Video – Digital Lifestyles

Should you buy a 4K TV

Should you buy a 4K TV? Pros and cons. What is 4k Video Resolution? 4k, technically 2160p, is a new resolution standard designed to digital cinema and computer graphics. It’s advantage in the fact that it provides for a higher image definition quality, more detailed picture and offer better fast-action and larger projection surface visibility. 4k is named due to a 4,000 pixels accross horizontal resolution as compared to 1080p and 720p resolutions that have pixels counted along their veritcal resolutions. The new standard renders more than four times higher image definition than that of 1080p. What’s in a name? Why is 4K called 4K and not 2160p? Simple answer – marketing! Consumers love big numbers. Display resolutions have been named after their vertical pixel [...]

Rutherford2017-11-29T19:22:15-07:00November 26th, 2017|Video|

TV Sizing

What's The Reason Behind TV Sizing? LCDs are made, several at a time on larger sheets of glass (called a mother-glass) and “cookie cut” into smaller displays. Determining how many LCDs to cut from a mother-glass is a balance of pricing and geometry. In general, larger displays sell for more per square inch than smaller displays, so there is an incentive to make as few cuts as possible. However with current quality requirements, the bigger the display, the lower the yield, as it is more likely to contain a visual defect. Further, for whatever size is chosen, the manufacturer must have orders for that size. In general, sizes are chosen so that at least 6 individual displays (cuts) come from each mother-glass but usually less [...]

Rutherford2017-11-29T18:45:44-07:00November 26th, 2017|TV Technology, Video|

Smart TV Explained

Smart TV Explained What does smart TV mean? Like a smartphone, a smart TV offers a number of "Internet-connected services" that normal televisions can't offer. It has the equivalent of a computer built into it, giving you a greater number of services. These televisions offer apps, media streaming, Web browsing, games and, perhaps most importantly, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). IPTV is a specific Internet video standard, but is also used nowadays as shorthand for any video streamed via the Internet to your TV. It can take the form of short clips or continuous "live" channels. While these features aren't new, and have been a part of some televisions and settop boxes since 2005, the term "smart TV" has given them a name. How do I [...]

Rutherford2017-11-29T18:46:40-07:00November 26th, 2017|TV Technology, Video|

How 3D Works

How 3D Works If you were just wondering – “How does a 3D TV work?“, then this guide is perfect for you. Ever since Hollywood began it’s recent push towards 3D with animated movies such as Beowulf, Pixar’s brilliant “Up” and of course, most recently with James Cameron’s spectacular “Avatar”, many of us have begun to fall in love with the 3D movie experience. We perceive the world around us in 3D, so why should our TV watching be restricted to 2D? While 3D technology in the past was quite primitive resulting in an underwhelming, nausea inducing experience, major consumer electronics companies are now betting on the resurgence of 3D and have been working at a furious pace to develop new technologies that can deliver [...]

Rutherford2017-11-29T18:47:59-07:00November 26th, 2017|Video|

4K Projector and Video Technology

4K Projector and Video Technology 4K is an emerging standard for resolution in digital film and computer graphics. The name comes from its approximately 4,000 pixels of horizontal resolution. The fact that it describes the horizontal resolution is contrary to the standard resolutions 720p and 1080p, which represent the number of vertical pixels. 4K represents the horizontal resolution because there are numerous aspect ratios used in film — so while the horizontal resolution stays constant, the vertical resolution depends on the video source (a.k.a. letterboxing). There are several different resolutions that qualify as 4K. Computer formats Quad Full High Definition (QFHD), at 3840 x 2160 pixels, doubles the 1080p high-definition television standard in both the vertical and horizontal dimensions. However, it has often been debated [...]

Rutherford2017-11-29T18:52:06-07:00November 26th, 2017|Projection, Video|

Front Projector Technology

Front Projector Technology By Shane Buettner Two (And A Half) Basic Flavors I'd love to regale you all with stories of the CRT front projectors of yesteryear. These beasts were bigger than a VW, but cost a lot more. But that's not why I'm here. Thanks to the digital revolution, high quality front projection is now as affordable as premium rear projection TV in many cases, and less expensive than many premium flat screens. Two and half technologies currently dominate the front (and rear) projection market: LCD, Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS), and DLP (Digital Light Projection). DLP is a technology developed and owned by Texas Instruments. LCD and LCoS are related in that they both make use of liquid crystals (therefore the "half" in [...]

Rutherford2017-11-29T19:47:08-07:00November 26th, 2017|Projection, Video|

Surround Sound Formats

Surround Sound Formats Today Despite the heavy emphasis on video over the past 15 years, the evolutions of home audio and video have actually taken nearly identical paths. Looking back on the home A/V market in the mid 1990s the industry began a transition away from the VCR and its low-resolution video and Dolby Pro Logic audio technologies into the DVD optical disc format. As everyone knows the DVD format offered consumers an improved picture with 480 lines of resolution and progressive deinterlacing options. It also offered a choice of audio formats that included standard PCM stereo, Pro Logic and discrete multichannel DTS and Dolby Digital. As the decade of the 1990s drew to a close the video category moved onto high-definition (HD) video, while [...]

Rutherford2017-11-29T18:57:13-07:00November 26th, 2017|Sound, Video|