Exactly what are these new technologies?

OLED TVs and Laser TVs offer two versions of television technology. These two types of televisions have multiple similarities to consider. They also have individual benefits to consider before you make your final purchase.

First, there are concerns over both technologies and they are:

* Laser: Some techies have raised questions of the effect of prolonged exposure to the lasers that project the image onto the screen. Manufactures say it is fine, but research is in progress.
* OLED: The organic material will deteriorate and this affects the picture quality. We would like to add that this is after thousands of hours use. They are looking into prolonging its lifetime.

We are sure they will be improve and addressed over time, giving us all confidence in future developments.

OLED TV
Sony 11″ OLED TVThe Technology Behind OLED
OLED television (Organic Light Emitting Diode television) features LEDs that have a luminescent layer that is made of organic compounds. This technology allows a matrix of pixels to be created. This matrix of pixels allows the LEDs to emit light of multiple different colors and intensity.

Benefits of OLEDs
OLED televisions allow for a wide range of colors. The matrix that is created, along with the organic compound, allows for amazing brightness and contrast. The OLED television allow for a deeper black on the screen, which offers greater contrast with each screen. OLED TVs are also known for their low power consumption. They do not use as much power as many of the TV types on the market today, including Laser TV.

Laser TV
The Technology Behind Laser Televisions

Panasonic Laser TVLaser TVs use multiple waves to create the colors that are needed for the television picture. The use of lasers allows for an accurate projection.

The waves follow the idea of the old projection TVs. Laser TVs are large, utilizing the laser technology to give a clear, sharp, stable picture over a large area with great color depth, contrast and strong blacks.

Benefits of Laser TVs
Laser TVs are known for having a wider range of colors than OLED TVs. These televisions are also known for being lightweight, and for being relatively thin. Laser TVs are known for having a long life, and for keeping the picture quality throughout their lives.

Choosing Between the Two

OLED TVs are perfect for people who want a smaller TV. The current technology only allows for smaller TVs at present. If you are looking for a larger TV, you will want to look towards Laser TVs. OLED TVs rarely tip the 11 inch for commercial production. Laser TVs, on the other hand, have been created, commercially, over 60 inches.

Laser TVs have come to the market at a lower price than OLED TVs. Eventually, the price of the OLED TV will drop. The technology is still new, and is still expensive. As technology progresses and the sizes get larger, prices will lower.

Laser TVs have progressed further than OLED TVs. Eventually, the technology behind the OLED TV will catch up. Until then, Laser TVs meet the needs of the consumer more than the OLED TV. Each TV serves a different market, as the projection technology behind the laser TV caters to a larger screen.

source:
http://www.hdtvinfoport.com/oled-laser-comparison.html

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Enabling crisp full-motion video

With the recent widespread use of PC and online games, and PCs equipped with DVD drives give users more opportunities to see moving images such as those in 3D games or action movies on screen. This increase in motion picture content means computer monitors must be able to display not only still images, but moving ones as well.

Manufacturers and IT publications often cite a fast response time as an indication that a display can play videos or games with little or no blurring. Hence, we would like to share with you what response time is, and how helpful it is in determining how well an individual LCD display can portray moving images.

Response time:
Why is it increasingly important for LCD applications?

If response time is slow, the transition from one picture (or frame) to another can produce an afterimage or blurring effect. This problem occurs not only when looking at motion pictures, but also during scrolling. For this reason, panels with faster response times are typically recommended for displaying moving images. Listed below are calculations for the liquid crystal response times that LCD displays meet, with consistent reliability, for various application standards. Response time is measured in milliseconds (ms, 1/1000 second). The shorter the time frame, the better the display quality.

 
Crisp Low Response Rate at Left and High Response Rate at Right.
Notice the blurring that occurs (right image) with High Response Rates.

LCD RESPONSE RATES
30 ms:1/0.030 = 33 fps meets specs of NTSC (30 fps), PAL (25 fps) or movie (24 fps) standards
16 ms:1/0.016 = 63 fps meets the spec of HDTV (60 fps) standards
12 ms:1/0.012 = 83 fps meets VESA flicker-free display with CRT of 72 fps and human-eye perception
8 ms:1/0.008 = 125 fps 3D PC games requirement
4 ms:1/0.004 = 250 fps Professional 3D PC games requirement
fps = frame (picture) per second

What is response time?

