HDTV - High Definition
HDTV television sets first became
available to the general public in 1998. Amateur home theater enthusiasts,
sports fans and those who just couldn't resist the latest technology
rushed right out to buy these high definition tv sets in record numbers.
HDTV services and equipment are currently
being offered by the two main satellite TV providers in the United
States, Dish Network and Directv®. Each of these satellite TV
companies offer similar products and programming options but you may
want to read about Dish
Network HDTV and also see our Directv®
HDTV page so that you can see the differences for yourself.
You can also compare other aspects of these satellite TV services
on our Dish
Network vs. Directv® comparison page.
The new HDTV television sets offered
a crisp, clear picture with astounding resolution and theater-quality
digital surround sound audio capabilities. Home theater aficionados
appreciated the fact that with an HDTV television set you could watch
movies and other shows in their original widescreen format. However,
shopping for HDTV equipment and services can lead to confusion, mostly
due to the fact that there are so many choices that you can make.
Before the high definition resolution
revolution, TV signals were sent in the analog format and received
by CRT (cathode ray tube) television sets. An analog signal is radio
wave that constantly varies. The television set then has the job of
translating those radio waves into audio and video so that the viewer
can see and hear what is being broadcast.
A television set can receive analog
signals over the air with the use of an antenna or satellite dish
or through a cable. On the other hand, digital signals need to be
changed to analog in order to be perceived on the old, traditional,
CRT television sets.
The old style of CRT television sets
were capable of displaying about 480 lines of pixels that were visible
to the viewer. This type of resolution was never a problem until the
larger TV sets started coming out. The problem with the larger television
sets is that you just can't fit in the amount of resolution that it
would take to fill the screen by using an analog signal. Another problem
is that by converting video signals to the analog format you lower
the overall picture quality.
Television broadcasting in the United
States is in the process of making the change to all digital television.
With digital television (DTV), A digital signal sends the video and
sound data as ones and zeros, like a computer, instead of the traditional
method of sending the signals in the form of a wave. When used for
broadcasting over-the-air, digital television will mostly use a portion
of the radio spectrum called UHF. It is in the 6 MHz range of bandwidth
and so it is just like an analog TV signals.
Digital television allows for better
overall picture quality whether the programming is viewed on a large
or small TV set. Digital signals can allow for higher resolutions.
This is what makes it possible for there to be a high quality picture
even if viewed on a big screen television set.
With digital TV you can have progressive
video instead of interlaced. This means that the viewable screen can
display the whole picture for every single frame as opposed showing
only every other line of pixels. Another advantage is that broadcasters
can send any number of signals while still making use of the same
amount of bandwidth. The major benefit of digital television is that
it can make it possible high-definition (HDTV) broadcasts, which is
the focus of this article.
Getting HDTV means that you will need
a programming source, a reception device and an HDTV service. The
programming source can come from local television broadcasts, cable
TV providers or a satellite TV company that offers HDTV programming.
In order to receive the signal you will need an antenna, cable television
service or a satellite TV dish in conjunction with an HDTV-ready television
set. Then you will need an HDTV service which can be provided by the
cable company or a satellite TV service.
Remember that you need to have all
parts of the equation in place in order to enjoy HDTV programming.
If you just have an HDTV television set, you will just end up being
disappointed with your picture quality. You need to subscribe to an
HDTV digital programming service and you need to have an HDTV receiver
that can interpret the signals that you subscribe to.
