What the hell is 1080p? And why is it written on the back of my PS3 (PlayStation 3)? I have been asked these and other questions so many times that I currently have a serious headache. Anyway, this week I am on the hunt for a display device that gives me true high-definition (HD) quality for gaming and videos. So let's take a short trip together to find out what you should look for when searching for an HD display.

Did you know ...?

A Blu-ray disc (BD) is the only optical disc available now that has the storage capacity to hold a true HD movie.

A Blu-ray disc holds up to 25GB of data when it's single-layered and 50GB when it's dual-layered.

The plight

While searching for my perfect HD display, I found out that I was financially depressed and could not afford an HD TV so I had to be smart and do my research and figure out how I could get an HD display without spending over 50 grand.

The solution

I only had two choices - the HannsG 28-inch wide-screen monitor or the Samsung SyncMaster 26-inch LCD wide-screen TV/monitor. Both displays were within the budget limit and both offered 1080p HD resolution.

The decision

When buying an HD display, persons should look for two key features so they don't end up regretting the choice they've made in the long run. One key thing persons should look for is response time. The response time of an HD display tells you how fast the images are displayed on the screen.

The higher the response time the slower the images are displayed, which in turn causes what most persons call ghosting. Ghosting is when videos are displayed with shadows, which make the resulting video blurry and very annoying to watch.

The standard response time an HD display is supposed to have is 5ms (milliseconds). The lower this time gets the better it is for everyone. The second key feature persons should look for is if the HD display has an HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) connection, because all HD players and game consoles have the option to use HDMI connections. So having the connections already built into your HD display would simplify the process of connecting external devices.

That's a wrap

Choosing between these two displays was hard, and I only had two deciding factors. Should I go with the bigger display or choose the smaller display with the TV tuner? Well, the choice was made and the HannsG 28-inch wide-screen monitor came out the victor. I chose it over the Samsung because, though they are both great HD displays, the HannsG was bigger and cheaper. That is the right combination persons need to hear in these times of monetary misery.

If you are the type of person who loves to watch TV, the Samsung 26-inch TV/monitor would be the right choice for you.

The products mentioned in this article were provided courtesy of Royale Computers and Accessories; telephone 906-1067, 906-1068 or 754-5048.