High definition or definitely hype?
Hi-Def Explained. What is it? Do you want it? What do you need for it?
HD or hi-def is one of today’s biggest buzz words in the home-entertainment market. Although, it’s been around since 1998 so is the “HD revolution” just another marketing scheme to make consumers part with their hard earned cash? Persuading them to flock to stores to replace all their trusty equipment with products with the ‘HD-Ready’ badge on it, or perhaps this really is a turning point in the way that we enjoy the pictures on our screen. Let’s have a sober look at the whole high-definition phenomenon shall we?
It’s all about the lines
Quite simply, high-definition television refers to higher resolution, that is, more lines which make up the image. This results in a sharper picture, finer detail, superior depth of field and more vivid and sumptuous colours – simple. The signal currently watched on TV is made up of 576 horizontal lines, while hi-def offers either 720 lines in progressive scan mode or 1080 lines in interlaced mode, that’s a lot more lines.
What will I be able to watch in HD?
TV
European satellite channel HDi (previously called Euro 1080) is already providing HD broadcasts and Sky and Telewest are about to start broadcasting in hi-def. Sensibly, amongst the first channels to be broadcast in HD will be Sky Movies and Sky Sports. Also worth remembering is that, HDTV broadcasts will be delivering sound in Dolby Digital 5.1 – Bonus!
HD DVD
Not as soon to be available are high-definition DVDs. These next-generation DVDs are split into two formats who are currently battling it out in the modern version of the VHS v. Beta war. On one side there is the Blu-Ray disc being developed by Sony and on the other, HD-DVD by Toshiba and NEC. For the consumer this is a bit of an inconvenience as, until there is a clear winner, if there is one, it will mean that some films are released on Blu-Ray and some on HD-DVD which would mean you would have to buy the corresponding player . Unless there is a universal player, (see ‘Life’ really would be ‘Good’, if not at least better, with LG’s rumoured HD DVD & Blu-Ray Player’ in our News section) how annoying would it be to have to buy two different players in order to be able to watch any HD film!
DVD upscalers
Until high-definition DVDs are launched (March for HD-DVD and May for Blu ray) it is also possible to upscale ordinary DVD pictures into a kind of ‘pseudo’ hi-def: this converts the image from a standard 576-line picture, to fit more exactly the natural resolution of a screen. To achieve this you can either buy a standalone scaler box or a number of recent DVD players have on-board scalers.
What do I need ?
Most importantly you need a compatible display device, i.e. a a rear-projection TV, a flatscreen or projector which will be indicated by a ‘HD-Ready’ badge. This badge simply means that the monitor can support 720 lines in progressive scan and 1080 in interlaced mode and also that it has either an HDMI or DVI inputs so that it can receive hi-def signals. Aside from this you will need a Sky HD or Telewest box to receive HDTV broadcasts and either the aforementioned Blu-ray or HD-DVD player when they are launched.
Final thoughts
The question I imagine most people are asking is: “Am I really going to notice the difference or is it going to be like the VHS to DVD transition where now I refuse to watch anything on VHS?” Having seen numerous HD programmes and movies I am quite sure it will be the latter when the content is readily available in HD. Having said this, it will be a while yet until the ‘HD takeover’, so there really is no need to rush out and replace all your kit. Clearly what does make sense is to buy ‘HD-Ready’ products if you’re buying new equipment anyway, as some time in the future, HD will become the standard.
