« Getting HDTV Buyer Ratings Before You Buy | Main | Is this your year for an HDTV? »
How to turn your high-def TV into a glorious display for your photography
By Darco | February 17, 2008
Want to show your photos on your new HDTV? Great idea, but it’s not as easy as it sounds — your digital camera doesn’t store files the way HDTVs display them. Here’s advice and tools to help you streamline the HD slide show process.
Most 6-12-megapixel cameras capture images that contain far more pixels and detail than you need for even the most colossal HDTVs, which have 1920×1080-pixel resolutions (approximately 2 megapixels). Those images also have a different shape: Most compacts, as well as Olympus and Panasonic DSLRs, shoot photos with a 4:3 aspect ratio; other DSLRs capture 3:2 images. But HDTV screens have a 16:9 aspect ratio and display uncropped photos with wide bars on either side. So start by cropping your images to 16:9 at a resolution of approximately 2MP.
Another problem? Most HDTVs are optimized for the color and image quality of video and TV signals from HD-enabled cable or satellite boxes and DVD players. (Only the latest Blu-ray and HD-DVD players can display still images in true HD resolution.) These signals typically look better with higher color saturation, contrast, and sharpness — all of which you’ll find as HDTV default settings.
Unless you change the settings in the TV menus, print-optimized photos from a digital camera will appear too washed out or contrasty. Luckily, you only have to change the settings once and save the new ones for slide shows. Saving your images in the sRGB color space will minimize the color difference.
Only a few HDTVs have built-in card readers — and they’re slow, take only SD cards or Memory Sticks, and don’t optimize image size and color. Most cameras have video output, but it’s usually limited to VGA (640×480-pixel) resolution, which looks horrible on an HDTV.
Fortunately, several inexpensive devices, such as the Kodak EasyShare HDTV dock ($100, street) and the Sony Cyber-shot Station CSS-HD1 ($70, street), can be attached to your HDTV and enable slide shows at 720p, 1080i, or 1080p resolutions. These docks also charge compatible cameras and include remote controls, but neither provides sophisticated transitions or plays multimedia slide shows with music.
Source: popphoto.com
Topics: HDTV articles |