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Is -_ pictures, t ByLANCELOT BRAITHWA1TE From the outside, TV sets look pretty much the same, year after year. Inside, though, they keep changing, so that each yeara's sets give you better pic­ tures and more convenient oper­ ation than those from the year before--and, lately, better sound as well. The main improvements in the picture stem from new pic­ ture tubes and a small device called a "comb filter." The new tubes aren't all that new: they've been gradually replac­ ing older types for several years. But, this year, the conver­ sion's just about complete. Check a new color set's screen with a magnifying glass, and you'll see colored stripes in­ stead of the round dots of older picture tubes' A look at the cabinet, and you'll note that the new tubes must be shorter, too--the cabi­ nets are shallower. Compare the new sets with older ones, and you'll see sharper images with less color fringing at the edges. Part of the increased sharp­ ness may be due to a "comb filter" inside the set, which helps keep color and brightness information separate. That not only keeps things crisp, but keeps colors from crawling on complex patterns such as tweed suits or stripes, can expect comb filters to f become nearly universal in the next year or two. Better tuning makes for bet­ ter pictures injhe new sets, too. More and more sets are using digital, frequency-synthesis tuning, which requires no fine- tuning by hand, or automatic circuitry. You can usually recognize such sets by their calculator-like tuning keypads, which let you access any station by punching in its number. Often, such sets have up- down tuning buttons, too, so you can scan through all the channels on the "dial" in either direction to see what is on. You'll find fewer and fewer sets with tuning knobs for VHF and UHF stations. A few have both bands on a single knob, but more and more of them have abandoned knobs entirely, for either up-down tuning buttons (which scan only a pre selected "list" of 12 or 14 stations) or single buttons for each channel. I t i l i f PAGE 13 • PLA1NDEALER New TV sets offer better sound, ,! g, more to watch • j.-TT ' One company has an interest-* video dbc--comes from the di- ing variation in some sets: push net video "monitor" inputs on a button, and it scans through a small but growing number of both TV bands, memorizing sets. where the channels are and pro- lb play video tapes or < itself to scan up and \ yf * p * • through only those chan­ nels when you tune thereafter. Some sets--mostly digitally- tuned models--also can (rick up special cable-channel frequen­ cies no? on the regular TV bands. Such sets grow increas­ ingly common as the number of viewers hooked to cable rises. But, since those cable fre­ quencies aren't standardized, some sets won't work on certain cable systems; so check the set you're buying at a dealer show­ room that's hooked up to the cable system you'll be using.' Cable capable sets are more convenient (you can tune with the set's remote control, instead of through the cable box) and save you money in the long nm (most cable systems charge less if they don't have to rent a box to you); however you'll still need special decoder boxes for pay-cable channels such as Showtime and HBO. These tuning systems are all- electronic, as opposed to the old, mechanical knob tuning. That makes them easily adapt­ able to remote control--one reason you'll find remotes on more and more sets, in sizes ranging down to 13-inch or so. Since remote-set owners tend to tune from their chairs, many sets have only rudimentary or hidden controls on their front panels, with the main controls on the remote transmitter. The new remotes mostly sig­ nal their sets via infra-red light beams, rather than the ultra­ sonic sound impulses of the first remote sets, so high-frequency sounds from scissors and phone bells won't accidentally switch the set off or change channels. More and more sets also lock into the "VIR" signal transmit­ ted by most stations in the "in­ visible" lines between frames of the TV picture, to automati­ cally match the set's color ad­ justments to the station's. Sets without VIR circuits usually have automatic color- adjustment circuits which also do a good job. Some VIR sets have them, too, to handle those stations which don't transmit VIR signals. Another picture improve­ ment--though only for those with video cassette recorders or I on standard sets, die signal has to pass through two extra cir­ cuits: a "modulator" in the player which converts the re­ corded video and audio signals into a TV-band signal like the ones stations transmit, and your set's tuner which converts the signal like the ones stations transmit, and your set's tuner which converts the signal back to audio and video. Since every extra circuit de­ grades the signal slightly, it makes more sense to by-pass both and feed directly from the player's video and audio cir­ cuit's to the set's. One set has'direct inputs that feed small black-and-white , screens built into a three-screen 19-inch color set. With inex­ pensive, black-and-white TV cameras, you can use those screens to watch the kids, view callers at your doors or keep track of what's on other chan­ nels. Another manufacturer has several sets with direct connec­ tion to the telephone line, so your TV set can double as a speaker-phone. TV sound is constantly im­ proving, too. You'll find a few sets around with higher-pow­ ered amplifiers, and two-way (woofer/tweeter) speakers. TV set quality keep rising. And, thanks to cable, video cas­ sette, disc and (for a few) satel­ lite, there's more to watch. And, though TV set prices are rising, they're rising at only about half the inflation rate. That's been true year after year, too. GOOD FOR 25% OFF v.C.°N YOUR EANiNG order Leath coupon Furs) PRESENTED -!Hi®W20HLY Mr. Don's Cleaners, lnif.~" 1207 H Third St East of Ace Hardware DRIVE IN WINDOW McHenr* Illinois 385-2011 s UotMatoi DIMENSIONS •UNISEX SALONL |HISPERING POINT CENTE| 4318 CRYSTAL LAKE RD.( SUITE C STYLING FOR MEN & WOMEN! HAIR] SHAPING |&| BLOW IDRYI BY APPOWTMEm ONLY 1344-55101 lA TO Vl OFF . 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