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HDTV Marketing Hype Explored
Sunday, May 4th, 2008 at 4:00 PM - by John Martellaro
HDMI connectors cannot be locked in place and tend to come lose. The standard keeps changing, and should instead be allowed to stabilize. Some companies label HDMI Cables "120" Hz and charge more. The 1080 resolution can’t really be seen in TVs smaller than 42 inches at normal viewing distances, yet cost more. To top it off, contrast ratios don’t use the ANSI standard, all according to the HD GURU on Sunday.
The HDTV industry has a lot of confusing terminology. Add that to the industry’s obsession with protecting HD signals with High Definition Copy Protection (HDCP) and contstant competitive pressures, and that’s a recipe for technical difficulties, potential compromise and strained marketing claims.
The HD GURU looked at some of the areas ripe for questionable marketing practices in the industry:
- Over priced HDMI Cables
- 120 Hz cables
- Third tier brands and warranty
- Cheap 26-inch HDTVs
- Use of 1080p on smaller TVs
- X.V. Color
- Deep Color
- Line conditioners that "improve" the picture"
- Pseudo HDTV via upconverting and stretching
- Non ANSI standard contrast ratio measurements
For example, Amazon sells some HDMI cables for $1.98, while Best Buy is reported to be selling some HDMI cables for up to $219.99. In addition, considering the resolution of the hyman eye, one would have to sit four feet from a 32-inch TV to see the difference between 720p and 1080p.
Gary Merson offers some healthy skepticism and hype alerts for the reader new to the world of high definition.
iPO notes that the XtremeMac HDMI cables sold in the Apple stores for $25 are probably in a good space with respect to price and performance.
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