The transition time when LC materials are rotating on each of the required white/black or gray levels is called “rise time” and “fall time,” respectively. Normally, the transition time of 256 x 256 LC rotation levels needs to be measured. However, some companies don’t measure degree levels due to limitations of equipment capability.

Liquid crystals are rarely completely turned on or off. Instead, they cycle in between gray states. The following are two common methods some manufacturers use to measure response time:

On-Off response time Refers to the change time for screen pixels to turn from white to black (Tr) and from black to white (Tf) when the screen receives the signal. However, it does not indicate the transit time between gray levels.

Gray-to-Gray response time:

Since virtually all moving images include gray levels, and the frequency of gray-to-gray transitions is typically far greater than black-and-white transitions, we use the Gray-to-Gray response time definition to address the gray-to-gray transition time, allowing us to make an accurate assessment of a displays’ suitability to portray moving images.

At present, there is no accepted standard for the computation of Gray-to-Gray response time. However, as a company that emphasizes product reliability, most manufacturers insist on using the average to gauge performance, delivering better value to the end user.

How some manufacturers accelerate response times and guarantees reliable products:

Lower rotational viscosity liquid crystal materials and reduced cell gap thickness enhance “On-Off Response Time” performance.

To rapidly improve liquid crystal on-off response time, some manufacturers have developed products with lower rotational viscosity liquid crystal materials and reduced cell gap thickness during the first stage.

Many manufacturers overcome technical challenges such as non-uniformity and side effects caused by new LC materials in the LC-cell manufacturing process. Furthermore, new products undergo strict testing before launch.

Higher voltage with overdriving technology reduces the moving image’s “Gray-to-Gray response time.”

These quick response times modeled with new LC materials and a thick cell gap have earned such products much praise in the market in terms of capability and reliability, encouraging their makers to keep seeking new technologies for product upgrades. Models with overdriving technology have been integrated into many LCD displays, from manufacturers such as Acer, accelerating response times, especially for gray-to-gray.

Faster gray-to-gray response time via overdrive (OD) technology

The key benefit of OD technology is the clear improvement of the gray-to-gray level, which is the most important factor in the moving-picture viewing experience. Liquid crystal molecules respond faster to the high voltage that’s needed for black-white transitions than to the low voltage that’s needed for transitions between gray areas. Therefore, even though going from one grayscale level to another is less of a jump than going from black to white, the gray-to-gray transition time can actually take longer. Two LCD panels with the same black-white response times but with different gray-to-gray response times will have different moving picture playback capabilities.

As the figures below show, using an overdriving algorithm, LCD displays can reduce the deviation in the transition time and approach ideal performance. This significant improvement allows LCDs to deliver high-quality moving pictures for 3D games and videos.

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A liquid crystal display (LCD) is a thin, electronic flat panel used to display information and images. It includes monitors for computers, televisions, instrument panels, and other devices ranging from aircraft cockpit displays, to every-day consumer devices such as video players, gaming devices, clocks, watches, calculators, and telephones. LCDs are simply everywhere now.

Its major features and benefits are: lightweight construction (compared to Plasma displays); portability (in the case of smaller displays); the ability to be produced in much larger screen sizes than were practical for older Tube (CRT) displays; and perhaps most important, its much lower power consumption.

Technically, an LCD display is an “electronically-modulated optical device” made up of any number of tiny pixels filled with liquid crystals and arrayed in front of a light source (backlight) or reflector to produce images in color.  The earliest discoveries leading to the development of LCD technology date from 1888. Today, tube CRT displays are almost a thing of the past!

Unfortunately, from time to time, a new LCD TV or Monitor will have a problem pixel.  This is where the physical crystal actually is stuck or frozen in place.  However, don’t panic, since these can frequently be fixed.

