Canadian Gamers Say “Oui” to the Wi

Gamers in Canada have clearly spoken when it comes to choosing the gaming console they most enjoy playing on their HDTVs. According to a recent poll conducted by Ipsos Reid, 35% of Canadians that currently own or plan to purchase an HDTV for video games are planning to hook it up to a Wii console. The findings of this poll essentially give the Nintendo Wii the crown when it comes to selecting the most popular console amount high-definition gamers in Canada.

The Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 were not too far behind the Wii. According to the poll, 28% of HDTV owners and future HDTV owners plan to use their televisions to play Xbox 360 games while 25% plan to use it for a Playstation 3. The Playstation 2, the X-box, and the Nintendo Gamecube were also included in the poll. The Playstation 2 was cited by 29% of gamers, while the original X-box was selected by 17% of gamers and the Gamecube by 12%. 10% of gamers said they planned to use their HDTVs for “other” consoles.

The poll also examined where gamers were getting their information about HDTVs. TI found that 62% of Canadians were using the Internet to determine what they should purchase and where they should buy it from. 48% said they actually visited retail stores to help them make their decisions, while 37% spoke to salespeople at these stores. Only 31% use brochures and flyers to help them gather information.

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The Truth About Up-Scaling DVD Players

In one short sentence, it’s not a magical player that will make that old Top Gun DVD look sharp on that new big screen HDTV.

When you watch a DVD, you must consider the disc itself. A standard DVD is, well, a standard DVD. And no matter how much you spend for an up converting unit, this will not change. In order to watch movies at your set’s true potential I suggest either a BluRay DVD player with the appropriate BluRay disc, or a movie broadcast in HD on your cable or satellite feed.

The true and unique purpose of up converting DVD players is to scale your old DVD’s in a manner that will make them worthy of your new TV by respecting resolution and aspect ratios. This is caused by the fact that older DVD’s were shot in standard definition. This will adjust the original DVD content to your TV by respecting the original image specifications, therefore making sure that the image is not distorted or out of proportion.

Also don’t forget that in order to most benefit from this type of equipment, you must use appropriate hook up cables (HDMI works best but component cables work as well) and to properly configure both the DVD player and the TV set. Some models include neat features such as a USB port or a media card reader. This is neat for connecting a hard drive or watching photos without the hassle of connecting your camera to the TV.

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What’s The Best Bedroom HDTV?

Is the old TV in your bedroom about to fade away? Considering a newer and slimmer replacement? What would be your best option for a small room?

That old clunker weighs a ton and has to go? There are so many choices when it comes to mid-sized (20 to 32 inches) flat screen TV’s, here’s what to look for.

First take a look at the room that will be the host of the unit. Size and brightness is important. Also don’t neglect to measure the distance from which you will be watching TV most frequently. For a bedroom, calculate the distance between your headboard and the TV’s placing. For example in a 12 by 16 master bedroom, where you will be 9 to 10 feet away, a 32 inch set would be ideal. For a guest room perhaps a 26 inch one will be sufficient.

Also, take importance in the content that you will be watching. Will you mainly watch movies or news or sit-coms? This is important as the quality, mainly the resolution and contrast of the set will play a big factor. Don’t forget to grab as well a receiver for that TV.

When it comes to choosing a set, you can usually save money by buying a lesser known or budget brand since this is a secondary unit that will see less usage time and therefore last longer, since TV longevity is calculated by hours of use. Expect to spend roughly 400 to 600 dollars for the TV.

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Choosing Audio For Your HDTV

If an image is worth a thousand words, what is the value of good sound to a sharp and fluid image?

So you just got a new HDTV but you didn’t expect it to sound just like your old set from yesteryear? Just like image quality, sound evolved in the past decade. Given the technology available to the mass market, it is easily feasible to bring that theater experience home and apply it not only to movies but also to broadcast programming.

But how to choose the appropriate equipment? There are two categories, Home Theater in a Box or separate components.

