1080P input questions, use as computer monitor

[venkman]

I was reading about earlier posts that explained that 1080P input was unavailable on most 1920x1080 HDTV's due to copyright laws and such. I am planing on buying a new HDTV for use as a computer monitor in my HT as well as my main display. I had been limiting my search to a 1920X1080 display thinking it would help with my computer display. I was leaning towards the 45" Sharp Aquos but if the 1920X1080 is BS then I won't waste the money. Thanks.

[edtyct]

It's not BS, but it can have elements of BS. The Sharp is a mixed bag. As an HDTV, scaling 1080i to the full complement of pixels, it's hard to beat. In that sense, it will literally look smashing. However, its greyscale and colorimetry aren't necessarily up to par, though it is capable of a very deep black. The scaling is decent, but it evidently softens resolution slightly, especially through component output. You'll want to go digital with this set. As a computer monitor, short of the 1920x1080 resolution that it can't accept, it should look terrific the closer you get to its native resolution (tapping out, I think, at 1280x1024 through the DVI input). If you use VGA from your PC, you'll need an adaptor before reaching the DVI input.

In general, any display will look its best when presented with signals matching its native resolution. If hi def and PC signals are more important to you than DVD or standard broadcast TV, then the Sharp has definite attractions, assuming that you can put up with any quirks in color and ramping that you might encounter and that you can accommodate a viewing distance to minimize accentuated video noise and maximize the set's resolution. But if having true 1080p capability is important to you for future considerations (rather than just scaling capability), you might want to pass.

Ed

[venkman]

So the 1920x1080 is only upscaled from a max input of 1280x1024? Are there sets that accept 1920x1080 input? What would be the optimal viewing distance for such a set? I only have a apartment to work with.

Thanks for the help.

[venkman]

sorry, by optimal viewing distance I was refering to the 45" Sharp Aquos.

[edtyct]

No sets accept 1920x1080, but it's only a matter of time before they do. For the 45" Sharp, at a distance of 6 to 9', you should be able to appreciate the high resolution. At 6' and closer, however, the look of standard TV might not be so good, and at 9', the panel's advantage with HD might start to fade.

Ed

[ralphmcw]

Actually there is a 1080p set that can accept a 1920x1080 signal. The new HP DLP. It got a good review too.
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=876&page_number=1
The problem for me is that they only come in 58'' and 65'' versions which is too big for my apartment (and too big for my wallet). I will wait until next year when a 50'' 1080p actually accepts a 1080p signal.

[edtyct]

Ralph,

Thanks for the information. I also didn't know that, as the review says, certain Mitsubishi sets can accept 1080p signals via their computer inputs, for whatever it's worth. Despite the glowing review, however, the one little monkey wrench in the HP's works is its wobulation, which is essentially some fancy dancing that allows a display to achieve a given resolution by using only half the pixels that the resolution in question would otherwise require. Other manufacturers have adopted the technique as well. The HD4 chip from TI arranges the pixels at a 45 degree angle to permit rapid, successive illumination, thus permitting 640x720 to simulate 1280x720. I would think that this method would be cheaper to implement than an actual pixel complement, but I'm not sure how effectively, relative to true 1920x1080 chips, it will be able to display actual 1080p material when it arrives, even if its scaling seems solid now (and it may not be). I think that the jury is still out. A Sharp DLP that uses the HD4 chip apparently looks a little on the soft side. This is another of those instances when waiting would seem to be prudent. These early 1080p sets all have certain limitations that are destined to be surpassed by their successors.

Ed