Take Control of Digital TV

by Clark Humphrey
98 pages, 1.4 MB download
PDF format, designed for reading online or printing
Publication Date: December 6, 2007
Free 22-page excerpt available!

Improve your TV watching experience!

Learn how to shop for a new high-definition TV, and get the features you want for your budget and viewing style. Seattle journalist Clark Humphrey helps you sort through the jargon, understand the technology, consider a variety of peripherals, set up your new system, and find high-definition programming.

The book also looks at how to bring your computer into your TV-viewing system, with notes on video-download sites and products such as the Apple TV and Elgato's EyeTV line. Case studies show how two technology writers have set up tech-laden TV-viewing systems in their homes, and a third case study highlights the importance of paying attention to the fine-print in a return policy. Bonus! The title includes a coupon for $20 off an Elgato Eye TV Hybrid, and a $5-off coupon from Small Dog Electronics.

Read this book to learn the answers to questions such as:

• Which is best - DTV, SDTV, EDTV, or HDTV?
• Do I want 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, or 1080p?
• Is a flat-screen TV better than a tube? What about projection sets?
• Given a choice between LCD and plasma flat screens, which should I choose?
• How far away from my large-screen TV should I sit for optimal viewing?
• Where is the best place to buy a digital TV?
• What features should I look for in a DVD player?
• Where can I find more HDTV programming?
• What's it like to use an Apple TV?
• Where are good sites for downloading video from the Internet?

This book covers digital TV from the North American perspective; standards and formats differ in other parts of the world.