HDTV on the air?
Yes, and
it is fast becoming a standard taking off in the marketplace, but
continues to confuse the average viewer. The term "High-definition"
is synonymous with "digital" and as promised, HDTV
broadcasts deliver revolutionary improvement in the picture quality.
The visible difference between our old NTSC (fondly referred to as Never
Twice Same Color) system and the new HDTV is not trivial, no self-respecting football fan would be caught dead watching a game in
NTSC.
More than just the hype of bigger,
better
TV, the standard will become de facto in the U.S. when analog
over-the-air broadcasts are shut off, the current deadline having been set for
February 2009. Although there are intentions to subsidize and
distribute the required digital to analog
tuner/converters for those that plan to keep their old standard
definition TV, if you're visiting out site, you're most likely a proud
owner or a candidate looking for the best deal in a brand new
HDTV.
Before
you run out the door, study the HDTV Primer below to inform yourself of
the optimal choices.
Receiving
HDTV signals
You need to identify how you'll receive your HDTV signal. Not
including other sources of video like VCRs, up-converting and true High
Definition (HD-DVD and Blu-Ray) DVD players, summarized below are your options.
Over-the-air
with antenna
If you live in a typical midsize market, most of your local stations
should already be broadcasting over-the-air (OTA) HDTV signals using
8VSB (ATSC) modulation. These stations are our national
broadcasters like ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox,
and PBS as well as a few independents. By next year, nearly every
digital TV sold will have OTA HDTV tuner built in. Free public
broadcasts are accessible simply by connecting an antenna to your TV
set as before, and eye-popping video will be the norm. Over-the-air
broadcasts are unencrypted and can be recorded and stored with ease
and played with most MPEG-2 decoders.
Cable
Now the most common source of HDTV. Using QAM (Quadrature
Amplitude Modulation) requiring a different modulation scheme from the
that mandated by the FCC for US over-the-air broadcasts, a cable box
or card is generally employed to receive this type of signal, although
some HDTV tuners offer clear QAM tuning for unencrypted (local
must-carry) stations generally in High-Definition. With a deployment
of recording capable DVR (Digital Video Recorder) set-tops, the
industry makes the fastest inroads into the average US home. The
DVRs are necessary for recording and storing premium pay channels that
are encrypted and cannot easily be imported to other
players.
Satellite
Our duopoly of satellite service providers, DirecTV and Dish
Network, each using a third proprietary digital format not compatible with cable
nor OTA modulation, again requiring a different set-top-boxes that are leased or
purchased. The advantage of satellite service being available virtually anywhere
in the country with installation of a small dish, many pioneering
broadcasts originated from this field (Mark Cuban's HDNet
and short lived third satellite broadcaster Voom). Like cable,
DVRs are required for recording and storing premium channels in digital
format.
-Kei
Clark
Updated 6/2/07
References from Digital TV Facts
Getting
connected
Display
Technology and TV Types
