Full-HD-ready, really?! Not definitive!

Full-HD-ready, really?! Not definitive!

page 1 - article

page 2 - comparison images of different possible 720p display images

Notice: The facts reported in this article were acquired by random sampling and don't necessarily have to correspond the standard. Our aim is not in any way to imply bad intention by the companies, but to allude to made mistakes, so that these deficiencies can be remedied and won't reoccur in this form in the future. The named markets are just presented in this article because we have propper evidences with brochurescans and photos (made by Sony-Ericsson P900 mobilephones) for our statements. Similar situations also occured at other markets. These itemised deficiencies and slack interpretation possibility of the "HD ready" label requirements should solely serve as an example so that clients are sensitised to these and learn to pay attention on it. The listed markets attest that they work good and reputable otherwise, then human errors can easefully admited.

0. Full-HD-ready, really?!

Every year it seems a new advertising slogan has created fitting to the new line of products. After Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin 2005 (International radio exhibition Berlin) the word pool of the average citizen was extended with the expression "HD-ready" and it has been resounding throughout the land since then. For one year this expression has been brewing and riping in shops, decorating lots of products rightly and partly unrighlty and siping deeper and deeper in the target group's awareness, so that Germans does not even recognize the expression problem of the English loanword "HD-ready", because many people spelling it in "Denglish", so in a half German half English mixture as literal "HaDeh ready". This expression seems to be not sufficient enough anymore, so for IFA 2006 and the new harware generations a new headword had to be created and was found with "Full HD". The first and older one is an official label under leadership of EICTA and promises a guarantee for optimal basic-signaling of hdtv, the latter is quasi a progression of "HD-ready", but doesn't have an official character and is interpreted and used differently by manufacturer to manufacturer. However do these "seals" fulfil their purposes or do they still lead to a eventual mispurchase?

1. Introduction

In mythology sirens in alluring female shapes and with alluring voices lure with their fetching melodies seafarers into death. Nowadays this kind of allurement is performed by marketing slogans and salespersons are delivering it like mountebanks to the willing people. In that way they let us believe, that Coke tastes better than Pepsi, clothing can be whiter than white or even that a perfume for males can make them irresistable for the female population. But also without any purpose displays and projectors are misleadingly promoted with HDTV-capabilities, although the gros of devices are not even abel to display the whole PAL-resolution. So it may happen, that the new non-plus-ultra hardware turns out to be an expensive mispurchase and the flat-screen has to serve as a flat-mirror and that you shouldn't show of with it during your friends visit, so that it doesn't turn out you are just barely able to natively display japanese NTSC-signals in 852by480 resolution. To prevent exactly this bad buy several minimal requirements were outlined in the "HD-ready" label, which have to be met. By that the client can see directly on the device without previously consulting a manual, that it is a hd-capable display device. The following aspects have to be fulfiled.

