For more info on why cheap HDMI cables are 100% perfect, check out this article, especially the comments at the bottom. Mine are in bold.

Check your DVD/Blu-ray player settings – Make sure your DVD/Blu-ray player is outputting the correct formats. With DVD, this should be set to “Widescreen” (out of the box it won’t be). If its a scaling DVD player, chances are it’s as good or better than the scaler in your TV, so set this to 1080p for a 1080p set, or 720p for a 720p TV.

The same with Blu-ray. Set this to output 1080p or 720p if you have a 720p TV.

Check your Cable/Satellite box settings – Ditto from above. The best option here is “Native,” as the scaler in nearly all cable/satellite boxes is for crap. Very few boxes have this option, so set the box to 1080i or 1080p if that’s an option. If you have a 720p TV, set the box to 720p as at least you’ll be getting some channels in their native resolution (ABC, Fox, ESPN). If 1080i channels look weird, try switching to 1080i and see how that looks.

Check your TVs settings – Movie mode is going to give the best performance. At first it may seem a little “warm” or “reddish” but this is because TVs historically have been overly “cool” or “bluish.” The most accurate setting, and the one studios master everything to, is D6500 which roughly translates to a color temperature of 6500 Kelvin. On most TVs this is the “Warm” color temperature setting, though some TVs “Normal” or “Medium” will be closer (albeit likely a little cool). If you want to make sure your TV is the correct color temperature, you’ll have to hire a calibrator, as they have the specialized equipment necessary to do so.

The other “features” that typically do more harm than good are “Dynamic,” “Black Expansion,” and others. Personally when I’m reviewing and watching TV, I turn off every special image “feature” on the TV. Very few of these do anything but harm the image. If you’re interested in an accurate image, true to what “the director intended,” then you’ll do the same. The setup discs will help with this a lot.

—Geoff Morrison

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We’ll warn you that you should read your owner’s manual first, but no one listens to elves.

1) Get Ready (It, not you)

Most flat panel TVs need to be attached to their table stand. They ship separate to make the boxes smaller, saving shipping money and indirectly the environment (more TVs per shipping container).

Unless your TV is 32-inches or less, we STRONGLY recommend using two people to remove the TV from its box. While larger TVs may seem light enough to lift, if you are gripping them too tight on the edges, you can damage the delicate wires that deliver the signal from the processors on the back to the glass on front.

You also don’t really want to lay the TV down flat, though this is less of an issue than it was. If you’re laying it down on its face, make sure the carpet isn’t going to scratch the glass. Even small objects on the floor could create enough pressure on the face of the TV to cause it to crack. If the unboxing instructions say you can lay the TV flat, then it’s ok, just clear the area first. If the instructions don’t, keep it upright just to be safe.

Try to keep the pressure to a minimum on the screen and on the edges of the TV. NEVER balance or put excessive weight on any one part of the TV, especially the corners. If you crack the glass, the TV is toast. Treat the TV like an expensive, delicate, and expensive piece of glass, which is basically what it is.

Most TVs have handles built into their cabinet. Use them. Otherwise lift from the bottom.

2) Make Sure Your New HDTV is Functional
This will save you a lot of aggravation. As soon as it’s unpacked and supported (such as assembling the table stand and attaching the panel properly by consulting the owner’s manual), connect the power cord to wall AC and power it up. Put the batteries in the TV remote and hit the menu button. If you get an on-screen menu of any kind the HDTV is functional. It probably is, so you can move on to the next step.

After verifying the on-screen menu, proceed to connect the TV to your signal sources.

Note Many of today’s sets conform to Energy Star rules. If your set does, the first screen to appear will ask if you are using the HDTV in a home or (dealer) showroom. Select the “Home” mode for the best-looking image and lowest power consumption. This screen only comes up the first time you connect your new HDTV, selecting the Home mode will automatically place the user settings far closer to ideal than you can get in the showroom mode and save a lot on electrical consumption.

If you can’t get the TV to respond to any thing, try retracing your steps. Check the power cords, check if there’s a hard power switch you missed, check for any lights at all. How about that light switch that doesn’t seem to go to anything. It’s probably controlling the socket you never use, which of course is where the TV is.

