How can I get HDTV?

To watch HDTV you need specialist equipment to receive and display the signal. Do not forget that you also need an HDTV source - you can see all the different companies offering HDTV programming in the section entitled HDTV PROVIDERS. Choosing the right HDTV equipment is crucial and with the variety on offer it can be more than a little confusing. Let’s have a look at all the different ways you get the right equipment for watching HDTV.

An HD set-top box or HDTV tuner This is a device configured to receive the HD signal and output it to your TV for viewing. The connection ports are all important as these define exactly what it is capable of, so let’s look at exactly what they mean:

• Analogue TV Output. If the box has an analogue out then you can watch the HDTV signal on your old TV (through the analogue input), though the signal will be downgraded by the box in order to make this possible. In this case you are no longer watching HDTV as it was intended to be seen.
• HDMI Output. HDMI, standing for High-Definition Multimedia Interface is the industry sanctioned digital connection you will use if you do have a HD ready television set - in which case you will be viewing HD in all its intended glory. HDMI is designed to carry both digital audio and digital video information.
• DVI Output. This digital connection port is not HDTV industry standard - it comes from the world of computers. However you may find it on a number of flat panel TVs, especially older models and analogue receivers. It can transmit an excellent unconverted signal from devices such as a PC or some DVD players to TV set. If one such device only has an HDMI port then you can buy a relatively cheap HDMI to DVI convertor. In this case the cable will not carry audio but that usually is not a problem with the option for separate audio connections.
• Optical Out. If the HDTV set-top box has an optical out this is great news as it means that you can get Dolby 5.1 surround sound by connecting the box up to your (properly configured) sound system. As any cinema buff will tell you, surround sound contributes hugely to your viewing experience regardless of the picture quality.
• Broadband connection. If your HDTV tuner comes with the ability to connect you to the internet this is really great news, as you will be able to take advantage of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). This is where content is streamed or downloaded to your set top box via the internet rather than coming via satellite, television aerial or cable (though cable can be upgraded to carry IPTV). There are already 1,300 free to view IPTV channels, all are digital and some are HD. Additionally you can purchase content to download and keep or simply rent, where the show will expire after a set time period or pre-set number of views. Bear in mind that you need a very fast internet connection to stream HDTV content from the internet - 8MBps is the minimum. While several companies are offering speeds up to and beyond this in the UK, you need to be close to your telephone exchange for this to work. Rather than streaming content directly in real time it is more likely that you will download content to your hard drive and watch it once it has completed.
• Hard Drive. Some set-top boxes come with an additional feature - a hard drive capable of storing your favourite shows to watch later. Of course the price tag will reflect the memory capacity but the option to store HD TV programmes and movies in perfect digital condition with no loss of quality may well be worth the extra money!

An HD display device We look at the different types of HDTV sets in depth in the section - different types of HDTV. You need to make sure that your HDTV set of choice comes guaranteed as HD ready. To qualify it must meet two requirements:

• HDMI slot. It must have this to interact with the HD tuner.
• HDCP compliance. The HDMI slot must support the High Definition content protocol (HDCP). This is a copy-protection measure to stop you copying and redistributing HD content in breach of copyright law.
• HD Resolution. To be able to display a HD broadcast the screen must have a minimum native resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels.

An HDTV with built in HD tuner
An all in one device means that there will be no synching problems. In the future these sets will really come into their own. In some cases you could save money by buying separates. If you plan to subscribe to Sky’s High Definition service for example, then you would need a Sky digital tuner - so it would be largely pointless having one built into your TV.

A PC with broadband connection
Many providers are already streaming HD content over the internet. Providing that your computers display and graphic card are up to the task and you have a fast enough connection (HD contains a lot of data) you can be watching HD via IPTV today.

