Digital Switchover HDTV Explained Digital Glossary HDTV Buying Guide

WHAT IS DIGITAL TV & WHAT DO I NEED?

High definition television also referred to as HDTV is a method of television broadcasting that uses the digital transmission system, DTV, which is currently being rolled out across the UK. The bandwidth of digital transmissions can be compressed to a much smaller size than traditional analogue television system, known as SDTV, allowing as much as five times more information to be transmitted. This extra information translates into much clearer images, deeper colours and crisper sound when you watch television.

There are various means of acquiring HDTV. Sky, Virgin and BT Vision all provide high definition services as does Freesat. Viewers who wish to enjoy the benefits of HDTV must also have a television that is able to show high definition images. If a television is able to support high definition images it will have an “HD Ready” label on it.

NOT ALL SET TOP BOXES DO HD. HOW CAN I TELL?

The “HD Ready” or HDTV logo does not only apply to television sets. Any piece of equipment bearing the logo including set-top boxes, DVD players, recorders, and televisions with built-in digital receivers will be able to receive and process High Definition television signals broadcast terrestrially, via cable and satellite, or programmes that have been pre-recorded. The Sky+, Virgin V+, and the BT V-box all show HDTV.

IF MY TV DOESN’T HAVE HDMI CAN I DO HD?

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the type of connection which TVs and other devices need for High Definition TV and disc formats. HDMI raises the data-carrying bandwidth of a normal cable and the offers potential for greatly improved picture and sound.

Any television carrying the HDTV logo will have an HDMI or Component Video connection. However the standard HDMI 1.1 connection has recently been upgraded to HDMI 1.3 increasing the cable bandwidth from 165MHz to 340MHz allowing even better sound and images to be viewed. When buying a piece of equipment it would be advisable to check that it has the newer 1.3 version of HDMI .

If your television does not have an HDMI port you will still be able to view High Definition images using a Component Video (YCrCb) connection. If you are running long cables (over 4m) it is probably better to use Component Video.

NEXT GEN CONSOLES PS3 & XBOX 360

PS3
PS3 already provides High Definition gaming, Blu-ray Disc movies, music, video, photo album. PlayTV, a digital TV decoder add on for the PS3, gives the ability to watch, pause and record live TV from Freeview. PlayTV lets you record a programme whilst watching another and watch programmes on the go via Remote Play for PSP (PlayStation Portable). The seamless PSP connectivity allows you to set recordings, watch live and recorded TV programmes remotely on the PSP via a wireless connection (using Remote Play feature) - or you can transfer video files to your PSP via USB cable.

Microsoft Xbox 360
With a 12 month subscription to BT’s broadband services will be able to use the Microsoft Xbox 360 to access the BT Vision video-on-demand service. However the Xbox 360 cannot offer the Freeview content or the DVR (digital video recorder) functionality of the dedicated BT Vision set-top box. The X-box can provide High Definition sound and images and has an HD DVD player.

HDDVD & BLURAY

Blu-ray is the name of a next-generation optical disk format. The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single disk. It is this capacity that has made HD DVD or High-Definition Digital Versatile Disc the defunct version of high-density optical disc.

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR HDTV

Owning a HDTV will not automatically allow you to watch High Density television. In order to do so you will need to have to a subscribed to a network that provides HD channels such as Sky or Virgin, have access to a HD pay on demand service, BT Vision do this, or have a HD playback device such as Blu-ray or PS3.

When you turn on your new TV, don't panic if it doesn't look as stunning as it did in the showroom. The default factory settings on most TVs are designed to create a super-bright, vividly coloured image to lure shoppers, but they're almost always a bad choice for use at home. Tweaking the settings can greatly improve picture quality. Adjusting picture settings individually can yield better quality, but it's easier to use presets. Try them first to see if the results satisfy you.