3) What You’ll Need to View Programs in High Definition

A) Over-the-air Reception You’ll need a TV antenna connected to the HDTV via the HDTV’s F type screw in connector. Most older antennas will work. If you purchased an HD monitor (not common) then there won’t be a built in tuner. You’ll need…

B)HD Cable You will need an HD cable box or HD Cable DVR. If you don’t have one yet, you can connect the cable from the wall directly into the TV’s F connector. This will let you receive the unencrypted HDTV cable channels (generally the broadcast network stations) provided your new HDTV has an unencrypted QAM tuner built-in (most digital tuner sets do, you need to check the owner’s manual for inclusion and instructions to scan in the channels once connected).

Note: Readers report a number of cable providers are encrypting network broadcast channels over cable, so the direct connection may not yield your local channels. Cable providers are supposed to distribute network channels unencrypted. If this isn’t working, it may be on their end.

C) HD Satellite You will need an HD satellite box and the appropriate dish already installed (check with your satellite provider for more information)

4) To See HDTV
With an HD satellite box or HD cable box you must use either the component video connection cable (YPrPb, colored red, green, and blue) or an HDMI cable. If you forgot to pick one up (we told you!) there is a quick and dirty trick to get you up and running until you get one. Temporarily use an audio/video cable you may have lying around (it came with your VCR, DVD player or other video component). This cable is the one that has three RCA type connectors: a yellow one, a red one and a white one at each end. Connect the yellow one to the Y (green) output jack on the cable/satellite box and the other end to the HDTV’s component video Y input. Then connect the red one to the Pr (red) output jack on the source box and the Pr input on the HDTV and finally connect the white one to the Pb (blue) jack on the HDTV and source box.

Make sure all three are on the same numbered input on the HDTV (i.e. input 3, see owner’s manual for identification of the component video input on the HDTV) With the same numbered input selected on the HDTVs video input via the “input” button on the remote control, you should be able to see an HDTV image once you tune to an HD channel (the “how to” is in the owner’s manual).

Not sure which channels are in HD? Use channel up on the remote untill you see a widescreen HD image (tip- make sure the HDTVs aspect ratio you selected is the “FULL” mode and the source box is in its 1080i output mode)

You’ll need an audio cable too, in order transfer the audio from the source box to the display (unless you are using an HDMI cable and connection).

Why is this just a temporary fix? The audio cables (red and white) weren’t designed to carry video, and are likely losing some of the signal, degrading the image slightly. When you get an HDMI cable it will look a LOT better.

5)Picture Controls
Once you have your HD image on the screen, change the user picture controls. (If the set did not have the home/showroom option mentioned above) manually get the set out of “Vivid” mode and into standard, movie or cinema mode (depending on the set). If you don’t have an input named “movie” the HDTV will have one of the others and any of these will produce a better and more accurate image than Vivid.

This function is usually under Menu button on the remote followed by picture mode setting. Next, use the remote control to turn down the contrast (aka picture) control. If the contrast is set too high, the near-white details will turn totally white and details will be obscured, such as wrinkles on a white shirt.

Adjust the brightness control low enough to get the deepest black possible but do not bring it any lower, or it will bury the dark detail (wrinkles on a DARK shirt). This will require some experimentation by raising and lowering the control to you reach the ideal level. Adjust the color and tint control to produce the most natural, accurate skin tones.

For the best setup, check out one of the calibration discs we reviewed.

Special instructions for new LCD HDTV set owners.
A) Many of the new LCD HDTV have a control that will be new to you. It’s called a “backlight” control. You will need to adjust the backlight control in conjunction with the contrast and brightness controls.
The object is for the set to produce the deepest level of black and natural (not overblown) whites while still maintaining light and dark detail. Here’s how:

Try to get the deepest black, yet still be able to see low level details such as a black suit against a dark background. You must alternate back and forth these to controls; every time you lower the backlight, you will make the blacks darker including dark details. Go back and forth until you see reach the level that the blacks are the deepest, while you still can see objects that are dark or black such as Batman’s costume against a dark sky. If set too dark, much of the costume will disappear into the background. Next, make sure the overall brightness of light colored objects such as a white shirt look correct by adjusting the picture control (also called contrast or white level control). The object is to have an adequately bright picture.

If after raising the contrast control to 100% whites are gray and/or the overall brightness of the image is too dark, you will need to slightly raise the backlight control and readjust the contrast and brightness controls, because they may now need a little more tweaking. On many LCDs, we have adjusted, the backlight control ends up at the low end of the range (around 0-20%) for the best image. The lower the backlight, by the way, the lower the energy consumption.