A High Definition optical disc player In the rush to provide an optical disk capable of storing enough data on it to play movies in high definition, two competing formats have emerged, locked in a format war HD DVD and Blu-ray:

• HD DVD. Standing for High Definition Digital Versatile Disc. HD DVD is intended to be the high definition successor to standard DVD. The discs can store more than three times as much data as standard DVDs with 15 GB per layer compared to the old 4.7 GB. Of course you need an HD DVD player to play these discs. It is important to note that HD DVD players are backwards compatible, meaning that they will still play your old DVDs. Furthermore some companies are producing hybrid discs which have HD content on one side and the same content in standard definition on the other side - meaning that you can start building your HD movie library before you even have a player! Microsoft have thrown their weight behind the HD DVD format with an optional add-on for their Xbox 360 video game console. The versatility of this device, enabling you to play games on-line, watch and record IPTV and download a range of HD video content all in one place means that if you are considering buying an HD DVD player it is worth your while considering an Xbox 360 whether you are a gamer or not.
• Blu-Ray Disc. The name of this format comes from the blue-violet colour of the laser used to read information from the disc. Standard DVDs used red lasers and infrared while HD DVD also uses a blue laser. The shorter wavelength of the blue laser means that much more data can be stored on a Blu-ray disc - 25 GB per layer which equates to around 9 hours of high definition video on a dual layer 50 GB disc. Although it is not industry standard many Blu-ray drives are able to play standard DVDs and there is a hybrid format in the pipeline to allow both DVD and HD Blu-ray data to be recorded on the same disc. The Blu-ray format is heavily championed by Sony via its inclusion in the new Playstation 3 video game console (PS3) and this is a great way to get Blu-ray player at a bargain price.

A Hybrid High Definition Disc Player. Format wars are bad news for consumers every time. Conflicting information from warring advertising campaigns, widespread compatibility issues and as happened in the Betamax vs VHS format war of the 1980s - the looming spectre of an eventual loser with all that money wasted on a soon to be obsolete playback device. Luckily for us some manufacturers have already started producing hybrid players that play HD DVD discs, Blu-ray discs and even standard DVDs. See our section - Where to get HDTV for more information on how to get hold of one of these players.

A Next Generation Video Game Console
Two major new consoles have hit the market recently and are in fierce competition to win the hearts of the lucrative adult gaming market. To this end both Sony with its PS3 and Microsoft with the Xbox 360 are selling their next generation consoles at a subsidised price. By getting their consoles into the houses of consumers they have a greater chance of making a profit by providing future content and of winning their side of the format war. In addition to playing superb quality video game titles, both consoles have the ability to play HD content in a number of ways. If you are planning on investing in a next-gen console, or even if you simply want a device to play high definition optical discs, read on to understand their differing HD capabilities:

• Sony Playstation 3. Blu-ray is a Sony format and they are using their PS3 to ensure its continuation. Unlike the Microsoft Xbox 360 the PS3 comes with its HD optical disc player installed as standard which means that you can get a Blu-ray player at a comparatively low price compared to a normal, stand-alone player. The HD playback has received favourable reviews so far. An HDMI port comes as standard along with an ethernet port and four USB 2.0 ports, plus optional Wi-Fi connectivity and Flash card readers. Via internet connection to Sony’s online store - Sony Marketplace you will be able to download movies, music and additional games and store these on the system’s included hard drive. Sony recently announced plans to offer a plethora of HD television and movie content for the PS3 over the internet to rival Microsoft’s Live Video download service.
• Microsoft Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 comes with the capability to play HD DVDs via its HD DVD add-on and this is connected to the Xbox 360 via a USB 2.0 cable. You can use this same cable to connect it to a PC if it is the case that your computer screens resolution is higher than your TVs. The Xbox 360 is fully capable of producing images in full high definition resolution. Via connection to the internet you can take advantage of IPTV and the hardware is configured to one day be able to simultaneously stream up to 2 DTV and 2 HDTV channels - there are realistic bandwidth issues to be sorted before this becomes a reality however. Microsoft currently offer a range of downloadable high definition video content including movies to rent, television shows to purchase and keep (you can store these on the included hard drive) in addition to free or promotional content and of course a range of video games. A drawback is that the Xbox 360 does not come with a HDMI port installed but HD quality output can be achieved with a VGA or component video cable as long as your display device has that same input socket. There are rumours of a new deluxe version of the Xbox 360 which will have an HDMI socket as standard but this has not yet been confirmed by Microsoft.