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Over 50 years ago when television was in its infancy the technology seemed to improve in leaps and bounds, but since the first colour broadcast in 1967 no major advances have been made, until HDTV.
Recognising that the viewers want more than just good programming including good picture and sound quality, HDTV has all the answers. Not only is it a matter of extremely good picture quality, but most of all it will revolutionise the whole viewing experience, recreating pictures that really make you feel youre part of the action.
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Increased Resolution
When we talk about the resolution of a TV were talking about how many lines are displayed on the screen. At the moment, non-HD broadcasts are made up of 575 lines of information but HDTV broadcasts will consist of either 720 lines or 1080 lines, greatly improving the picture quality.
Square Pixels
If you get very close to your TV screen you can see the individual picture elements that come together to create the image. These rectangular elements are formed of three individual pixels of blue, red and green light which when viewed at a distance blur together to form the picture on your TV. In High Definition sets these elements are square so theyre smaller and can be placed closer together. In reality this means the quality of the image is often 4 or 5 times better than what were currently used to.
1080i or 1080p
Without trying to confuse matters, lets have a look at what the i and the p mean after 1080. Where you see an i it means the picture is scanned via interlacing. It is considered as a HDTV video mode. Where a p is present it means you are getting true HDTV. Its similar to 1080i as it also provides a 1920 x 1080 pixels, but this time it features a progressive scan, hence the p. Progressive scanning is done in one single pass, making the picture sharper, and able to handle motion better.
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Whats in it for me?
The first whispers of HDTV started way back in 1998, but HDTV sets have only been on the market for the past few years. Since 2005 the flatscreen TV market has accelerate quickly towards HD, in preparation for the various sporting, music and entertainment events now being broadcast in HDTV. So far the programming on Sky HD includes Sky Sports, Sky Movies (including Sky Box Office Movie Channels), Sky One, Artsworld, National Geographic, Discovery, and BBC channels. You may also want to upgrade your DVD player to a HD capable DVD player, once linked up to your HDTV, this would give you HD movies at your disposal.
What do I need to do to watch HDTV?
All you need to do is to ensure you have a HDTV-Ready TV and a satellite receiver capable of receiving HD.
HD Ready Criteria
With HDTV becoming a popular subject, an industry body (EICTA) has come up with a set standard to enable you to make a more informed decision and avoid future disappointment. HDTV Ready products must conform to the following points and to make things easier weve put the HDTV Ready logo next to applicable products on this website.
- Must have at horizontal resolution of at least 720 lines. As a guide, standard plasma Televisions may only have 480 lines (e.g. 852x480) and the picture on a CRT is made up of 575 lines
- The screen must be widescreen (16:9)
- The television must feature a set of HD Component inputs and either an HDMI or DVI Input (with HDCP).
Samsung Tvs
Sony Bravia
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