There are three basic types of problem pixels:

• a hot pixel (always on, usually white)
• a dead pixel (always off, black)
• a stuck pixel (one or more sub-pixels (red, blue or green) are always on or always off)

To solve a problem pixel, it is recommended to let the display fully warm up (leave on for at least a full day) – this alone can fix many problems, as the display expands due to warming and can free the pixel.  Always try this before calling for help.  Next, call the manufacturer’s technical support for other techniques that they might recommend – each manufacturer may have different solutions for their products.  There are also other techniques that you might try, but always be careful not to damage your display, as this might void your warranty. 

LCD Problem Pixel Policy
In the event that warranty service or an exchange is required, it is important to understand that every manufacturer has their own dead pixel policies, and that they should be contacted about solutions before requesting any exchange.  We want you to experience the best possible image on your LCD, so typically, an LCD TV or Monitor with 5 hot, dead, or stuck pixels would qualify for an exchange within the first 30 days of ownership after support efforts have been exhausted.  See the product warranty below for more information.

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LCD Technology

How LCD’s Work

The twisted nematic (TN) is the most common type liquid crystal used in display applications such as LCD televisions, monitors and projectors. It is so named because it has a naturally twisted crystalline structure. This crystal reacts to electric currents in predictable ways, such as untwisting to varying degrees depending on the voltage of the current to which it is exposed. The main difference between plasma and LCD technology is that LCD pixels don’t emit light. As with plasma technology, an LCD pixel is comprised of three sub-pixels in the elementary colors. Because they don’t emit light, LCD displays need white backlighting. The light emitted by the backlighting passes through the liquid crystal and is then colored by a filter. Each subpixel has the same characteristics; only the color of the filter changes depending on the pixel. The liquid crystal of each subpixel can be controlled electrically like a valve; the amount of light allowed to pass through the crystal governs how much red, green and blue is emitted for each pixel. Active matrix LCDs employ thin film transistors (TFTs),m or tiny switching transistors and capacitors arranged in a matrix on a glass substrate, to direct electric charges down columns to reach a particular pixel. In turn, this causes the liquid crystals to untwist and display a predetermined amount of light generated by the light source – usually a fluorescent bulb located in back of them. By exploiting a combination of red, green, and blue subpixels of various intensities (or gray scales), a single pixel triad can reproduce approximately 16.8 million colors.

LCD Pluses

LCDs offer higher resolutions than plasmas of the same size. They also have excellent image stability. In other words, you can sit close without experiencing eye fatigue. Additionally, LCDs boast a longer lifetime than plasma televisions – on average about 50,000 hours versus 30,000 hours. Also, If you’re contemplating a home entertainment setup involving a PC–perhaps running Windows XP Media center Edition – or other activities involving text as well as graphics, you’ll get a crisper, brighter image from an LCD. LCDs are also space-efficient and because they operate at much cooler temperatures cost less per hour than plasma televisions. The smaller and better transistors found in LCDs give them another advantage over plasma – higher resolution.

LCD Minuses

LCD viewing angles cannot match those of plasma displays. You tend to see some brightness and color shift when you’re sitting at too far an angle from your LCD, while a plasma’s picture remains fairly solid. LCDs also have lower contrast ratios than plasmas and are not as good at rendering deep blacks. Additionally, they are not as good as plasmas in tracking motion and fast-moving objects may exhibit what is called, lag artifacts.

LCD Uses

The area where LCD reigns supreme over any other flat-panel displays is, of course, computers. LCD monitors can now be used for most applications including games, office applications, and photo retouching. But it’s another story for television. LCD is lagging behind plasma, but it’s available in more reasonable display sizes. In terms of absolute video quality, plasma is still tops, because it offers blacks as good as what CRTs can display, exceptional viewing angles, and unmatched color. However, LCDs are closing the gap little by little with technologies that are constantly being refined.

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Plasma TVs are still around, though for how much longer is anyone’s guess.  But great deals may mean giving plasma a chance.  So here is a basic introduction into Plasma TVs.

Plasma Technology

Plasma History
Although you may think plasma technology is a recent phenomenon, the science has been around since 1960, and the first plasma prototype appeared back in 1964. While a handful of major manufacturers were interested in plasma technology at the outset, the absence of industrial outlets caused the entire industry to nearly grind to a halt by the late 1980s. However, plasma research continued in Japan, where the first commercial models hit the market in the early 1990s. Today most major consumer electronics manufacturers offer plasma televisions.