info-Box - "HD-ready", requirements and meaning
"HD-ready" requirement	Without requirement	Meaning
Native resolution of the display has to be at least 720 vertical physical lines and having a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio		Although the smallest hd-resolution is 720p/i and therewith represents 1280*720 pixel the equipment does not need to fulfil this resolution. It was a compromising solution to tag more displays with this label at the beginning. Thereby there are even displays which have a resolution of 1024*768 pixel and stretch the image to 16:9. At worst case this could be exploited by producing hardware with for example 576*720 pixel, which are ordinary PAL television sets rotated 90 degrees, and also fulfiling specification of 720 lines (see comparision images page 2). Furthermore the logo image was chosen rather unintelligent because the label doesn't show an auxiliary on first sight, if the device can display small hdtv 720p/i or even the big hdtv with 1080i/p (1920*1080 pixel), or any resolution in between. Thus anyone has to look into the manual what the hardware is able to do. And one has also to mind that resolutions not exactly fitting the hdtv-resolution of the display the display always hast to scale and thereby quality losses can be caused.
Minimum one analog input		That is a compromise solution for old hd-transmission sources without digital output, like VGA on PCs. Because the copyright holder calls for copy protection you won't be able to use the analog input in most instances.
Minimum one digital input with HDCP-copy-protection (HDMI/DVI)		HDMI has always integrated HDCP, but it is optional for DVI. When the "HD-ready" label is used then the DVI-input also supports HDCP. Sets labeled with "Hd compatible" with DVI HDCP is not supported in each case. The label also doesn't demand which HDMI-version is used. HDMI 1.0 supports transmission of video, audio and controlsignals but not all video resolution, mainly few sdtv-resolutions, and not all audioformats can be used. AC3, DTS and PCM can be transmitted in actual form through HDMI, but when it has to transmit Dolby Digital Plus and DTS HD, which are used on HD-DVDs and Blu-ray, then it has to be at least HDMI 1.3. This can solely be found out by checking the product description. There is no duplexer within the cableline included in the hdmi specification so that displays have to be connected in series, when you just want to use one cable (e.g. receiver - projector - A/V-receiver), but most of "HD-ready" displays lack of a second HDMI in- or output without which a series can not been established, or the display has to be connected to the head end. Standing for itself the copy protection HDCP should not be neglected. For example this copy protection is requiered by German pay-tv provider Premiere for its receivers, because some hd-channels activate it. Connection and two-way verification of HDCP-chip existence ("hand-shake") caused complications with some device combinations or it wasn't able to establish although it should easiely been done with two devices possessing HDMI-inputs. Concerning hardware were updated in the meantime. Before buying you should let the salesperson demonstrate the activated HDCP-encryption between receiver and display to avoid a similar disaster.
Frame-rate of 50 and 60Hz		Therewith a displaying of both currently used frame-rates is guaranteed, which isn't in the USA nor Japan and the devices build for this market are just able to process 60Hz. But this is also desigend with limited future-proof because 24Hz and multiples of it are not included and cinema-films on HD-DVD and Blu-ray Discs will use these frame-rates. Consequently players have to re-clock and interpolate to 50 or 60Hz again, which could lead to another loss of quality.
Processing of 1080i and 720p signals		This just means that 1080i and 720p signals can be received and processed. It is not expressed that the hardware have to display it natively, but unfortunately it is interpretd in that way by a lot of costumers. The native resolution, so the pixel count of the display or projectionimage, is described partly by 720 horizontal lines in 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio and has to be treated seperately, as mentioned int the previous section. Unfortunately it is not revealed here either if also 1080p, a further official hdtv-resolution, is accepted for receiving and processing. This resolution hasn't been used by any channl yet, but German pay-tv provider Premiere announced in one of there press releases to show movies in that form how they will obtain them, this also includes 1080p at 24Hz. This format will be used on HD-DVDs and Blu-ray Discs anyway.
The "HD-ready" label was designed for output devices, like displays, projectors and other tv-sets		A special "HD-TV" label featureing other minimal capacities was established for receivers. The word "HD-ready" is used by many salesperson and clients for general HD-capabilities, so that you should always inquire, if this directly refers to the criterias of the label or if it is just used in general.
Deployment ot the "HD-ready" label is not controled by EICTA, but by self-certification of the manufacturer		Therewith you gain a certain legal claim of return, in case the hardware was taged wrongly, but not in any case. So a faulty tagging can happen as you can see in our examples.
	Scaler	There is no decleration about the usage of scaler, so that interpolation of resolution of normal sdtv-programme to hdtv or the descaling of higher hdtv-resolution to the native resolution of your tv-set can vary between manufacturers but even between different products of the same manufacturer. As a rule of thumb, the fewer resolution the scaler has to process and output the better resluts can be achieved. So it may happen that your subjective sensation about the quality of a 720p display will be better than a 1080i display with the same upscaled content. Scaler development is steadily pushed, but the rule is still counting. It is advisable to use an external scaler like a Faroudja-chipset anyway, but this causes additional costs. But even integrated scaler can achieve respectable results. But generally nothing can turn "shit into gold", because PAL stays at a lesser resolution and is broadcasted at a lower bandwidth at it could be instead by the channels.
	Video source	You also need a hd-source for your hdtv-receiving, like PremiereHD, Sat.1HD or Pro7HD. Just plugging in your new "HD-ready" display to the analogue cable port or the satellite-duplexer does not suffice. Many user misleadingly thought that. So you also need additional hardware like receivers or PC tuner-cards with certain hd-abilities. Combo-devices with integrated tuners will follow step-by-step. You should let yourself counselled seperately.

If these issues are accomplished nothing stands against you and your hd-enjoyment for foreseeable times.

2. Previous, real situation

Of central-(fish)market mountbanks and HD-wave surfers

Unfortunately the current situation is different. Before IFA 2005 (German report) just some few displays were tagged with this label. Whether it was fergotten to mount the sign good visibly or the manufacturer wanted to safe investments for licencing the label and had not even applied for it. The label is allocated by EICTA, but it is not controled, if the designated device really meet the requirements. So it is no stately seal, but is soley "controled" by the costumer. If and how far a legal certainty and the depending conversion rights are assured is still questionable.
During sporadic controling in shops and in brochures it was remarkable obvious they played fast and loose with it. Primarily some bigger wholesale-chains like Mediamarkt, Saturn or MegaCompany labeled hardware with it altgough they didn't even deserve a "PAL-ready" and other devices wasn't inspite of their hd-abilities. If there was a lack of specific knowledge or if they just worked inaccurate is unclear. (But some displays were signpost with 1920by1080 DPI. If that really had been the case the television set were more than its money worth, because the image area would have had this amount of dots per inch in both directions and not accross the whole image area as it is in reallity).

