HD Bliss - High Definition Reviews

Theres one thing that can be said about the Sharp AQUOS LC-52D62U and that is that it ain’t small. In fact it is very very big. So big infact that you may need a livingroom that is about the size of a small planet but man is the picture fantastic. It difficult to know where to begin with a piece of quality work such as this but I’ll try.

HDTV Image quality generally depends on many factors apart form the basics such as digital (HDMI) connections and full HD 1080p resolution. The most important ones to look out for are the ‘black level’ , ‘viewing angle’ , ‘contrast ratio’ and ‘response time’.  In all cases the AQUOS LC-52D62U is a winner. The black level on this model is superb, probably one of the best on the market today, and the 10000:1 enhanced picture contrast is breathtaking. One aspect of HTDVs that drives my crazy is ghosting effects introduced by poor response times. Not with the LC-52D62U though. The high 4ms response time really smooths out the on screen wrinkles and adds more realism to your viewing experience. The wide viewing angles of 176º by 176º is really necessary on a model of this size but its nice to know anyway.

With both analog and digital TV tuners built in this is an excellent model if you have the right environment (read massive living room), put it this way you would be hard pressed to do better.

There is one thing above all else which will dictate the quality of the high definition image on an HDTV television and thats the connection.

As the entire TV industry is effectively built around analog CRT televisions, everything that is plugged into, broadcasting or interfacing in any way with a CRT Television is designed to establish the best possible connection to the TV set. After over half a century of effectively implementing the exact same technology as was originally developed, CRT Televisions ability to connect with with its immediate environment has reached a pinnacle.

Great if you own an Analog TV, not so great if you have a HDTV set.

Of course this is changing fast, very fast. In the next few years digital brocasting will become the de-facto standard for many countries across the world with analog broadcasting being consigned to the history books. This does’nt mean that CRT TVs are going to go away anytime soon, but their importance will.

This is where HDMI comes in. HDMI (High Definition Multi-Media Interface), a term that will eventually become as well known if not more so than SCART, also known as that cable with black rectangular things that plugs between a DVD player and your telly. Basically HDMI is a digital connection wheras SCART, RCA, S-Video or Component, standard connections used for CRT TV’s are analog. You can still use analog connections with a HDTV its just that the picture won’t be as good.

No matter what make or model your HDTV is, no matter how good your DVD player is, your HDTV needs a digital signal to display the best possible image. The HDMI cable delivers that signal and makes it happen.

Unfortunately its not as simple as just going out to the nearest TV Shop and picking one up. The problem is you need to plug it in and unless your DVD or Satellite Box or Sound System has a HDMI connection thats not going to happen, no matter how hard you try. So if you have a HDTV and are going to buy a new DVD player, just check if it has an HDMI output first. Trust me, the difference in the picture is amazing and well worth it.

HDMI carries a few extra goodies too. It can also handle all your digital sound as well. This has the additonal bonus of reducing the number of cables you need to plug into the TV and basically tidies things up a little. Nice eh?