Plasma screens, as the name suggests, use a matrix of tiny gas plasma bubbles coated by phosphor and charged by precise electrical voltages to create a picture. Plasma technology operates on the premise that each subpixel within a plasma display is a microscopic fluorescent lamp that emits one of the primary colors (red, green or blue). Technicians are able to create a multitude of tints by varying the intensity of the light from these three subpixels. When it’s time to display an image signal (RGB or video), a digitally controlled electric current flows through the flat screen, causing the plasma inside designated bubbles to give off ultraviolet rays. This light in turn causes the phosphor coatings to glow the appropriate color. The millions of RGB bubbles glowing and dimming combine to make a rich, vivid image. Because the light emitted by the plasma is ultraviolet radiation, which is invisible to humans, it must be changed into a visible form of energy. To achieve this transformation, the walls of the plasma tube are coated with a UV-sensitive powder that emits white light. This powder, often called a phosphor, is known as a scintillator – a material that converts one type of radiation to another. CRTs also contain scinitillators that convert the electron beams into visible red, green or blue light.

Plasma Pluses
The most striking advantage that plasmas currently over LCD televisions is their availability in the largest screen formats. However, it won’t be long before some manufacturers produce LCD screens that will be comparable in size to many plasmas. Currently, on an inch by inch basis, plasmas are less expensive than LCDs. Additionally, plasma contrasts are also superior to those of LCDs, and equal to the best CRT televisions. Plasma TVs are quite versatile; capable of displaying full HDTV and DTV signals as well as XGA, SVGA and VGA signals from a computer. Furthermore, plasma televisions present a much wider range of richer colors due to their huge choice of scintillators. High-end plasma screens can display 16.77 million colors, providing superb realism with exceptionally subtle gradations among colors. In fact, color saturation represents one of the most dramatic advantages that plasma screens have over other display technologies.

Plasma Minuses
On the negative side, the large size of the plasma pixels means that plasma televisions are restricted in size to at least 32-inches diagonal in order to achieve competitive resolutions. Plasma sets also encounter some image quality problems stemming from the nature of their pixels. Because plasma pixels need an electrical discharge in order to emit light, a pixel must be lit or unlit, but has no intermediate state. Consequently, plasma manufacturers employ a method called PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) to control brightness. With PCM, a pixel is lit frequently to attain brightness and less often to attain a darker shade. This works well for medium and bright colors, but it’s often difficult to distinguish between two similarly dark shades. PCM technology creates a uniform image if the viewer if far enough from the panel, but some discomfort at close distances. Plasma pixels are also prone to burn-in, a phenomenon also found in CRT screens. Burn-in occurs when the same image is projected too long and becomes permanently imprinted on the phosphor because of premature aging of the scintillators. This isn’t a problem under normal use, because the images projected change constantly. However, in certain business applications, where the same channel is used on the screen all the time, issues can arise. For example, a network’s logo can become burned into the display. And when a plasma screen is used for static advertising displays, a fixed image projected constantly can become burned into the panel.

Uses for Plasma TVs
Plasma displays are found mostly in high-quality, large-format video systems. Their big size and video performance make them excellent for viewing DVDs, high definition or otherwise. Plasma is traditionally positioned at the high-end sector of the market, where the issues of high cost, phosphor aging and high power consumption are secondary to performance and quality.

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What is HDMI?

HDMI stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface.  It is the first and only industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface. By delivering crystal-clear, all-digital audio and video via a single cable, HDMI dramatically simplifies cabling and helps provide consumers with the highest-quality home theater experience. HDMI provides an interface between any audio/video source, such as a set-top box, DVD player, or A/V receiver and an audio and/or video monitor, such as a digital television (DTV), over a single cable.

HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a single cable. It transmits all ATSC HDTV standards and supports 8-channel, 192kHz, uncompressed digital audio and all currently-available compressed formats (such as Dolby Digital and DTS), HDMI 1.3 adds additional support for new lossless digital audio formats Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio with bandwidth to spare to accommodate future enhancements and requirements.

