Articles and whitepapers

Getting Ready for HDTV (4/5/2005)

By Pioneer GB

A new way of broadcasting television is on its way. High-definition television (HDTV), already popular in the US and Japan, is about to make the true 'home cinema' experience a reality for us all. Already, HD1 - a new European HDTV channel - is broadcasting via satellite top-quality shows, sports, music and cultural entertainment across Europe, and other broadcasters, such as BSkyB, are set to follow.

Flat screen HDTV

HDTV delivers breathtaking quality of image and sound. The purpose of this guide is to let you know how you can be ready for the next television revolution and what you need to consider if you are thinking about trading up.

Before we look at how HDTV works and why is it so much better, let us quickly review how TV has evolved so far:

From Analogue

You probably know that the pictures you see on your television are made up from a series of horizontal lines. Ever since the first cathode ray tube (CRT) television sets, the standard method of recreating the picture has been to display all the odd numbered lines of the picture (1, 3, 5, 7, and so on) and then to complete the image by displaying all the even numbered lines. This is known as interlacing. Because televisions do this so quickly - 50 times per second - the human eye sees the whole picture.

This system - known as PAL 625 (625 is the number of lines) - works well. Unfortunately, it is vulnerable to the interference and 'ghosting' that we have all seen from time to time when our aerial/reception is not perfect. Then digital television came along.

To Digital

Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) is a completely new way of transmitting and receiving television pictures. Rather than broadcasting television programmes through the air as analogue signals, the picture and sound is transmitted in digital code as a stream of 'data bits' - the same sort of data that is used by computers. The benefits are remarkable. There is no interference so the picture quality is sharper and more reliable, with no ghosting or 'snow'. What is more, broadcasters can transmit far more information, which means that as well as giving you a far wider choice of channels, digital television can be used to provide new interactive video and data services.

Digital television can use either interlacing or 'progressive' scan. Progressive scan is where the lines of the picture are displayed sequentially (1, 2, 3, 4 and so on). It was developed for computer monitors in order to decrease flickering, and shows movement in better detail.

To High-Definition

High-definition television (HDTV) is the next generation of digital TV. As previously mentioned, analogue TV is made up of 625 lines, whilst HDTV contains either 720 or 1080 lines. This greater number of lines provides a far sharper picture (1080 gives the most realistic picture).

HDTV picture quality

The benefits of HDTV

HDTV picture quality is far superior to standard-definition digital TV. Imagine being able to see every blade of grass on the football pitch or the texture of the food in your favourite cookery programme. HDTV delivers exceptionally fine picture detail combined with incredibly rich colours to provide startling true-to-life realism, together with Dolby Digital surround sound, as well as all the other benefits of today's digital TV broadcasts.

Benefits at a glance

¥ Unparalleled clarity and a crystal clear, widescreen image.
¥ A much sharper, life-like picture than standard-definition television.
¥ 6-channel Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.
¥ Stunning, true-to-life colours.
¥ A breathtaking home cinema experience.

What should I look for in an HDTV set?

A European body known as EICTA (European Information and Communications Technology Industry Association) has set out the minimum standards that today's display equipment must conform to if it is to be considered 'HD Ready'. So before you part with your hard-earned cash, make sure the TV set you are buying carries the HD Ready logo.

The 'HD ready' logo

How to buy HDTV

Regardless of whether a digital television set is an LCD or plasma screen, it may not offer true high-definition picture quality. Even those referred to as 'HD-compatible', which may be capable of displaying standard-definition pictures from HDTV broadcasts via an additional set top box, will not provide anything like the stunning quality of a true HD Ready set.

For the very best results, you need a true HD Ready TV set. Pioneer 43" plasma TV sets for example, incorporate XGA plasma screens, meaning they comprise 768 rows of 1,024 pixels, while Pioneer 50" TV sets employ WXGA plasma screens (768 rows of 1,280 pixels). All the models can display more than 720 lines of picture information using progressive scan, and all incorporate new HDMI input sockets. Remember that for true HDTV, your TV set must have HDMI or DVI inputs (and the DVI input must be compliant with HDCP content protection).

Flat screen TVs that have a wide viewing angle will give you more freedom to watch from anywhere in the room, while super-slim technology allows the TV to be mounted on the wall. Whatever size and type of TV you choose, being HDTV ready means that you can watch today's standard-definition TV broadcasts at optimum picture quality while being prepared for the forthcoming HDTV revolution.

This guide appears courtesy of Pioneer GB Limited.

www.pioneer.co.uk