Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Starhub 1920x1080i HD pictures of World Cup 2006







This is the Starhub Channel 300 HD 1080i feed, over the ADP 3800C set top box, H264 encoding 1920x1088 pixel (scaled to 1920x1080 pixels scaling done at HDTV end) 37" Amoi LC37AF1S LCD TV, pictures taken with 7M pixel Sony V3 camera on tripod.

The resolution is incredible. Welcome to my world, HD. 720P might be great, but since Starhub is broadcasting in 1080i and since the screens are so affordable, I now strongly believe that 1366x768 screens are not a viable option - go straight to FULL 1920x1080 screens.

Bluray and HD DVD will support 720P, 1080i and 1080P, so buying a 1366x768, 1024x1080 (ridiculous) is not advisable anymore.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Michael, I am glad that you are enjoying your Amoi 37" too. I am the one that post on your earlier blog that getting a 1920x1080 screen is the way to go instead of looking for HDCP-enabled DVI LCD. Unlike you, I am not a starhub TV subscriber and hence do not have the opportunity to view HD TV programs. I hope I can get on the Medicorp HDTV trail though.

Unknown said...

thanks for your recommendation, i noted it. Earlier I've seen the 37 Amoi in VR-Zone's driftdriver's house, and at that time I did not grasp the significance until you brought it up. And I bought it immediately after I touched down from Taiwan.

For the Amoi 37, DVI or HDMI no difference - simply because it supports 1920x1080, and whether DVI or HDMI, it will report the EDID data to a 1:1 pixel mapping.

Anonymous said...

What for pay to Starhub to watch HD broadcasts when you can receive off air mediacorp broadcasts in 1920x1080 too.

Check out hdtvsg.blogspot.com for more.

Unknown said...

hey, because the best that Mediacorp is offering is LOTR-2Towers! And Starhub is giving world cup.

Anonymous said...

pustefix, keep on dreaming, cos the trials for Mediacorp HDTV has closed weeks ago.

Anonymous said...

You are actually paying to trial.
You just love to show off your toys at the forums of hardwarezone and vr-zone.. what else?

Unknown said...

Mr. HDTVSG aka anonymous, what's the problem you have? You're pretty weird, dude, with all your hostility inside you. Chill, dude.

Anonymous said...

Hi Michael, first of all, kudos for making efforts to learn about HD and HDTV and then sharing your experiences/knowledge with the public.
I believe that StarHub (or the source) may have flagged the World Cup stream a little bit confusingly. The 1920 x 1088 res is actually correct since 1080 is not a multiple of 32, so there has to be 1088 coded lines. Almost all the time, there's nothing on the last eight lines and depending on decoder, they may get discarded. Sometimes they are dummy info (e.g. black or even grey lines) so that you don't really see them.
Another thing I wish to point out is Full HD can also meant 1080p. So to avoid confusion, just says that the Amoi 37" have a 1920 x 1080 resolution instead of saying it displays full HD, lest others thought it can do 1080p.
Cheers!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the kudos. I'm new at HD, that's why I have such enthusiasm now. I can write a lot about HD because I don't sell HD stuff yet, once I start to sell, I tend to speak less about it, or at least, less critically.

The Amoi specs state that it can do 1080p. http://www.amoi.com.sg/uploadfiles/USR_2005090919290997.pdf and I `think' that this is not downscaled and upscaled type of support, with `mainstream' content.

The 8 extra lines, theoretically, CAN be displayed if you put FULLSCREEN mode as opposed to 1:1 mode on the aspect setting in the TV. I cannot count and I don't have the testpattern readily available in HD... will try.

Anonymous said...

Hi Michael,

Yes, the last eight lines can be seen but as I said, in many instances they are just dummy info so you aren't really losing anything. The overscan nature of TVs also means that many people will not even see them. I have seen instances when they are coded red (on purpose) to see how they will look like when displayed.

And my bad, the Amoi can indeed do 1080p. I have confused it with another brand. Enjoy your HDTV!

Anonymous said...

Michael Tan, How about Gaming? on a XBOX360 or a PC? was thinking of buying one for my Family a all in one TV, My old CRT take 15 sec to power up -_-.

Unknown said...

The Amoi can handle any signal from the Xbox 360. For the PC, your PC should be able to support the EDID request for 1920x1080 for best results.

Anonymous said...

Hi Michael,

I have also been considering the Amoi 37" for some time.

Would like to know whether the lack of a DVI input has affected your enjoyment of the set in any way?

How are all your HT equipment connected? Can I assume:

SH HD box - HDMI
DVDrecorder - Component 1
Xbox360/Xbox/Anything else - Component 2?

Unknown said...

as mentioned, HDMI at 1920x1080 got no problems. only when smaller pixels, got problem. i can just use DVI-HDMI connector for PC. for the connections, you are rite. planning for bluray, but wanna buy HDMI AV Receiver... see here.. http://miketan.blogspot.com/2006/06/hdtv-in-singapore-story-so-far.html

Anonymous said...

Thanks Michael ;), Your Blog Really Teach me alot Of HDTV stuff.

Unknown said...

LOL mingwing, I'm learning myself and typing as I learn. Don't take my word for it!

Anonymous said...

Is the Starhub 1920 X 1080 broadcasts only for the World Cup or will all Starhub broadcasts be like this.
I understood, incorrectly it seems, that all broadcasts would be 1366 X 768.
Did I get that idea from a Media Corps pamphlet?????

I was just going to buy a Hitachi 32" LCD from BIG, very good price, but I'm now interested in this Amoi37" which was also on display there and a very good price.

Unknown said...

I heard that some Starhub channels will be like 1080i, including Discovery, Nat Geo. There is no real broadcast standard using 1366x768.

You should try playing HD content both on the Hitachi and the Amoi 37, and you see what you like. Playing DVD content itself no longer sufficient to gauge.

Anonymous said...

Check out the Acer equivalent of your Amoi. It sounds very attractive, and looks a (little bit) better than the Amoi. Significantly, it is actually *cheaper* than the Amoi even though it has a built-in digital tuner (meaning you only have to purchase the powered indoor antenna to use it with Mediacorp's HD signals). http://global.acer.com/PRODUCTS/lcd_tv/spec_at3705-mgw.htm

Unknown said...

I think that Xtremeplace people have seen both the Acer/BenQ and the Amoi in action. The deinterlacer on the Amoi seems to leave the Acer/BenQ in the dust.

Anonymous said...

everything is going wirless these days. how many years before you reckon USB cables are a thing of the past?

Anonymous said...

Super!