HDTVs vs 3DTVs

Welcome back to El Toro's Tech Blog. In todays blog, I want to talk about something that a lot of people (my wife included) have asked me about. What is the difference betwen a High Definition TV (HDTV for short) and a 3D TV? What are the benefits of each and what do I recommend? I will first start to give you a brief overview on what each one is. Once thats done, I will give you my personal and professional opinion what is the best thing to go with. So lets get started.

So what is an HDTV? On Wikipedia, it says this: "High-definition television (HDTV) is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems (standard-definition television). HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD (1280 x 720 = 921,600 for 720p, or 1920 x 1080 = 2,073,600 for 1080p)."  Now if you ask me, that is a mouthful. What the heck does all that mean? Simply put, the quality of the picture in the HDTV is much better than in a regular TV. The colors and picture quality are much better. If you walk into an electronics store and ask them to show you a side by side comparison of a standard TV and an HDTV with a TV show or a movie from the same DVD or Blue Ray disc, you will be able to see the difference such as the quality of the picture showing up on the screen, the image on the screen doesn't look pixelated (distorted).  Now let's try to explain what those numbers that look like math problems mean.

The numbers are what is known as Frame Size and these are measured in pixels (single points that when put together make up a picture/image). On a TV this means the horizontal and the vertical size of the picture is what constitutes the frame size.  If you ever wondered what a 720 or 1080 number was on the label of one of these TVs, this implies the vertical size of the picture. So the higher the number, the better the picture whereas the lower the number, the more the picture will look distorted on your TV. Of course, the better the number, the more money you will need to dish out but we will get to that later.

I took from Wikipedia a table that shows the High-definition display resolutions:

Video format supported [image resolution]	Native resolution [inherent resolution] (W×H)	Pixels		Aspect ratio (W:H)		Description
		Actual	Advertised (Mpixel)	Image	Pixel
720p 1280×720	1024×768 XGA	786,432	0.8	4:3	4:3	Typically a PC resolution (XGA); also a native resolution on many entry-level plasma displays with non-square pixels.
	1280×720	921,600	0.9	16:9	1:1	Standard HDTV resolution and a typical PC resolution (WXGA), frequently used by high-end video projectors; also used for 750-line video, as defined in SMPTE 296M, ATSC A/53, ITU-R BT.1543.
	1366×768 WXGA	1,049,088	1.0	683:384 (approx. 16:9)	1:1	A typical PC resolution (WXGA); also used by many HD ready TV displays based on LCD technology.
1080p/1080i 1920×1080	1920×1080	2,073,600	2.1	16:9	1:1	Standard HDTV resolution, used by Full HD and HD ready 1080p TV displays such as high-end LCD, Plasma and rear projection TVs, and a typical PC resolution (lower than WUXGA); also used for 1125-line video, as defined in SMPTE 274M, ATSC A/53, ITU-R BT.709;

The table above just shows what HDTV is best for what situation. Unless you have the money and wish to splurge on yourself, I wouldn't go and get the one in the last entry of the table. I would see that more in a sports bar where it would be beneficial. Most cable/dish companies now offer HD channels free with your package if you have an HDTV (I recommend getting it). So now let's talk about the 3DTVs.

 Pretty self explanatory, a 3d TV projects a television image in 3 dimensions (3D). What is good about TVs like this is not only can it projects shows/movies in 3D, but any other shows that are still in the 2D format as well. They have the same concept of the resolution as a high definition tv, only in 3D format. One major difference is should you wish you watch anything in 3D (like a 3D Movie on Blue-Ray/DVD or a 3D channel on cable TV) you require special glasses. Some of these 3D TVs have glasses that require to be charged, and some others do not. Think of going to the movie theaters to watch a 3D movie, they provide you with glasses, so its the same concept as that, without the noise of the other people in the audience.

So what do I suggest to get? Let me start by saying I have checked out both. I personally own an HDTV from Sony and I have tested in the stores a 3DTV with the glasses. The best test to do with this is with one of my favorite movies "Tron Legacy" (if you haven't been able to tell how much of a geek I am, that should prove it LOL). I watched both movies and I will be honest. The 3DTV and the HDTV looked very crisp and just amazing, not to mention the sound. However, I have such a hard time having to deal with the glasses. I find it that after awhile, the glasses get a bit tight. Now I am know to take very good care of my electronic but I don't live by myself. I have a dog at home and he loves to jump around and grab things. My wife and I may also forget to move the glasses to a safe place so if we sit down and hear a crunch, there goes the glasses. If we have children over, and they grab hold of the glasses and pull them or scratch the lenses, then you are done for it. You will need to fork out a lot of money to replace the glasses. Most 3Dtvs come with 1 or 2 glasses (depending on the type of deal they may have). Lets say you broke 2 glasses, retail value to purchase just one can run you about 100 dollars.  So you are essentially paying 200 dollars for your pair of glasses. I don't know about you but I don't have that kind of money.

Again, if you have the money, then go for it but to be honest, I wouldn't waste my money on that. I have the best quality  with my HDTV at home and I get more satisfaction of going to the movies once in a blue moon to watch a movie in 3D there. Until the companies are able to design the 3DTVs in a way where you wont need glasses, I'd say hold off on spending money on the 3DTVs.