Futhermore it appallingly attracted our attention that similar dictions were used without directly illustrating the logo. So it is diverged from the original "HD-ready" writing an imitation like "HD-Ready", "HD Ready" or "hd ready" is used instead. On the quite we were told, that by using a different writing claims for recourse could be juridical defended and interpreted in favour of the shop. Moreover it would be difficult for the costumer anyway to provide evidence that the mocked label was observed of the hardware and information panel, because the indicating label is not given to take with you normally and who of us also take a photo of the hardware including the information panel. These eye-catchers are the most cattiness scam of some salespersons. They can be interpreted as sirens because in that way the dagger is stabbed from right behind the credulous costumers chest without that he is able to foresee it.
Not less frightenly is the procedure of some marketing people by riding the "HD-ready" wave with neologism. So new made-up words like "HDTV-ready", "HD-approved", "HDTV-capable" or "HD-campatible" are used. These illusory labels doesn't even have a organisation as a basis or not at all standardised mimimum requirements. These terms just arise from marketing phantasies and have to be critical scrutinised. In this context the german OTTO mail-order service actually created its own logo bearing a striking resemblance to the "HD-ready" logo. This doesn't mean that some displays couldn't show hd-pictures and aren't future-proof. But the costumer should be clairaudient whenever these expressions come into play and he should examine the hardware attentively. Because exaggeratedly displayed you could even get a picture on current PAL-sets or even on old Volksempfänger (German for "People's radio" or "People's receiver"), whereas the hd-signal just function as a source. The then displayed picture is indeed not HDTV, but descaled PAL or less. And who investes in an expensive new hardware if it is just an old boob tube but not a "HD-ready" television-set?
But it is strikingly positive that during IFA 2005 lesser faulty billposting had been done inside shops and the brochures and that the interested group of buyers had been sensitised directly at IFA or in covering medias to pay attention to the "HD-ready" logo. Thus the vendor is forced to use the real logo because also for this topic the German saying still applies "What the farmer does not know he will not eat" (German: „Was der Bauer nicht kennt, das frisst er nicht“) and when the costumer explicitly demanding for "HD-ready" he also will not be satisfacted "HD-compatible". Additionally in the framework of the marketing of PremiereHD the vendors of espacially wholesale-chains hade been trained to pay attention to the label and to counsel the costumer about this topic. Bacause if a display was sold together with a PremiereHD abonnement and the display couldn't encrypt the digital output-signals in HDCP as it ist requiered by Premiere then the costumer will be faster back in that shop than you can spell "Kofler" and will return it if the display decline acceptance. After Cebit 2006 (German report), where a lot of hdtv concerning things could be gazed, the whole potential clientele should have heared at least something about HDTV and will be hearing more about it until FIFA World Cup 2006 because the promotion machinery is just warming up.

3. „We vow betterment!“, todays situation

Meanwhile the situation looks better than one year ago as we started our study. In almost every HiFi-store around the corner you can have yourself informed accustomly good and even about HDTV, and even sales personal of centralmarkets were sent on advanced training to be more able to steward the newly converted flatscreen and home-cinema areas. There are still some slight shortcomings in consultings recognisable every once in a while but not in crude careless dimensions. It is more gratifying that during sampling declaration of devices with the "HD-ready" logo were faultless and that it was avoided to use similar expressions, like the previous described "HD compatible and Co.", in the brochures. Newly supervened are fine "home-cinema corners" especially in bigger electronic stores, in which it is advertised for and with HDTV. On the one hand there is adequate hardware and there are small signs and information panels, but also the assistants responsable for these sections had been trained for these exhibition corners. By this it is orientated towards HiFi-stores which had been showing such couch-zones from time immemorial, but hasn't been able to tie on their quality of consulting yet. Homework was done apparently. That non-adequate consulting still happend sporadicly is human and forgivable, as long as you do not let it happen to get cheated, therefore ...

3.1 ...follow some simple rules!

The "HD-ready" logo is NO guarantor for quality. As concerning any products there are variation in realisation most notably in upscaling of PAL-signals to higher display resolutions. It starts getting really obvious how "bad" PAL really is by using displays with higher resolutions, but the interpolation algorithm can even worsen it. To test this you should let it be demonstrated with self brought along DVDs or even better with television broadcast-signals. So you can see if the long remaining PAL is displayed properly on that set.

