HDTV Tech

The annual CES tradeshow put on by the Consumer Technology Association was an "all-digital" event for 2021. On the plus side, that allowed us to report on the show from the comfort of our homes dressed in hoodies and sweatpants instead of suits. On the negative side, we didn't get proper "screen time" with the array of new TVs introduced, many of which hold the promise to be pretty spectacular.

Unless you're accustomed to turning on your new set and never touching any of the controls beyond volume (and if you're reading this that's probably not you) Gamma is a control and a subject worth knowing more about.

This guest technical primer was submitted by Dave Rodgers, marketing manager for Elite Screens Inc. and a 20-year professional in the audio/video and wireless communications industries.

You might be surprised to learn that there is more to contrast than just black and white. The intensity of color matters just as much. While the topic of black-white level has been explained in all its glorious intricacy by the best minds in the AV world, I prefer a more basic approach — one that makes sense to someone who doesn’t know lux from lumens.

TV shopping has become vastly more complicated over the past decade. Buyer confusion used to revolve around issues of 720p versus 1080p, LCD versus plasma, edge-lit versus full-array, 3D or not 3D, and “What’s a smart TV?” All manageable problems, in retrospect.

What makes a good TV picture? Sharp detail? That’s a factor, sure. Vibrant color? Of course. What about brightness? Definitely, you don’t want a dim picture. How about black level? That’s vital. After all, you don’t want grayish blacks; that wouldn’t be lifelike.

After years of speculation and skepticism, drooling and disappointment, longing, frustration, and pensive excitement, Organic Light-Emitting Diode televisions are finally available. OLED (oh-lead, if you like), is the first true next-generation HDTV technology since LCDs emerged from their nascent toy stage and started stomping all over plasma TVs.

When the technical specifications of a new but humdrum TV fail to come up to snuff, the model almost certainly will be priced less than the one with better resolution, faster processing, more connections, and so on. Whether it’s manufacturer or retailer, nobody interested in making a buck will promote the TV as “nothing special”—even if that’s exactly what it is. Sellers will likely spin the spec as “great value.” But not always.