HIGHER DEFINITION
Broadcasts in 1080i theoretically lose half of their resolution when played back
on a TV with a 1280 by 720, or 720p resolution—like most current fixed-pixel or
digital displays. Interlace artifacts can be unnecessarily introduced into 720p
signals when reproduced on 1080i displays—such as CRT-based high-definition TVs
and some plasma panels. Yet HDTV shows are broadcast in both 1080i (as on CBS or
NBC), and 720p (as on ABC or Fox). Displays with a 1920 by 1080, or 1080p
resolution have long been considered the Holy Grail of high- definition DLP
video resolutions and in theory should give you the best of both worlds.
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| Mitsubishi’s WD-52627 DLP rear-projection HDTV
offers a 1080p pixel resolution. This should prevent 1080i HD broadcasts from
being downconverted or 720p broadcasts from being unnecessarily interlaced. |
Mitsubishi’s WD-52627 is the company’s first with a 1080p resolution. As
A.C. Verbeck’s article points out (page 36), you want to sit approximately 6 to
7 feet back from a screen of this size to get the benefit of such a
high-resolution display. Don’t sit much closer, though, or you’ll see the
diagonal pixel pattern that makes up the image. Texas Instruments’ current crop
of 1080p light engines, like the one used in this display don’t actually have a
grid of 1920 by 1080 pixels. Instead they use half that many. Each frame is
interlaced horizontally. The TV displays alternate columns of pixels at a time,
but twice as quickly as the original frame so that our eye doesn’t notice. There
is one possible downside, but more on that later.
In addition to its high
resolution, the 52627 is digital cable ready, which means that if you are a
digital cable subscriber you can get an access card (called a CableCard) from
your cable company and toss out your cable box. The built-in tuner can decode
off-air signals, as well. Since CableCard is a one-way system, you won’t have
access to the cable company’s video on demand or on-screen channel guide.
Mitsubishi offers the TV Guide on-screen channel guide service to replace the
latter. I’m not a huge fan of the TV Guide service, but it’s probably better
than nothing.
With or without it, you’ll have just shy of a gazillion inputs
and source selection options for your other video components. This includes
three analog component ports and two HDMI digital video inputs. There are also
two FireWire connections to network your digital video recorders (think D-VHS or
a future Blu-ray recorder) to the TV’s internal tuner. Card slots for nearly
every type of memory card are available, too, so that you can project digital
camera images onto the screen.