The HDMI Connector

The Standard

HDMI is the de facto standard digital interface for HD and the consumer electronics market: More than 700 companies have become adopters, and nearly 200 million devices featuring HDMI are expected to ship in 2008, with an installed based of nearly one billion HDMI devices by 2010 (conservative estimates by In-Stat).

HDMI is the interface for convergence of PC and consumer electronics devices: HDMI enables PCs to deliver premium media content including high definition movies and multi-channel audio formats. HDMI is the only interface enabling connections to both HDTVs and digital PC monitors implementing the DVI and HDMI standards.

HDMI is continually evolving to meet the needs of the market: Products implementing new versions of the HDMI specification will continue to be fully backward compatible with earlier HDMI products.

The Market Adopts HDMI

HDMI has become so successful, so quickly, because it meets the needs of all facets of the Consumer Electronics and PC ecosystem. Manufacturers now have an all digital pipeline from the source material to the display; content providers have an interface that protects their intellectual property; and consumers have and easy-to-use, high quality, plug-and-play interface for their home entertainment environment.

HDMI Benefits

Quality: HDMI maintains the audio in its pure digital form all the way to the amplifier. Analog audio connections are more prone to losses depending on the cabling and other electronics of the audio rendering device. Compared to SPDIF connections, HDMI has significantly more bandwidth, allowing it to support the latest lossless audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HS Master Audio. These formats can not be supported over SPDIF connections due to their very high data rate requirements that exceed the capabilities of SPDIF. Please also see section on HDMI 1.3 for further details on Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats.

Ease of Use: HDMI combines video and multi-channel audio into a single cable, eliminating the cost, complexity, and confusion of multiple cables currently used in A/V systems. This is particularly beneficial when equipment is being upgraded or added.

Intelligence: HDMI supports two-way communication between the audio source (such as a DVD player) and the audio rendering device (such as an A/V receiver), enabling new functionality such as automatic configuration and one-touch play. By using HDMI, devices automatically deliver the most effective format (e.g. Dolby Digital vs. 2-channel PCM) for the A/V receiver that it is connected to – eliminating the need for the consumer to scroll through all the audio format options to guess what is best and properly supported.

A New Interface

With the advent of high-definition content, analog interfaces were becoming increasingly limited in their ability to deliver the highest quality, high-definition content.

HDMI has no conversion or compression of signals:

With the delivery of 1080p content, analog interfaces are nearing the end of their ability to deliver high-definition content without highly compressing the signal, which can result in loss of data and signal quality. HDMI has the bandwidth to send uncompressed video so there is no loss of data or signal quality

Content Protection allows access to HD content:

Content providers, including all the major movie studios, have been clear that much of the studio content will not be released in high-definition over unprotected analog interfaces. They have designated HDMI and/or DVI as the only interfaces that will be allowed to carry this new HD content.

HDMI Digital allows two-way communication:

HDMI supports two-way communication between the video source (such as a DVD player) and the DTV, enabling new functionality such as automatic configuration and one-touch play. By using HDMI, devices automatically deliver the most effective format (e.g. 480p vs. 720p, 16:9 vs. 4:3) for the display that it is connected to – eliminating the need for the consumer to scroll through all the format options to guess what looks best.

HDMI & Entertainment Systems

The most tangible and immediate way that HDMI changes the way we interface with our components is in the set-up. One cable replaces up to 11 analog cables, highly simplifying the setting up of a home theater as well as supporting the aesthetics of new component design with cable simplification.

Typical DVD Player With HDMI Out

Next, when the consumer turns on the HDMI-connected system, the video is of higher quality since the signal has been neither compressed nor converted from digital to analog and back.

Lastly, because of the two-way communication capabilities of HDMI, components that are connected via HDMI constantly talk to each other in the background, exchanging key profile information so that content is sent in the best format without the user having to scroll through set-up menus. The HDMI specification also includes the option for manufacturers to include CEC functionality (Consumer Electronics Control), a set of commands that utilizes HDMI’s two-way communication to allow for single remote control of any CEC-enabled devices connected with HDMI. For example, CEC includes one-touch play, so that one touch of play on the DVD will trigger the necessary commands over HDMI for the entire system to power on and auto-configure itself to respond to the command. CEC has a variety of common commands as part of its command set, and manufacturers who implement CEC must do so in a way that ensures that these common command sets interoperate amongst all devices, regardless of manufacturer.

