HDTV Intro
Television is poised to enter a new era�and HDTV is the reason why.
High Definition television (HDTV) will do for tv viewing what cds have
done for the music listening experience; what 35mm film did for
photography or what tivo has done by making vcrs virtually obsolete.
What is HDTV?
For those who have seen HDTV in person, the difference between HDTV and
the standard analog TV most of us are used to is staggering. Many have
compared the experience of seeing HDTV in person to putting glasses on
for the first time and finally being able to see things clearly. It�s
TV, only much, much better. The picture is wide, the images are sharp
and the sound is digital and dead on perfect. For those who might be
unsure if they�ve ever seen HDTV, believe us, you�ll know it when you
see it--and once you see it, you�ll want it.
HDTV is the agreed upon �king� in the new class of digital television.
Digital Television, or DTV is simply the transmission of pure digital
signals and the display and reception of those signals on a digital TV
set. TV thus far, as most of us have known it, has been broadcast and
received in analog signals since its introduction. Digital signals
provide an intense, clear picture, allowing virtually every detail to
literally jump off of the screen. However, not all digital TV�s are
HDTV�s and the difference is significant.
SDTV, or Standard Digital Television, represented the first step in the
move away from traditional analog. Though the picture is significantly
superior to analog, it only represents the �basic� level of quality in
digital transmission.
EDTV, or Enhanced Definition Television is a step up from SDTV/analog,
but not of the quality experienced with HDTV.
At the top of its class, HDTV provides the highest quality resolution
and picture quality of all digital broadcast formats, breaking ground
and setting new standards for sound and picture quality in television.
Thus, HDTV and DTV are NOT the same thing, rather HDTV is one available
format in the class of Digital Television.
Do you need to get your HDTV professionally calibrated?
It's a bit daunting to think about spending thousands of dollars for a
shiny new HDTV, bringing it home, setting it up and then realizing it
looks good, but not great. Oftentimes, the reason this happens is
because the TV is not properly calibrated for your particular viewing
situation.
Most of the time, HDTVs leave the factory preset to its brightest
settings (because these TVs sell best once they hit the showroom
floor), however, once the TV is home in your livingroom, those presets
are often not appropriate.
Adjusting and fine-tuning the calibrations of a plasma LCD or DLP HDTV
is not easy and after making such a large investment in a TV, many
people are deciding its worth an extra few hundred dollars to have
their HDTV professionally calibrated.
Before calling in a specialist, there are several things to be aware of
in order to ensure the best viewing conditions possible:
Placement: HDTVs are best viewed at eye level. Some people make the
mistake of placing their screens too high (i.e. over a fireplace) just
for design reasons. However, you always want to try to place the TV as
close to eye level as possible.
Screen Size: It is possible to choose an HDTV that is too large for
your
room. Even the best HDTVs will show flaws in the picture if you are
sitting too close to it (which is often what happens in a room that is
too small).
Wall Color: If you have a front projection HDTV, there are a few
important rules to follow. White walls do not work well for any front
projection HDTVs because the white on the wall reflects light. Also
avoid any bright, primary colors as they will alter the way your eye is
able to process the pictures on the TV screen.
When hiring a professional to calibrate your HDTV, carefully research
the company or individual you are hiring. As for references and check
to make sure that their reputation is solid. Many professional HDTV
calibration specialists are now certified by the Imaging Science
Foundation (ISF), so ask about this credential as well.
Keep in mind that when having your HDTV calibrated, there is only so
much a professional can do. They will still be subject to your own TVs
limitations, however, many have claimed that taking this extra step
adds
an even deeper level of enjoyment to their HDTV viewing experiences.
HDTV - Cable options
In late 2004, 90 million U.S. cable subscribers had the ability
to receive HDTV programming and all of the top 100 markets
had at least one provider capable of outfitting homes with
HDTV channels. Despite this widespread coverage, cable providers
still only provide a handful of HD channels to their subscriber
base.
In order to receive HD programming through your cable provider,
you will likely need an HD set-top box tuner/descrambler.
While you generally will be charged a fee for the usage of
such a box, some cablers actually provide this equipment for
free. Recently, several of the larger cable providers are
even offering HD tuners/DVR's that are capable of recording
HD programming. Subscriptions for digital cable do tend to
be more expensive than typical analog subscriptions, though
for most providers, its in the $5-10 range per month.
Almost all of the bigger cable networks are now offering programming
in HD: both HBO and Showtime offer a number of their most
popular programs in HD including The Sopranos, Deadwood and
The L Word. Cinemax, the Movie Channel and Starz all offer
HD channel versions with movies and other programming all
broadcast in High Def. ESPN, TNT, the Discovery Channel, and
NBA TV also all now broacast HD programming.
High Defeinition Television - Satellite Options
There is a good deal of change brewing in the area of satellite HDTV
broadcasting. For the past several years, customers have been easily
enjoying the HD satellite channel offerings, however, tuning into their
local channels in HD was often not possible without an additional
clumsy
antenna add-on. Satellite providers have been attempting to compensate
for this inconvenience by offering some of the network national
channels, such as the East and West coast feeds of NBC, ABC, CBS and
Fox, however, these are not available in all parts of the country
(though more and more cities are being added each month).
Options, however, are changing as the MPEG-4 AVC technology, which
allows providers to compress twice as much HD video into the same
amount of bandwidth as the current MPEG-2 technology, is adopted.
Benefits of this new technology will be vast for subscribers as DirecTV
has promised more than 1500 local HD stations and 150 national HD
networks will be added to its roster by 2007. This translates into
great news for satellite subscribers as virtually all of them will soon
be able to tune into each and every HD channel. Additionally,
satellite
providers are continually acquiring additional satellites which further
provides additional bandwidth (DirecTV launched its first of four new
satellites in April, 2005 and Dish TV has recently acquired a new one
as well).
MPEG-4 technology hit the airwaves in the Fall of 2005. However, If
you
have an older set top box, it will not be compatible with the new
technology. Certain companies might provide free upgrades, so you
should check with your satellite provider to see if they are offering
any upgrade packages. DirecTV�s first MPEG-4 rollout cities include:
New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco,
Dallas, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, and Tampa.
If you can't wait until the MPEG-4 boxes are released, just
call your local satellite provider and ask for an HD capable
installation. You will likely want to get your equipment upgraded
once the newer versions are released, but if you can't wait
for HDTV, this will at least get you started. |