HTIB, as it is often referred to, is a usually less expensive and simpler approach. All the components are paired together by the manufacturer and come in a single package, hence the name. This is advantageous as they usually cost roughly 400 dollars for a decent unit that covers all the bases: five surround speakers, a sub-woofer, a receiver and all the necessary wiring. Some even incorporate a DVD player. On the downside, they often don’t have enough inputs to connect peripherals such as HD boxes, gaming consoles and others.

A more complex but rewarding alternative is to buy all the components separately. This will allow you to customize your home theater to your needs by considering your room size, accessories to hook up and also cost. A decent set will cost roughly 800 dollars or upwards, with no real limit. In this instance, you will need to buy a good receiver, a sub-woofer, a set of surround speakers and all the wiring. Don’t forget also a DVD player.

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Samsung to Begin Offering a New Series of LCD HDTVs

Samsung will begin selling its “next generation” LCD HDTVs next month. Of course, this has many television aficionados rather excited, considering that many people consider the company’s current 81 Series to be one of the best televisions currently on the market. Is it possible that Samsung has improved upon that design?

The new series, which is called the Series 9, will incorporate some new technology that may very well improve upon the design. Although the new series will use LED backlights, it will be able to turn on and off quickly in order to provide better black levels. According to a press release put out by the company, the new sets will actually be able to produce true black. This is because it will be able to completely shut off the light source to the pixel in question, which means there won’t be the grayish black color that is commonly associated with HDTVs.

The ability to produce truer blacks appears to be the only major area of improvement for the new series. Therefore, most people won’t be clamoring to replace their new sets with one from the new series. Still, if you are in the market for a new television set, you might want to check this one out. The suggested retail price for the 46 inch model is $3,199 and the suggested retail price for the 55 inch model is $4,199.

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Samsung LN46A650 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with RED Touch of Color

Overall, I am very pleased with the Samsung LN46A650. When comparing this TV to the 5 series, I discovered that the 5 series didn’t have a refresher rate of 120 Hz. The 7 series is almost identical except it has a USB port for an MP3 player and extra gig of cache. The LN46A650 is definitely worth the money.

One of the first things I noticed about this TV was its excellent picture. Every detail was sharp and defined and the overall color was true and flawless. The other great point is that you can still see the picture perfectly in a bright room so there is no need to hide in a dark basement in order to watch a good TV.

The Samsung LN46A650 has a TruSurround feature that should be a definite must to catch the sound of the TV up to its picture. As an added benefit, the 4 HDMI inputs is a great feature since it saves those with separate HDMI components from having to play around with connectors. The TV can also be hooked directly to the internet through its Ethernet card.

On the downside, I noticed that poor signals coming from the TV stations are extremely noticeable because the TV itself is that detailed. This problem should straighten itself out if you subscribe to digital, or even better, HD channels. With that being the entire reason to buy a TV like the Samsung LN46A650, I’m sure everyone will be pleased with it.

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Samsung LN32A450 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

For a 32″, I feel the Samsung LN32A450 really fills the space and is a good quality buy for the money. I found that in comparison to other brands in the same price range this one gives the most bang for each buck.

The Samsung LN32A450 TV is like others in the Samsung line in that it has a variety of settings for the picture. For anyone used to working with this kind of thing, it will be a huge benefit over other brands. For those who don’t have a lot of interest in this type of thing, the automatic settings work great. The only other thing you will notice with this TV is that Standard Transmission stations appear pixelled, but if spend money out for an HDTV you will more than likely have intentions of paying for HD channels so this shouldn’t be an issue.

The motion response time of this model is 6ms and is positively excellent. Whether you watch a movie or play a video game, you won’t see the jerking or smearing that is often seen with the TV’s in this price range. Speaking of video games, the HDMI upconvert sits at 720p to eliminate ghosting. While other LCDs have been famous for dark blacks and whites that are too bright, I simply didn’t notice that with this model.

I feel the quality and sound the Samsung LN32A450 has is far superior to other brands in this price range. The added benefits of having an easy set up and extras like ‘favorite channel’ functions are just the icing on the cake.