Remember, the object is to get the best light and dark detail in the image and the blackest blacks. This will provide the highest contrast ratio the set is capable of producing while maintaining fine detail in the light and dark parts of the image.

6) Sit back and enjoy the HDTV experience!

To all our HDGURU and HDGURU3D.com readers, we wish you a Happy Holiday.

To learn more about choosing an HDTV please click here.

For a list of last minute gift ideas, click here.

A list of items not to forget (too late!) Click here.

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Copyright ©2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission. The content within is based upon information provided to the editor, which is believed to be reliable. Data within is subject to change. HD GURU is not responsible for errors or omissions.

In a soon to be released survey of US households by Frank N. Magid Associates, 34% of respondents* say they have not arranged to connect their HDTVs to a High Definition source! Just because you have an HDTV, doesn’t mean you have HD. We don’t know the reasons, but to assure our readers get to see the HDTV signals the set makers intended, we have prepared this guide. Standard Definition to High Definition in 5 easy steps.

Step 1) The Signal – Using Cable and Satellite

The first step is to make sure you have access to the HD programs provided by your cable or satellite service. The HD channels may not be included with your current subscription package. Of course, this may mean an additional charge. For most providers this is minimal. Contact your program provider  to order the HD channel access.

Step 2) The Box

Basic cable and satellite boxes aren’t capable of outputting HD only standard definition. If you’ve had your box for a while, it likely isn’t HD compatible. An easy check is to see if there’s an HDTV logo or “HD” written on the box itself. Another giveaway is if there are no component or HDMI connections on the back (more on this in a moment). If there’s no logo, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not HD capable but the lack of outputs labeled HDMI or component video on the back confirm your set top box will only output low resolution standard definition signals. If you’re not sure, contact your cable or satellite provider. Without an HD capable box, you can’t get an HD signal.  When contacting your cable or satellite provider about adding HD channels, they’ll likely be able to tell you if your current box is HD ready.

Step 3) The Connection

Once you’ve made sure your provider is sending you HD signals and that your set top box is capable of outputting them, the next step is to make verify the connection to your TV is HD capable. If you’re connecting to your TV with the single yellow cable (called composite video), a single cable with multiple pins (S-video), or the thick screw-on cable (coax), you aren’t and can’t get HD channels on your TV. S-video, composite, and coax are all for Standard Definition (SD) 480i content only. Again, if this is all your cable/satellite box has, you will need to upgrade to an HD capable box. (NOTE: the coax cable wire from the wall to your box can carry HD. This is different then what is coming out of the box to your TV)

In order to get HD to your TV, the best and easiest solution is HDMI. All HDMI TV connectors are HD capable. Nearly all TVs sold in the last few years have at least one HDMI input. This is a single cable that does HD video and audio. It’s a flat near rectangle looking connection, and doesn’t appear like anything else on the back of your box/TV.  See drawing below.

The next best option is a component video connection. This is three cables, colored red, green and blue. Don’t confuse this with composite, which is one yellow cable for video, and red and white (or sometimes black) cables that are just for audio. Component is only video, the audio will have to come separately either via red and white (again, sometimes black) cables or by digital audio connections like coax (orange) or optical (looks like lasers!). Though component is capable of the same resolutions as HDMI, it isn’t quite as pristine of an image as the entirely digital HDMI.  Please Note: Retail stores usually charge $30, $40, up to hundreds of dollars for an HDMI cable depending on length (Here’s a link to our HDMI cable article). You can purchase a high quality high speed cable from Amazon for as little as $5.00. Use our Amazon link for great deals on HDMI cables.

Step 4) Settings

Ok, so if you have the right cables (component or HDMI), your box is HD capable, and you’re getting/paying for HD content. The next step is making sure the box itself is outputting HD. It is in the “settings” menu for each box. To make it easy, just set this to 1080i by following the instruction manual or call your provider to learn how to set your box for 1080i HD output. Your TV will then convert the signal to whatever it needs to display an image with no further effort on your part. This step is very important as the wrong setting will give you a wide screen image that not in crystal clear high definition.

Step 5) Channels

One last step. You need to select the HD channels from your provider. For example, on AT&T’s U-Verse, channel 2 is the local CBS channel in standard definition. To watch CBS in HD, you have to choose channel 1002. Each provider will be different, and they’ll likely provide a list of the HD channels when you sign up for HD service. Check out their website for a list of the HD channels they offer or call you provider for further assistance.

HD!