Also it doesn't have to be always a "HD-ready" attached to it. It doesn't hurt to take a look around the tv-sets without "HD-ready" titulation because some manufacturers save their moneys by not applying for the label but also provide all requirements for it. So if you know what "HD-ready" stands for you can look for these requirements inside the product notices independetly from the label or explicitly asking the sales personal. Therwith it is suggested to let this form "Binding vendor-certification" be signed, which is based upon the form created by German ZDF television show WISO. Because the features noted in that form are demanded and the purchase was solely contracted under abidance of these conditions, you hold an evidence in your hands which can help in case of a claim of return. It is always very difficult to proof a statement made during a private talk. And leave a copy at the store, so he can not argue him out of it.

You should never buy anything you haven't informed yourself before. At these striking costs you should never let yourself persuade to impulsive buying, even when you are allured with alleged floor prices. This alone should make you listen attentively, since you won't get delivered a display which you don't want and is just able to show NTSC. To pay for a beautiful wall decoration these sets are definitely too expensive and it is worth spending short time and effort in recherching so that you do not have to be outwitted by cunning vendors of the next best electro shop.

But most important are the everlasting common questions, which arise from common sense: Do I really need that, or do I really need it now or can I still wait? What exactly do I need? Because the vendor can persuade a lot finally. Is it worth it to get the copy-protection HDCP alongside the "HD-ready" label in my home? On the one side there will not be any HD-pay-tv channels without copy-protection, but on the other side do I want to sacrifice my self-determination in favour of tech, which doesn't offer any advantages for me? Because there are no legal or illegal methods yet to circumvent it and in Germany it is forbidden to bypass an operative copy-protection.

In the end YOU decide, whether you are "HD-ready" or want to become it. Because you have to check what you want, need, what somebody will offer to you and what you will get for your money.

4. Tempus fugit - Time flies by, but will history repeat itself with "Full HD"?

Who thinks that he had abandoned the babel about "HD-ready" by now and thinks to know what is needed and what isn't is now getting confused again with the next slogan starting IFA 2006. "Full HD" stands for displaying devices which not only accept 1080 lines input-signals but also are capable to display them natively. Technically speaking this group of hardware is also covered under "HD-ready" but isn't directly recognizable on the label and needs a further checking view inside the hardware manual. "Full HD" however doesn't fix "HD-ready's" lax interpretation of minimal requirements but sirectly rips open another one. Because "Full HD" isn't an organisation backed label, like EICTA or a association of manufacturers, this term is interpreted and used differently by manufacturer to manufacturer. The first can interpret it as 1080 lines in progressive scan (so 1080p), the next as 1080 lines in interlace mode (1080i) and the last can even interpret it as just 1080 lines but with 1440 horizontal resolution. The frame rate is concealed as a whole. According to "HD-ready" 50 and 60 Hz are prescribed, but what the actual manufacturer uses in its products is not evident also. The use shall symbolise the "non-plus-ultra" beneath the HD-displays, but if also so optimum in frame rates is brought out is still questionable. When they are praise their-selves in that way they should support all of these, starting by 50 and 60Hz in progressive scan and interlaced mode, but also the ever becoming more and more important 24Hz, which will be found on the DVD-successor disks.

But what are YOU now? Are you just "HD-ready", are you "Full HD", are you "Full HD ready" or are you fed full, ehhhmm, up to the back teethl? Your are still on the save side with "HD-ready", because of its official charakter, but understand "Full HD" as a sensible enhancement of "HD-ready", but with a good portion of investigation inside the manual. You shouldn't solely hear the "Full HD sirens" melodies because then the debacle as with "HDTV-capable and Co." starts all over again, and this should normally be avoided with these terms, or, Mister Marketing-Guy?

5. Supplement:

5.1 Technical Terms:

All technical terms are linked to WIKIpedia The free encyclopedia Please support it with YOUR additions and promote HDTV!

5.2 Copyright / Disclaimer:

All names and brands mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. This document is for informative purposes only.

5.2.1 Referral and sources:

Show:
- ZDF WISO

Named shops and image copyrights:
- MediaMarkt (Metro Group)
- Saturn (Metro Group)
- MegaCompany (Euronics)
- Otto mail-order

Spurce(s):
- EICTA
- HDTVForum.org (now redirected to SES-Astra)
- Wikipedia.org
- Images and brochures of different shops
- Own sampling

Copyright 2006 | Andreas "-horn-" Hornig

If you have any questions and/or (constructive) criticism, or want to add some facts, please feel free to send me a Private Message (requires forum registration), directly in our forum thread: "Full-HD-ready, really?!" , or send us an email to staff@hdtvtotal.de .