CEC is an optional feature, however, so consumer interested in this functionality must look for CEC in the product feature list. Also, it is important to know that some manufacturers are creating their own proprietary names for their implementation of the CEC command set.

Typical Large Screen TV With HDMI Connectors

HDMI Tips

How many inputs/outputs do you need?

More and more inputs and outputs on components are appearing as more and more people are connecting with HDMI. It is common to see 3 and 4 inputs on an HDTV – many with one input on the side or front for connecting to game consoles or other portable devices such as digital still cameras or camcorders. Always think about the number of sources and displays (or projectors) that could become part of your home theater system, and make sure the device you are evaluating has the number of inputs and outputs to support your needs over the near and long term.

For those who have existing systems with one or two inputs, and are finding they need more, there are HDMI switches in the market that switch from multiple inputs (sources) to one output (to your display).

Think features rather than HDMI version number. 

HDMI is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the marketplace. The standard is constantly adding more and more features that manufacturers can implement if they desire. But HDMI does not require manufacturers to implement everything that HDMI can do. HDMI provides a menu of capabilities and allows the manufacturer to choose which of those features make sense for its product line.

As a result, it is recommended that consumers look for products with the features they want, rather than the version number of the HDMI components. Version numbers reflect capabilities, but do not correspond to product features. For example, if you want the new video features called Deep Color, look for Deep Color in the feature set rather than HDMI 1.3, the version of the specification that enabled Deep Color. Why? Because the version of the specification that enables Deep Color (1.3) does not mandate that Deep Color functionality be implemented.

However, it is important to also note that all HDMI versions are backwards compatible, so not matter what version of HDMI is in the component, all HDMI-enabled components will work together at the highest level of shared functionality.

Convergence Between The PC And Consumer Electronics

HDMI was developed using the same technology as DVI (Digital Visual Interface), the digital connection standard for the PC environment. So, HDMI is fully compatible with all DVI-enabled PCs (since HDMI offers both audio and video over one cable, and DVI carried only video, DVI-HDMI connectivity requires a separate audio cable).

HDMI enables PCs to deliver premium media content including high definition movies and multi-channel audio formats. HDMI is the only interface enabling connections to both HDTVs and digital PC monitors implementing the DVI and HDMI standards – fully compatible with the hundreds of millions of DVI displays already in the market.

HDMI Cables

What is the difference between a “Standard” HDMI cable and a “High-Speed” HDMI cable?

Recently, the HDMI standards body announced that cables would be tested as Standard or High-Speed cables.

• Standard (or “category 1”) cables have been tested to perform at speeds of 75Mhz, which is the equivalent of a 1080i signal.
• High Speed (or “category 2”) cables have been tested to perform at speeds of 340Mhz, which is the highest bandwidth currently available over an HDMI cable and can successfully handle 1080p signals including those at increased color depths and/or increased refresh rates. High-Speed cables are also able to accommodate higher resolution displays, such as WQXGA cinema monitors (resolution of 2560 x 1600).

Does HDMI accommodate long cable lengths?

HDMI technology has been designed to use standard copper cable construction at long lengths. In order to allow cable manufacturers to improve their products through the use of new technologies, HDMI specifies the required performance of a cable but does not specify a maximum cable length. We have seen cables pass “Standard Cable” HDMI compliance testing at lengths of up to a maximum of 10 meters without the use of a repeater. It is not only the cable that factors into how long a cable can successfully carry an HDMI signal, the receiver chip inside the TV or projector also plays a major factor. Receiver chips that include a feature called “cable equalization” are able to compensate for weaker signals thereby extending the potential length of any cable that is used with that device.

With any long run of an HDMI cable, quality manufactured cables can play a significant role in successfully running HDMI over such longer distances.

HDMI FAQs

Q. How can I tell the differences in each version of the HDMI specification?

Download a copy of the most recent specification of HDMI. At the beginning of the document, there is a section called “Revision History.” In this section, you can view all of the the changes for each revision of the Specification.

