Chapter 7 : How To Judge the Picture Quality of HDTV

When you are buying a HDTV, picture quality is the most difficult thing to judge. This section offers some important tips which will help you to judge the ‘good’ picture quality of a HDTV.

It is time to head to the electronic store and check out the TV sets. A large store allows you to compare a bunch of sets at the same time. The real problem is all the TV sets might be showing high definition programs, but the chances are high that not all of them might be properly adjusted. Therefore, the pictures you see there might look good, but in fact, they differ from their inherent quality. Your job starts now.

High Brightness Does Not Mean Good Picture Quality

While reviewing the HDTV sets ask for the remote control from the sales person. Press the Menu button in the remote control to bring up a list of options, and select Video or Picture Adjustments. You will find that the contrast is set at 100%, with the same for sharpness. Yes, almost every store sets their television sets at the brightest picture settings. You cannot judge the true picture quality at this setting. Set the sharpness at a low percent that halos disappear from the edges of objects and set contrast in such a way that highlights are no longer out of balance with the rest of the picture. At stores, they also set the color temperature too high. Because of this, whites look bluish. See, if the set has a color-temperature setting, generally called Low or Warm. Use that. Again, most HDTVs have a custom or pro mode. Set the TV at that mode. This will help the picture look more natural. Once you have done all this, you have done almost half of the job.

Amount of Light in the Room

Generally, electronic stores are flooded with light. See if the salesperson can reduce the amount of light shining on the picture. If that is not possible, try to shade the screen if light is shining directly on it.

Use DVDs to Check Picture Quality

That is right. DVDs provide the best picture a television can display. Therefore, bring a few of your favorite DVDs with you, and see if you can use it instead of the TV signal that is normally shown. Playing a couple of your pre-selected “reference” scenes on a number of TVs will give you a quick point of comparison. This will help you judge the true picture quality of your HDTV. If the store shows a negative attitude for using your own discs, it probably does not deserve your business.

Try Out All the Picture Modes

Most of the HDTVs come with numerous picture modes, such as movie, sports, standard and mild. Try all these modes, and see how every mode affects the appearance of the picture.

Check Out Colors

Pay attention to how the primary colors, red, green and blue look on a set. Does grass look natural, or is it too vibrant? Pay particular attention to the red color. See if they are overbearing, or blotchy looking. Check whether red color appears like orange color. These checking would help you to judge the picture quality of your HDTV more precisely.

Stability of Image

Try scenes where the camera moves across a background with plenty of diagonal lines, like stadium bleachers or a row of windows. Is the image stable, or does it break up and lose resolution?

Geometry and Convergence

Look toward the edges of the screen, preferably with graphics or other straight lines. You can try out CNN's crawling ticker. That works great. See if the lines are actually straight. To check convergence, look at the corners with white material, preferably lines again, and see if faint halos of color surround the white.

Picture-In-Picture (PIP)

If you feel it important, see if the set allows you to use picture-in-picture with all kinds of programs. Can you use it with a high-definition signal? Can you use all of the inputs as PIP sources? Answers for these questions would help you to choose the right HDTV set.

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