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What Do You Think About HD?

It seems that the majority of people agree that HDTV is nice to have, and most also have plans to buy an HDTV at some point in the future, but lots of people don’t want it because it’s too expensive.

I gave this some thought, after all, when compared to other things we buy, it’s not all that expensive. A new car could set us back as much as $70,000 in today’s world, doing up and decorating just one room will cost around $15,000, and household utilities like washing machines will cost around $1000, and we’re much happier to buy one of these when it’s needed than an HDTV.

For those of you who know a bit of economics, I think HDTV is income inelastic. In normal English, this boils down to the fact that HDTV isn’t a necessity, and there are alternatives which seen as being almost as good, in this case, normal TV sets.

Many people who’ve never used HDTV before just don’t appreciate how good it really is, and how much extra quality you actually get for the extra money you pay.

I appreciate that you’re not now going to run to the nearest shop and exchange all your bank details for a TV, but do yourself a favour, and next time your TV conks out, visit someone who has HDTV and see for yourself how good it is.

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The Controversy Surrounding the Digital Switchover Continues

There is a great deal of controversy surrounding the digital switchover that will be taking place this February. For many, the forced switch is undesirable because they are unhappy about having to purchase a new television of purchasing a tuner to help them still receive television broadcasts. One of the most interesting arguments I have heard, however, has been the one that the switchover is basically a way for the government to force products into becoming obsolete.

Planned obsolescence is a phenomena that has been discussed within the electronics industry for quite some time. You don’t have to be on top of the electronics game to know that it seems as if some electronics are outdated before you even get them installed in your home. This is partially because technology is changing so rapidly, but many suspect that electronics companies are hoping that consumers will continue to throw away their old products and replace them with new ones every time a new development in technology is made. For those that always have to have the latest gadgets, this is precisely what is happening.

With the government switchover, however, some feel as if the government is now forcing products to become obsolete. After all, as of February 17, 2009, all analog television broadcasting signals are to be shut down and replaced entirely by digital signals. Although both signals have been being broadcast for years now, the government has decided to go in only one direction.

Of course, it is not just the United States that is making the switch. In fact, countries around the world are deciding to go completely digital and several are also in the process of switching over. Still, many politicians from both major parties have expressed concern about the forced switch over. In addition, in many ways, it appears as if the only true winners in the switch are those that make their living from the electronics industry. The biggest loser, on the other hand, is the environment since it will be sacked by millions of televisions from those making the switch to digital. According to current estimates, the number of analog televisions tossed out because of the switch will range anywhere from 80 to 200 million over the next couple of years.

Whether you are on board with the switchover or not, it is disconcerting that the government has not developed some sort of recycling program for all of the televisions that will be tossed. According to industry experts, many of the components within those televisions could be reused if a recycling program were to be set up.

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HDTV That Doesn’t Break The Bank

Can you get a cheap high definition television? It’s a question asked over and over again, by people whose televisions have just broken, then again when they’re out buying a new one, and then again when they reluctantly hand over several thousand dollars for their new TV, despite probably wanting to pay less than half of that.

It is possible to get cheap HDTVs, but you’d be lucky to find anything below about $350. One model that’s quite good is the Samsung LN19A451C 19inch LCD HDTV, which retails at around $365, looks great, and gives a decent picture. However, as the name makes clear, it is only a 19inch model, and so won’t be any good for entertaining the entire family on Christmas Day.

Unfortunately, with HDTVs, it really is a case of getting what you pay for; if you want something better, I’m afraid you’re simply going to have to dig deeper into your pockets.

Having said that, I have seen some HDTVs on the popular auction site, eBay, selling for much lower than the prices they’d go for in the shops. I trust eBay for a lot of things, but my only concern here is that TVs aren’t something that are typically sold second hand but are usually kept until the end of their life, and with such a big purchase you ought to be cautious with no guarantee or come back.

Whichever way you decide to go, remember that while you can get HDTV cheap, the more you pay, the more you get.

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