Q. Are all of the new HDMI versions backward compatible with previous versions?

Yes, all HDMI versions are fully backward compatible with all previous versions.

Q. What’s new in the HDMI 1.3 Specification?

• Higher speed: Although all previous versions of HDMI have had more than enough bandwidth to support all current HDTV formats, including full, uncompressed 1080p signals, HDMI 1.3 increases its single-link bandwidth to 340 MHz (10.2 Gbps) to support the demands of future HD display devices, such as higher resolutions, Deep Color and high frame rates. In addition, built into the HDMI 1.3 specification is the technical foundation that will let future versions of HDMI reach significantly higher speeds.
• Deep Color: HDMI 1.3 supports 10-bit, 12-bit and 16-bit (RGB or YCbCr) color depths, up from the 8-bit depths in previous versions of the HDMI specification, for stunning rendering of over one billion colors in unprecedented detail.
• Broader color space: HDMI 1.3 adds support for “x.v.Color™” (which is the consumer name describing the IEC 61966-2-4 xvYCC color standard), which removes current color space limitations and enables the display of any color viewable by the human eye.
• New mini connector: With small portable devices such as HD camcorders and still cameras demanding seamless connectivity to HDTVs, HDMI 1.3 offers a new, smaller form factor connector option.
• Lip Sync: Because consumer electronics devices are using increasingly complex digital signal processing to enhance the clarity and detail of the content, synchronization of video and audio in user devices has become a greater challenge and could potentially require complex end-user adjustments. HDMI 1.3 incorporates automatic audio synching capabilities that allows devices to perform this synchronization automatically with total accuracy.
• New HD lossless audio formats: In addition to HDMI’s current ability to support high-bandwidth uncompressed digital audio and all currently-available compressed formats (such as Dolby® Digital and DTS®), HDMI 1.3 adds additional support for new lossless compressed digital audio formats Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio™.

Q. What is the difference between DVI and HDMI?

HDMI is DVI with the addition of:

• Audio (up to 8-channels uncompressed)
• Smaller Connector
• Support for YUV Color Space
• CEC (Consumer Electronics Control)
• CEA-861B InfoFrames

Q. Is HDMI backward compatible with DVI (Digital Visual Interface)?

Yes, HDMI is fully backward compatible with DVI compliant devices. HDMI DTVs will display video received from existing DVI-equipped products, and DVI-equipped TVs will display video from HDMI sources. However, some older PCs with DVI are designed only to support computer monitors, not televisions. Consumers buying a PC with DVI should make sure that it specifically includes support for television formats and not just computer monitors.

Also, consumers may want to confirm that the DVI interface supports High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP), as content that requires HDCP copy protection will require that both the HDMI and DVI devices support HDCP to properly view the video content.
Source: HDMI.org

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According to a recent poll, over 1/3 of you have your HDTV cords hidden behind a wall.

This may be a big violation of the National Electric Code that could void your insurance coverage.

    The National Electric Code (NEC) states:

    NEC ARTICLE 400 Flexible Cords and Cables General 400.1 Scope.
    This article covers general requirements, applications, and construction specifications for flexible cords and flexible cables.
    400.8 Uses Not Permitted.
    Flexible cords and cables shall not be used for the following:
    (1) As a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure
    (2) Where run through holes in walls, structural ceilings, suspended ceilings, dropped ceilings, or floors
    (3) Where run through doorways, windows, or similar openings
    (4) Where attached to building surfaces
    Exception: Flexible cord and cable shall be permitted to be attached to building surfaces in accordance with the provisions of 368.8.
    (5) Where concealed by walls, floors, or ceilings or located above suspended or dropped ceilings

In other words, running power cords through the walls is not a substitute for permanent wiring. You’re supposed to have a new electric socket installed directly behind the TV, where you can plug in the power cord and coil up the slack to tuck underneath. If you drilled some holes and ran cable yourself all willy nilly, in and back out to a power socket, chances are you are in violation of these codes. Should a fire result, your insurance may find reason to get out of covering your losses. Naturally, it is in your best interests to hire a professional to check out your setup and make sure everything is as it should be. That having been said, let’s clarify the original poll and focus on how many of you might be on the wrong side of the NEC.

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