By Bob Gatton
Almost every facet of consumer electronics sooner or later boils down to a numbers game. Too many consumers zero in on one specification and make their entire purchasing decision based upon that number. Years ago, it was oversampling on CD players. During this period I worked for an electronics retailer. The race started with 4x (4 times) oversampling CD players, then 16x, 128x and 256x. Many customers would only buy the CD player with the biggest number, even though invariably they didn't have a clue on what oversampling was. Yes, a higher number could mean a better player, but not necessarily. There were some great 4x oversampling players and some incredibly poor-sounding 256x players. But the higher oversampling CD players were the best sellers.
Today's number battle is in television. If you're shopping for TVs for media rooms in the homes you're building, check the ads for high-definition televisions. Usually one of the first features listed is either 720p or 1080p, which refer to the number of pixels the set can display. (A pixel is short for 'picture element'; one set of a red, a green and a blue dot on the display is a pixel). A 720p widescreen television can display approximately one million pixels; a 1080p set can display about two million.
So if that 1080p set can display twice as many pixels, why would anyone buy a 720p TV?
The answer: There are many elements that determine quality in a television. Besides resolution, some of the factors are:
- Color accuracy. Do people on the set look like real people? Are the colors of your favorite sports team accurately reproduced on the set? Or does the grass on the playing field look like it came from another planet? (If you are watching a Boise State Broncos home game, though, please disregard this last sentence.)
- Video processing. Televisions need to take the input from a variety of sources and process this signal into the picture displayed on the set. All too often the video processing in the television introduces artifacts and distortions in the picture.
- Good reproduction of black. One of the most difficult things for a set to do is black. If it can't reproduce dark grays and blacks accurately, the details in dark scenes will be lost. The ability to reproduce deep dark black is the foundation of a quality picture.
- High-quality optics for front- and rear-projection systems.
In my home theater I have a front projection system driven by a Marantz VP8600 720p DLP projector. Why did I choose the 8600 when it's a couple of thousand dollars more than some 1080p projectors? Because it has:
- Marantz video processing, which is at the top of the industry heap
- Construction quality beyond reproach. Everything about this product exudes craftsmanship.
- The design of the projector, which makes placement, setup and use extremely easy
- Konica-Minolta optics, some of the best in the industry
- An extruded aluminum case, which helps with cooling. That means the fan can spin more slowly, creating much less noise. Some front projectors can easily be heard during quiet passages of a movie.
In short, this is an outstanding projector. It is very quiet, it's easy to install and use, and it produces a fantastic picture. If you just looked at the number, though, you would never buy it, unless you knew that video quality is the result of quality components, great design and engineering. It is not just one specification.
Here's an example that might make more sense to you. Which of the following cameras would you rather own?
- A 5 megapixel camera, with great optics, image stabilization, manual and automatic settings, all the features needed to make a great photograph
- A 10 megapixel camera with poor optics, no ability to adjust the settings, maybe not even the ability to reduce red eye
I guarantee that you would take better photographs with the 5 megapixel camera. But many people will choose the 10 megapixel camera, just because it has the bigger 'number'.
Don't buy electronics just on one feature or specification. Look at the entire product before choosing something that your customer probably will own for a long time.
Bob Gatton is a designer and consultant on media rooms, home theaters and home automation.
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