HD Ready TVs Buying Guide
HD Ready TVs
One thing seems certain - you'll be hearing a lot about HD TV over the next few years. HD TV stands for High Definition Television. Often, people refer to HD TV as the most significant thing to happen to television since the invention of colour technology. All you need to know is that HD TV offers amazing quality pictures, up to four times as sharp as traditional screens. However, it's important to realise that not all Plasma or LCD TVs are 'HD-ready'.
What is HD TV?
High Definition Television, or HD TV, offers viewers incredibly clear and sharp pictures on their HD-ready TV (usually a plasma or LCD screen). You can't receive High Definition on a standard television. HD contains more information than traditional digital TV, using up to five times as many pixels to create an image. In a CRT TV there are 625 'lines' of pixels, but in an HD-ready TV there are 720 or even 1080 lines - giving you a crisp, life-like picture.
What can you watch in HD?
At the moment, HD is being tested and introduced by all the major broadcasters. For example, the BBC has already shown the 2006 World Cup and Wimbledon Championships in High Definition, as well as offering a selection of HD programmes each day (this is only available through satellite and cable). Sky and Telewest are also offering HD services. It's expected that in the next few years, HD will be commonplace for most major broadcasters.
Are you HDTV-Ready?
To make sure that you can receive and watch HDTV, you need to check to make sure you have the following:
A screen that is 'HD TV-ready'
It needs to have an HDMI or a DVI connection.
An HD TV set-top-box or inbuilt receiver
You can find these through your cable or satellite company. You have to pay a small subscription for Telewest and Sky HD, but you can receive the BBC HD services after making a one-off payment.
A device that has a minimum resolution of 720 physical lines
Here's the technical bit: Most HD resolutions are either 720 (progressive) or 1080 (interlaced).
A surround sound system
It's not essential, but to get the most from HD TV's enhanced surround sound (on certain programmes), you will need to have a Dolby or similar home cinema system installed.
Once you have checked all of these off the list, you're ready to receive HD TV and experience razor-sharp pictures and amazing rich sound for yourself.
HDMI
HDMI stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface. This is the first all-digital audio and video interface, which means that it delivers perfectly clear images and sound through a single cable. HDMI is ideal for use with HD TV