What resolution is analog RPTV?

[Pepper]

I have an older rear-projection TV, Samsung PCL5415 (54-inch 4:3 set). It has component inputs at 480p and 1080i, no digital HD inputs. I've searched the documentation but find nothing, is this 1280x1080i, 1920x1080i, or something else entirely? How would I be able to determine this?

 

[BFG]

If it's not in the manual no way to tell unless you read around.

But common CRT resolution is 800 lines across 1080i lines vertical

 

[Pepper]

I sure hope it's better than 800x1080i - I will feel really ripped off if that turns out to be true since what I was buying was advertised as a HDTV monitor.

I don't actually have an HD device yet, saving up for a ViP622. When I have that, I guess if the "True HD" and "HD Lite" channels look to be equal in quality on my set, I'll know I've been hosed.

If I remember correctly, in the store they were showing the Dish HD demo channel and Discovery HD Theatre, the picture was impeccable.

 

[BFG]

the 1080i down makes it an HD Monitor.

I have a 26" CRT Tube that is 800x1080i, and it looks fine

 

[Pepper]

Well to see the complaining going on about Voom, those people only consider it to be HD if it's 1920 pixels wide. They were about to have a fit because some of the channels are "only" 1280, and you're telling me that mine is around 800.

BFG, you yourself have a page linked from your signature where you state that 1280 is "HD Lite" and not truly HD just because it's 1080i. So which is it?

Is this an analog vs digital thing where the digital has actual pixels but the analog has only lines? I'm guessing that in the long run, since I'm over 40 and wear glasses, it's not gonna make a huge amount of difference.

 

[BFG]

Fine I removed the word HD-Lite from the chart, since the word doesn't exist

the reason CRTs only have betwen 800-1400 horizontal lines is a limitation of the CRT, but the industry has only required a spec of 1080i for the set to be labeled HD, and that's that.

The channels on service providers is different, because we are receiving something less than what the originator is sending.

 

[Kevinw]

I'd bet it has at least 1280 across-
http://www.tvtechnology.com/features/Tech-Corner/f_technology_corner-04.07.04.shtml

 

[Pepper]

Interesting article. (yes it actually took this long till I realized you had replied to my question)

I got to thinking. The three tubes in my TV are circular. Given that the cathode ray is the same width as its height, if the TV truly has 1080 lines of "height" in 16x9 mode, the math says it HAS to have 1920 lines of "width." (1080/9*16=1920) - the attachment shows my logic in coming to this conclusion.

This is all theoretical of course, I have yet to find any specs that tell me what the "dot pitch" is of the CRTs. Assuming again that the dot pitch is sufficient for true 1080 height at 16x9, it would appear to be sufficient for 1920 width.

Whatever the true resolution of my TV is, it appears to my eyes to have a sharper picture (except for convergence errors near the edges) than any of the LCD or plasma displays I have seen except for the newest 1920x1080p digital displays.

 

[Digital Dude]

Here are front projector rankings from the guru of CRT FP Curt Palme. Keep in mind that FP CRT will uually surpass RP CRT but your Sammy has 7" tubes so take a gander.

http://www.curtpalme.com/Projector_Rankings.shtm

Notice that no 7" CRT does more than 1280x1024, and most FP CRTs do 720p, your TV scans at a slower rate (1080i) so you may, best case Ontario(!) get 1280x720i.

 

[Nevada_MO_Guy]

I have an older rear-projection TV, Samsung PCL5415 (54-inch 4:3 set). It has component inputs at 480p and 1080i, no digital HD inputs.

The NTSC format is 704 x 480, 1280 x 720 and 1920 x 1080. This is what is broadcasted...your tv will then let you see it as-is or modify it a bit.

Your tv has a 4:3 aspect ratio(4/3)=1.333 so at 480p your looking at 640 x 480 (480*1.333), at 1080i your looking at 1440 x 1080.