Ask S&V

Thomas Terry

The TV is probably displaying 1080 horizontal lines from top to bottom in an interlaced manner—that is, it displays the 540 odd-numbered lines followed by the 540 even-numbered lines of each video frame. As for horizontal resolution (the maximum number of vertical lines from left to right), that depends on the TV's high-frequency capabilities. Ideally, it would be 1920 lines, but I doubt it actually achieves that resolution, especially with moving objects, which are often more blurred on an interlaced display.

The only way to know for sure is to display a resolution test pattern such as a monoscope (see image above), which includes "wedges" of converging lines with labels that indicate the number of lines represented by different points along the wedge. In particular, the vertical wedges indicate the horizontal resolution—the point at which the lines in the wedge are not longer distinct reveals the resolution of that display. Ideally, you would display a static monoscope to assess the still-picture resolution and a moving monoscope to determine the moving-picture resolution. However, this pattern is not widely available to consumers, either static or moving.

Another option to assess still-picture resolution is a pattern called a multiburst, which is available on many setup discs, such as HD Benchmark and Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics. This pattern consists of several distinct areas with lines at different densities—the area of highest density in which the lines are still distinct reveals the resolution of that display.

App-App Attack
If I have a TV with apps, should I get a Blu-ray player with apps as well? Which device is better to have apps in?

Skip Compton

If you already have a TV with apps—which mostly provide access to certain Internet content—getting a Blu-ray player with apps is probably redundant, especially if the player comes from the same manufacturer as the TV. However, if you get a Blu-ray player from a different manufacturer, it might provide access to different content, though there is a lot of overlap between manufacturers—for example, most provide access to Netflix and YouTube. These days, most TVs and players have apps, so getting one without them might not be an option in any event.

If you do have a choice, I think it's better to have apps in the Blu-ray player, because a player is relatively portable, so the apps can be used with any TV. Also, if you buy a new TV, you still have the apps you're familiar with in the player, though you will probably also get apps in the TV as well.

No Worries
I am an avid fan of 3D programming, but I wonder about compatibility of 3D programming with active-shutter glasses versus passive-polarized glasses. Is the programming out there (Blu-ray 3D, ESPN 3D, etc.) compatible with both active and passive systems, or do you have to have different programming sources/formats for each? Also, have any of the major networks (Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.) announced any plans for 3D network programming?

By the way, I started listening to The Tech Guy radio show about a month ago, and I am addicted. I listen to the podcasts on my morning and evening commute. You did an outstanding job filling in for Leo Laporte a few weeks ago, and I also enjoy your contributions as his guest.

Frank Ireland

Thanks for the kind words! I had a blast filling in for Leo; for those who missed it, you can download the podcasts of those shows here and here. And be sure to check out my weekly Home Theater Geeks podcast, available on UltimateAVmag.com, TWiT.tv, and iTunes, though iTunes offers only the latest 20 episodes. (I've done 56 to date.)

To answer your question, there are no compatibility issues with 3D programming of any kind and active or passive glasses. All 3D TVs, regardless of the specific technology they use, can accept and correctly display 3D images from Blu-ray players and broadcast sources. It's true that 3D Blu-ray players and broadcast programming transmit 3D in different ways, but all 3D TVs are designed to handle them without a problem.

Other than 3D sickness—the tendency for some people to feel dizzy or nauseous when watching 3D—the biggest issue in my book is screen size. Get the largest 3D display you can afford, because the 3D image should fill your entire field of view to be most effective.

If you have a home-theater question, please send it to scott.wilkinson@sorc.com.