Catching The Worm

 

Everyone is talking about High Definition.

 

Are you HD Ready ?

 

Will your new LCD TV have HDMI or DVI or both ?

 

What is 720p or 1080i ?

 

We have got together with Play.com to bring you their guide to high definition technology, and hopefully explain what high definition is all about.

HD Ready European Electronics trade body EICTA has certified all products with this logo are ready to display HD TV properly, with the correct resolutions & connections. See all products »»

Ways to watch Hi Definition Plasmas The first flat TV technology is also a great option for movies in HD, largely because of it's superb skill with colour and ability to handle fast action sequences. Samsung 42" HD Ready TV This prestigious HD-Ready 42" plasma television contains an integrated digital tuner for Freeview reception, high resolution image processors, Dolby Virtual (Prologic II) and full Digital and HDMI input.

LCDs (Liquid Crystal Display) Formerly a technology for small TVs and PC monitors, LCDs are now available in huge sizes. Producing exceptionally detailed images, LCDs are perfectly suited to Hi-Definition. With great clarity and half the weight of other formats. Samsung 26" HD Ready IDTV Exclusive HD Ready 26" LCD television with integrated digital tuner for Freeview reception, Virtual Dolby, picture-in-picture freeze, light sensor and PC input.

HDMI DVD & Recorders While there are currently no truly native Hi-Definition DVD players or recorders, you can take advantage of near hi-def quality by making sure you buy a DVD with upscaling technology & HDMI connections. Samsung DVD-HD860 HDMI DVD Player This high-tech, sleek & slim DVD player makes the future...now! Featuring advanced digital technology to process images and sound effects in the highest quality, the Samsung HyperDVD captures even the most trivial images and sounds. The perfect solution for anyone who has upgraded to HDTV (or plans to) and wants to get the very best in DVD video and audio playback.

What makes a good picture?

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) televisions have been with us for 75 years, and in that time, the technology has developed to such an extent that until recently, it was impossible to compare the best LCD TV with the best CRT. But things have moved on. Today's LCD TVs are comparable with the best CRT technology available, with high brightness and contrast, natural colour and highly detailed pictures. And all this in a package just a few inches deep, that you can hang on the wall like a picture, if that's what you want to do. In addition, you can replace your existing CRT with a larger size LCD TV and benefit from large space savings.

Change is afoot!

Broadcasters around the world are moving over to high-definition broadcasts. Hi-Definition is already established in Japan, USA and Australia, and in Europe there are currently satellite networks broadcasting in Hi-Definition. Leading public and pay TV broadcasters, such as the BBC and BSkyB, are investing heavily in HDTV broadcasting. There are numerous HD channels ready for your enjoyment like the BBC, SKY ONE HD, SKY MOVIES HD and Discovery Channel HD.

High-definition broadcasts, as the name implies, are much more detailed than regular broadcasts. The extra definition adds a new dimension to TV images. Viewed on the right display, it's closer to looking through a window, than looking at a television screen.

What you need to know

The bulky CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) TV that you probably have in your lounge has 576 vertical lines of picture information. HDTV is going to seriously advance your viewing pleasure with much greater formats.

Understanding the HD Numbers is very important! You've probably seen 720p, 1080i and possibly 1080p when researching Hi Definition. Here's an easy breakdown of what they mean to you as a viewer.

The Number bit - 720 or 1080?

These numbers refer to the number of vertical lines of information your TV will display, remember your CRT TV has 576 lines. HD ready TVs will offer you 720 or 1080 lines depending on the broadcast you're watching. SKY HD for example will broadcast in both formats depending on how the programme or movie you're watching was filmed.

The Letter bit - i or p?

These letters are short for interlaced and progressive. Interlaced pictures are delivered to you the viewer in two halves, but these halves refresh 50 times a second so you see a perfect seamless HD picture. Progressive pictures are delivered to you as one full image which is refreshed 25 times a second. Both of these picture formats are technically the same and difficult to distinguish between as a viewer.

Bringing the numbers and letters together!

So, 720p is a 1,280 x 720 line progressive picture refreshed 25 times a second. 1080i is a 1,920 x 1,080 line interlaced picture refreshed 50 times a second. The 1080p format is likely to be used in the future for new games consoles like PS3 and the next generation movie format HDDVD and Blueray however these devices will output 720p and 1080i.

How do I connect my lovely new HD ready equipment together?

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a new interface standard for digital transmission of video and audio signals. With HDMI, the signals are not converted from Digital to Analogue and then back to Digital (which can cause quality losses) as with conventional connections, they are sent digitally all the way therefore dramatically improving the picture and sound. This new interface can support image resolution up to 1125p, although 720p and 1080i are the current standards. HDMI is particularly well suited for images that will be viewed on plasma screens, LCDs and other equipment that uses all-digital image processing.

But that's not the end to HDMIs talents, oh no. An HDMI cable will also carry high quality 2 channel or even up to 8 channels of digital surround sound. HDMI transmits both video and audio signals as well as the HDCP tags (see below) over a single cable, so connection is quick and easy and the area around the TV remains uncluttered. Also, when each of the connected units is HDMI-compatible, control signals can be exchanged among them. This means that, in the future, it will be possible to operate several units from a single remote control, or to operate several units via linked control. With all of these advantages, HDMI is the ideal interface for today's age of steadily advancing digital A/V equipment and media. Make sure you buy a HDMI cable with any HD Ready equipment!
More »

DVI (Digital Visual Interface) cables are the little brother of HDMI. Available in 3 varieties, 2 of which are suitable for PC use only, DVI cables can not carry audio information and some DVI inputs will not accept the HDCP tag which is broadcast with certain shows / movies for copyright protection. If the TV you're buying only has DVI inputs make sure they can accept these HDCP tags through the DVI input by the use of the HD-Ready logo.

Component Video

This connection format has been around for a number of years and is traditionally used for supplying progressive scan pictures from a DVD player to a TV. Component cables can carry HD signals but like DVI they carry no sound or HDCP Tag information. In fact the days are numbered for this format as SKY HD has removed the component outputs from its next phase of HD Set top boxes because the cable cannot carry the HDCP tags. These inputs will make a nice feature on a TV set to enable the viewer to connect current standard definition equipment successfully.