HDTV Buying Guide - Full HD vs HD Ready

HDTV - High Definition TeleVision

High Definition TeleVision (HDTV) is a digital television broadcasting system with higher resolution and better sound system than standard television systems (NTSC, SECAM, PAL). The most obvious difference is HDTV uses a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9 as compared to standard TV which uses a aspect ratio of 4:3.

To enjoy HDTV programs, you need to get a HD Ready or Full HD TV set as well as a DTV-T setup box.

How to Choose your Ideal HDTV

Full HD vs HD Ready, 1080p vs 720p?

HD signals
720i - 1280x720 interlaced
720p - 1280x720 progressive scan
1080i - 1920×1080 interlaced
1080p - 1920×1080 progressive scan

HDTV types
HD Ready - HDTV set capable of accepting HD signals (may not be able to display at full resolution 1920x1080)
Full HD - HDTV set capable of accepting HD signals and able to display full resolution at 1920x1080
720p HDTV - another name for HD Ready HDTV
1080p HDTV - another name for Full HD HDTV

Most of the HDTVs today are able to support 720i/720p/1080i/1080p signals. So the single most important spec that we should be looking for when choosing a HDTV is the screen resolution (pixel resolution).

For HD Ready HDTVs which have screen resolution less than 1920x1080, they are less than ideal. This is because if you feed a 1080i/1080p signal to a HD Ready HDTV, this HDTV will scale down the signal resolution to fit its smaller screen resolution. That is to say, you will lose resolution if you use a HD Ready HDTV to display a 1080i/1080p signal.

For Full HD HDTVs, they have screen resolution of 1920x1080, thus, when a 1080i or 1080p signal is feed to it, it is able to display the picture in its full glory at 1920x1080 with no resolution loss.

So it is not difficult to conclude that if money is not a problem, always go for Full HD 1080p HDTVs with 1920x1080 resolution instead of HD Ready 720p HDTVs which has lesser resolution.

How to Choose a Good HDTV at a Budget

HD Ready vs Full HD, size does matters

For the same screen size, Full HD HDTVs cost much more than HD Ready HDTVs. If you are on a budget, buying a HD Ready set instead of a Full HD set will save you quite a substantial amount of money.

As a general guideline, if you are getting a HDTV set which is less than 42 inch, you won't be able to notice the resolution difference between a HD Ready set vs a Full HD set. Thus, you will be able to get almost the same visual enjoyment at a lower budget if you buy a HD Ready HDTV (720p) instead.

For screen size 42 inch or greater, going for a Full HD (1080p) will be a better choice as at such big screen size, the pixel difference will be more visible.

HDTV Guides

Professor Poor's Guide to Buying HDTV - Second Edition

by: Alfred Poor

Avg. Customer Rating:

Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 12/09/2009)
List Price: $14.95

HDTV For Dummies (For Dummies )

by: Danny Briere, Pat Hurley

Avg. Customer Rating:

Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 12/09/2009)
List Price: $21.99

The Home Electronics Survival Guide: The Simple Guide to Understanding, Hooking Up and Buying TVs, HDTVs, DVDs, Home Theater, Remote Controls and More!

by: Barb Gonzalez

Avg. Customer Rating:

Amazon Price: (as of 12/09/2009)
List Price: $19.95

HDTV Surge Protector

Monster Cable MP HTFS 1000 Monster Power High Definition Video HTFS 1000 PowerCenterTM 2 AC Outlets for HDTVs

Amazon Price: $129.99 (as of 12/09/2009)
List Price: $299.95

Protect your prized HDTV from electrical and lightning surge with this Monster Surge Protector.

Avg. Customer Rating:

HDTV Antennas

Improve your HDTV reception by using these HDTV reception antennas

Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna for Off-Air HDTV Reception

Popular HDTV Brands

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Samsung HDTV

Samsung PN50B650 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Sony Bravia HDTV Commercial

Too many HDTV choices? Can't decide which brand of HDTV to buy?
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Sony Bravia HDTV

Sony BRAVIA DAV-HDX589W 5.1-Channel Theater System (Black)

Panasonic HDTV Commercial

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Panasonic Viera HDTV

Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-L37S1 37-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

LG HDTV Commercial

Don't just watch it, live it. In LG Full HD.

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LG HDTV

LG 32LH30 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Gloss Black

Sharp Aquos HDTV Commercial

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Sharp Aquos HDTV

Sharp AQUOS LC60E77UN 60-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Gold Bezel

Philips HDTV Commercial

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Philips HDTV

Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

Toshiba REGZA Commerical

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Toshiba Regza HDTV

Toshiba REGZA 46XV645U 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Black

Pioneer Kuro Commercial

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Pioneer Kuro HDTV

Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K 7-Channel A/V Receiver (Black)

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Reader Feedback On HDTVs

submit

Reply

zautoseexer zautoseexer Nov 27, 2009 @ 11:23 am

The HDTV in this era is very cheap. The biggest screen is suitable to make hometheatre.

Reply

wesling123 wesling123 Nov 25, 2009 @ 10:19 pm

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Reply

RedScarlett RedScarlett Nov 13, 2009 @ 9:36 am

Great lense :)
I have Sharp AQUOS LC52E77U and love it!

Reply

AnilKool AnilKool Nov 7, 2009 @ 2:19 am

Well.simple explanation and makes sense now to go for full HD ..as shopkeepers always fool customers will different version/explanations of HD /FULL HD etc.

Reply

electronicdeals91 electronicdeals91 Oct 31, 2009 @ 10:49 am

Hey Kenc, way to shed some light on the differences between HDTV units and terminology, it can get pretty confusing. 5*

Reply

markjcarter markjcarter Jul 8, 2009 @ 12:02 am

OK,,, I never understood all that 780i and 1080p stuff until now... thanks for clearing things up...

mj
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nagesh nagesh Jul 2, 2009 @ 10:42 am

Thanks for your information

Reply

kenc kenc Jun 5, 2009 @ 8:05 am | in reply to Ravi

If price dosen't matters, always go for Full HD HDTVs.

Reply

Ravi Ravi Jun 5, 2009 @ 5:19 am

I wanted to buy 22 " LCD TV. Which will be good choice - HD Ready or Full HD ?
Price dosen't matters.

Thanks in advance.

Reply

James James May 27, 2009 @ 5:08 am

I think that Hd tv's are great and hotte than my girlfriend but still not as good

Reply

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Reply

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Today's market different types of Televisions.

Now a days HDTV is popularizing with more features.....

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beachbum_gabby beachbum_gabby Jun 5, 2008 @ 11:24 am

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HDTV Buying Guide - Full HD vs HD Ready

HDTV - High Definition TeleVision

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

How to Choose your Ideal HDTV

Full HD vs HD Ready, 1080p vs 720p?

How to Choose a Good HDTV at a Budget

HD Ready vs Full HD, size does matters

HDTV Guides

HDTV Surge Protector

HDTV Antennas

Popular HDTV Brands

Vote For Your Flavorite HDTV Brand

Thanks for voting! Now invite your friends to vote.

Hottest HDTVs Deals

Samsung HDTV Advert with Chelsea Players

Samsung HDTV

Sony Bravia HDTV Commercial

Sony Bravia HDTV

Panasonic HDTV Commercial

Panasonic Viera HDTV

LG HDTV Commercial

LG HDTV

Sharp Aquos HDTV Commercial

Sharp Aquos HDTV

Philips HDTV Commercial

Philips HDTV

Toshiba REGZA Commerical

Toshiba Regza HDTV

Pioneer Kuro Commercial

Pioneer Kuro HDTV

HDTV T-Shirts

Reader Feedback On HDTVs

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