Ok, to sum up, you need to add HD channels to your service with your cable or satellite provider. In the process you/they’ll likely determine if your box itself is capable of outputting HD. Then you’ll need the correct cables to your TV (HDMI or component). Lastly, you’ll need to surf to the specific HD channels supplied by your provider.

If you haven’t seen HD on your TV before, and if you haven’t done all these steps you likely haven’t, you are going to be AMAZED at how good your TV looks.

Other Options

You can also get HD over the air. All you need is an antenna. Nearly every TV sold in the last few years has a built in ATSC (HD) tuner. All TV stations in the US are broadcasting digitally over the air now, and most are in HD. So you can likely get network TV in HD free with just an antenna. Check out AntennaWeb.org for more info.

The last, and honestly best option for movies are Blu-ray discs and a Blu-ray player . DVDs themselves are not HD. They are 480i. Nearly all modern DVD players and all Blu-ray players can “upconvert” these to mimic HD, but even the best upconverted images do not look as good as real HD. Blu-ray, on the other hand, is the best quality HD available. You can add Blu-ray to your Netflix subscription, and most other rental providers offer it as well. You’ll need a Blu-ray player, though, as Blu-ray discs don’t play in DVD players. The best connection to the TV  from a Blu-ray player is an HDMI cable.

*Survey conducted on-line with 1200 households.

By Geoff Morrison

Edited by Gary Merson

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(July 29, 2010) Approximately 700,000 Samsung DLP HDTV owners can’t view 3D content either from DirecTV or from cable providers. That’s because Samsung does not offer the special adapter that’s needed to convert 3D cable and satellite signals to the DLP compatible “checkerboard” format.

While Mitsubishi began shipping its 3DC-1000 3DC-A1 “checkerboard” converter this month it is designed for exclusive use with its own brand DLP 3D TVs. (For an explanation go here.) A company called Tru3D now offers an adapter kit that permits using the Mitsubishi 3D-A1 with 16 models of 2007 and 2008 Samsung DLP 3D-capable rear projectors (see the list below).

We spoke with CTO of Tru3D, Tony Welch. His company’s kit consists of the Mitsubishi 3DC-A1 and a box preloaded with a Mitsubishi 3D TV EDID code that “spoofs” the converter into passing a HD 3D signal player to a legacy Samsung 1080p DLP HDTV from either a cable box, a DirecTV box or a Blu-ray player.

The Tru3D adapter kit costs $289.99 plus shipping. It includes the ($100 retail) Mitsubishi 3DC-A1, an EDID “spoofer” with preloaded code and all necessary cables. Compatible glasses (such as XpanD 102) required for viewing 3D are not included.

The 3D TV adapter kit only supports the following Samsung 3D DLP HDTV models:

• Samsung HL-T5076S 50″ 1080P DLP
• Samsung HL-T5087S 50″ 1080P) LED DLP
• Samsung HL-T5089S 50″ 1080P LED DLP
• Samsung HL50A650 50″ 1080P DLP
• Samsung HL-T5676S 56″ 1080P DLP
• Samsung HL-T5687S 56″ 1080P LED DLP
• Samsung HL-T5689S 56″ 1080P LED DLP
• Samsung HL56A650 56″ 1080P DLP
• Samsung HL-T6176S 61″ 1080P DLP
• Samsung HL-T6187S 61″ 1080P LED DLP
• Samsung HL-T6189S 61″ 1080P LED DLP
• Samsung HL61A650 61″ 1080P) DLP
• Samsung HL61A750 61″ 1080P LED DLP
• Samsung HL67A750 67″ 1080P LED DLP
• Samsung HL72A650 72″ 1080P DLP
• Samsung HL-T7288W 72″ 1080P DLP

Ordering information is at the Tru3D website.

Note: Panasonic’s 3D compatible DMP-BDT300 and DMP-BDT350 Blu-ray players can output the checkerboard format and are compatible with listed Samsung TVs, thus allowing playback of 3D Blu-ray discs without the adapter kit. However, you will still need the Tru3D kit if you want to view DirecTV or cable 3D content.

Industry sources indicate lower priced cable/satellite solutions for listed Samsung HDTVs may become available in the near future. We will publish an update, if and when they are announced.

Edited By Michael Fremer

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Copyright ©2010 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission. The content within is based upon information provided to the editor, which is believed to be reliable. Data within is subject to change. HD GURU is not responsible for errors or omissions.