HD or HD ready?

A question about : HD or HD ready?

I need to buy a new tv and am totally confused after looking in the Argos catalogue...why are some tv's described as HD and others HD ready...is there a difference?

Best answers:

• There is a difference. HD ready TVs display at a resolution of 720 lines, HD TVs display 1080 lines so have the potential to display a higher resolution picture.
  However, that doesn't meant HD will necessarily provide a better display. There isn't much true HD material around just now (unless you use Blue Ray or are a gamer) and the methods TVs use to display standard definition and 720 line material on a 1080 TV can result in a poorer picture.
  Also, the difference between HD and HD ready is unlikely to be very noticeable on a 37" or smaller TV.
• So it won't really matter which one I buy and both are compatible for when everywhere goes digital?
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• the very best, future proof tv's say 1080p on the screen or box.
  if you are looking for an economic hdtv, then 720p will be fine, ans as said the difference cant be seen on tv's less than 37inches or so.
• I've got a Virgin box but just want a decent tv for the living room, I don't use it for gaming much usually just watching tv or movies...doesn't need to be huge or that high tech. Thanks for the advice
  Quote:
• My view is that you'd probably be better with a good HD Ready set. Others might have different opinions.
• I've recently bought a 37" Panasonic 1080P HD set with built-in Freesat so I can directly compare the HD 1080P Freesat picture with the same programme showing on Freeview aerial transmission and there is a distinct improvement in quality.
  Although the set contains software that artificially upgrades the standard picture on Freeview to pseudo-1080P, switching to HD Freesat gives a crisper more detailed image. The difference is particularly noticeable when you move back from HD to standard Freeview.
  The Blu-Ray quality at 1080P is superb, too - it leaves DVD standing - the same degree of improvement as from VHS tape to DVD.
  After seeing other peoples' "HD-ready" sets, if you can afford 1080P, I'd say go for it - well worth it in my opinion.
  I agree with the point about 37" minimum - minor regret - wish I'd gone into the 40's
• The correct terminology is : 720 res is HD Ready. 1080 res is Full HD. Both are equally compatible with digital broadcasts.I recently went looking for a new 32in TV, and though maybe my eyes aren't as sharp as they once were, at normal TV viewing distances (i.e. not for gaming), I could not distinguish between the 2 after doing quite a bit of 'in-shop' testing. So it depends on size-if you are looking for 37in or bigger then you are more likely to see the difference. I bought a 32 in HD Ready Panasonic and am very happy with it.
  If your budget is only Ј350 then you will not be able to get a Full HD TV anyway-typically they are Ј150-200 more than HD Ready.
  Once thing you might watch out for are TV's with 100hz scanning rather than 50hz-this can make for a smoother image, as the refresh rate is twice as high.