That's all for now. Be safe and happy.

Android Tablets vs Apple iPad (iOS)

I apologize for such a long delay between blogs but I wanted to take this time to do some research and testing for my latest blog.

For those that know me personally, will know I like to have the latest and greatest in technology (money permitting) so I can always be as up to date as I possible can. When this fails, I do the best in going to Tech Stores to play around with the devices as much as I can before the person who works there starts asking me what I am doing (LOL).

I was fortunate enough to have purchased the Motorola Xoom (Wi-Fi) which is an android tablet. Was also very fortunate to have used the Apple iPad thanks to a few people who have lend me the device. For the most part the Android Tablets operate the same despite all the makers and each one hardware wise may or may not be better than the other but for the purposes of this blog, I want to discuss my experience with 2 tablet OS (operating systems). The very commonly known one by Apple: iPad (1 and 2) and the Android Tablet. I will tell you what I thought of both devices as far as speed, and at the end I will provide my personal opinion on what I like best.

Let's start with the most common one: Apple's iPad. The iPad is based off the same technology as the iPhone and iPod touch, which is touch screen with icons called applications (Apps for short). Currently the latest operating system for the devices is 5.01. I will go under the assumption the device is updated to the latest software. There are currently 2 versions of the iPad as of this writing: iPad and iPad 2. The biggest difference that you can see from both devices physically is the iPad 2 has a built-in camera. Otherwise the functionality is the same.

Apple iPad was released in 2010 so it is still relatively new but on its debut sold 3 million in 80 days. The device is not heavy, runs pretty quick and is very user friendly. Any app you can think of is available in the App store located on your device and in your iTunes (so as long as you have an account). For each version of the iPad you have 2 options: Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + 3G. The difference between the two is quite simple. The later requires a cellular/data plan with a wireless provider (AT&T, Verizon, etc) where the Wi-Fi only does not. All you need for that one is access to a Wi-Fi hotspot (whether its a free one from a place like Starbucks or a secure one like your own home). Each iPad has 3 storage options: 16, 32, or 64 GB. The storage is internal, meaning you cant remove it like you would a memory card from a camera. There are adapters that will allow you to use extra memory with it but in general you cant add more. Now to me, the use of a tablet (of any kind) is a mobile device that essentially will let me do my work like a computer would do for me at home. It helps simplify my work with a portable, non bulky device and knowing I can access the Internet on it will help me tremendously.

Now an Android Tablet, for lack of a better term, is essentially the same as an iPad Tablet with some noticeable difference. The Android operating system is based off a Linux operating system for mobile devices It is developed by the Open Handset Alliance led by Google. iOS from Apple is derived from the operating system MAC OSX, which is a Unix like foundation. Another difference is that Apple owns iOS, so you cant take this and install it onto any device that is not an Apple device. However, with the Android OS, you can install it on a Motorola mobile device, a Samsung Device, an HTC Device, even the new Amazon Kindle has the Android OS.

Certain Android devices may have different version of the OS but essentially works the same. And some devices may have better hardware than others. So lets stick to the concept on the basics. It also has apps just like the app store on iTunes but with a slight difference and advantage. In the iTunes store, most of the apps you need to buy in order to use them. Some are trial and free with certain limitations. The android marketplace (app store) has the same apps but the great thing is, most of the same apps are free with no limitations or much more affordable.  The apps also on the Android have the option to close out of them when you hit the back key. So it wont still be running in the background draining your battery. The apps on the iPad when you click on the home button will look like it has closed it but if you double press the home button, you will see all the apps that are still running even though you visually cant see them. The developers for the Android apps (newer apps that is) took the extra time to ensure when you hit that back or home button it prompts if you want to exit or minimize. Apple as of this entry has not done that with their apps.

So a side by side comparison, lets say you are someone like me and loves to have a lot of space and loves to use Wi-Fi. An Apple iPad2 64GB Wi-Fi only tablet will run you about 700 US Dollars. YIKES! Now lets take my most recent purchase, the Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi. It currently comes up to 32GB for 350 US dollars, and I can purchase an additional 32GB microSD card to place it into the Xoom's slot for at least 30 US dollars at best making it a total of 380 dollars. I'd say I am getting more bang for my buck. Great thing with my microSD card, I can switch it out anytime I want with another if I run out of space, If i run out of space on the ipad, I need to delete stuff from it and make sure I back it up on the physical computer.
Accessories for the Android devices tend to be more affordable. An example, lets take external chargers for the Xoom and the iPad 2. On Apple's store, an original external charger will run you at least 40 dollars. On Motorola's store, the external charger is 20 Dollars. That's half the price from Apple!

So my personal opinion, when it comes down to what I would choose to be my portable tablet for my computing purposes, I simply must say the Android tablet. If you have the money and are loyal to Apple then go for the iPad but I do wish to say this ... try the Android Tablet. Most rent-a-center these days allow you to rent the devices. Try them out for a couple of weeks. I think you will see how much easier and efficient the Android Tablet can be.