Confused about HDTV? A guide to clear up things up
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Millions of people have bought HDTVs for their home entertainment systems, expecting better resolution, better clarity, better detail, and overall a better viewing experience. A New Year's article by CNN posts that nearly 33 million American households already have HDTV.
Yet, just a year ago, a report came in that only 25 to 50 percent of HDTV homes actually subscribe to a high-definition package. Also, a lot of HDTV owners think they're using the hi-def capabilities of their top-of-the-line appliance, when in reality they're not.
With the holiday season rush over and thousands of new HDTVs in the hands of proud owners, we're betting many of them will have difficulties setting up their TV sets. The bottom line is, it's not a simple task to hook up your HDTV. Its not just plug-and-play.
While a lot of HDTV tips abound on the Net, we try our hand on giving you a mini-guide on how to check if your HDTV has been properly set up -- a new helpful article won't hurt!
The Basics
If you need to refresh your memory, HDTV stands for High-Definition Television. Simply put, HDTV is head and shoulders above the traditional formats (NTSC, PAL, SECAM) and provides the best TV viewing experience today. Compared to Standard-Definition TV (SDTV), HDTV boasts of a higher resolution, better aspect ratio (16:9 compared to the regular 4:3), and better audio quality. Basically, aspect ratio is just the image's displayed width divided by its height; in the TV's case, wider is better. Basically, HDTV enhances the picture and audio quality to be much more crisp.
In HDTV discussions, you might have also heard the acronym "DTV" being tossed around. DTV stands for Digital Television. In a nutshell, HDTV is a subset of DTV. This just means that all HDTV signals are DTV, but not all DTV signals are HDTV.
As mentioned earlier, once you've bought an HDTV, it's not just plug-and-play and happy viewing ever after. You'll need to do three things:
- Properly connect some components together,
- Tweak the settings of your HDTV, and
- Get a high-definition signal.
Make sure to read the HDTV's operating manual very carefully. Chances are there'll be no detailed how-to on getting that dream HDTV viewing experience, but at the very least, you'll get to acquaint yourself with the terms and basic concepts. The manual will also help you navigate the settings menu of your HDTV, which will help you a lot later on.
Of course, if you don't want to endure all the hassle of setting up your HDTV, getting professional help will be worth it. If you decide to go this route, it's still better to read on so you'll familiarize yourself with what your technician is doing. But if you're the do-it-all person (or trying to save a few bucks), the mini-guide below will prove handy.
Set Up Your HDTV!
First, know that there are three ways to get HDTV programming:
- Over-the-air (antenna)
- Cable
- Satellite
So what's the difference among these three options? Well, in our opinion each one has its own advantages and disadvantages that in the end, it just boils down to personal preference. Decide for yourself which is best at CNET, which has an article listing down the various upsides, downsides, and forecasts for each option.
If you've already got an HDTV (or at least you think you have), check your TV's description. If it says "HDTV Ready" or "HDTV Capable", it's not really an HDTV... but you can make it work for you. HDTV Ready sets can decode HDTV programming with the help of additional equipment. If you have an HDTV Ready television, here are the first things you need to do, according to the way you want to get your HDTV programming:
- Over-the-air -- Buy an external (free standing) HDTV tuner (also called an ATSC receiver or ATSC tuner) and an HDTV antenna.
- Cable -- Get an HD cable set top-box, which can be rented or bought from your friendly cable company.
- Satellite -- Buy a special HDTV decoder (also called an IRD, or Integrated Receiver/Decoder); it goes without saying that you need a satellite dish.
If you're planning to buy an HDTV, save yourself the hassle and make sure you're buying an HDTV, not an HDTV Ready set.
Already got an HDTV? Then here's how you can get HDTV programming:
- Over-the-air -- Because new HDTV models come with built-in HDTV tuners, you just have to install an HDTV antenna. Connect the antenna to your HDTV’s F connector -- it should have one, because the presence of an F connector means your appliance indeed has a built-in HDTV tuner. The type of antenna -- whether it's indoor, outdoor, small, large, multidirectional -- is up to you and your location. A visit to the AntennaWeb site might prove helpful.
- Cable -- As with HDTV Ready, you'll need to get an HD cable set-top box, which can be rented or bought from your cable provider. If you're lucky and you have a CableCARD, you won't need the set-top box. To use CableCARD, you'll need two things: a CableCARD slot on your HDTV, and the card itself.
Newer HDTVs with the label DCR ("Digital cable ready") have built-in slots where you can just insert the CableCARD, which is a credit card-size "smart" card that's provided by your cable company. So while we earlier said that setting up your HDTV isn't a mere plug-and-play matter, CableCARDs actually make that possible. - Satellite -- As with HDTV Ready, you'll need to buy a special HDTV decoder or IRD, as well as a satellite dish.
Also, remember earlier when we said it's good to read your HDTV manual? Check it to see if your TV uses 720p ("720 lines progressive") or 1080i ("1080 lines interlaced") display format. You'll need this info when setting the HDTV tuner/box to match the HDTV's output.
Set Up the Connections
Setting up all those cables for your HDTV is going to be much trickier than a standard definition TV setup since there are added connections to support the high-def programming. But other sources such as a DVD or Blu-ray player (see next section) use the familiar connections (i.e., composite-video/component-video/S-video).
Several things to remember here:
Usually, hooking up a tuner to the TV screen is enough. However, if you're considering having other sources such as a video player or gaming console, connect the tuner to an audio/video receiver so that it becomes easy to switch that one out with other video devices.
When using a receiver, keep in mind that you should be using one that can handle the higher bandwidth (at least 110 megahertz) of the high-definition signals, or you won't get your money's worth for that HDTV package. Check if the manual guarantees the connections can handle wide-bandwidth, or are marked as "HDTV-compatible" or "wideband". You should also do this check on other inputs, cables, splitters, and accessories in use.
What type of connections can handle a high-definition signal?
Purely digital video connection types (what's the use of that HDTV if you're using a standard definition connection?) you might run into when hooking up your tuner include HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) and DVI (Digital Visual Interface). The main difference between the two is that HDMI is a better version of DVI and handles both audio and video. Make sure your television also has the counterpart inputs if you're going to use either of them. If these are not present, try RGB video, or at the very least, component video. These are a notch lower in quality compared the digital ones above, but are the minimum requirements for properly handling hi-def. Composite video is merely standard definition -- keep that in mind. (For a more in-depth comparison, read TechDigs.net's article on video connections.)
For audio, HDTV signals already incorporate Dolby Digital audio! It would be nice to have a connection that supports high-quality sound, right? An A/V receiver can take either optical, composite, or coaxial digital audio connections, but if you aren't using one, connect the more familiar stereo or coaxial (which also carries a video signal) cables using your tuner.
Expect a more complicated setup process as you add other devices to your high-definition audio/video system. If you're serious about hooking up your home with HD, the connection diagram on this page might give you an idea of what you're in for! The bottom line for video and audio connections is to make sure you're getting the most out of the HD signal with the proper cables (that are compatible with your peripherals) and learn to spot which ones are below hi-def quality.
Other HDTV Sources
Aside from 'regular' HDTV programming, you can watch high-def movies and even play games on widescreen. Here are a few other sources of HDTV viewing goodness:
- DVDs -- A caveat: standard DVDs aren't high-def. This means they'll look ancient placed side-by-side with HDTV. But this won't stop us from enjoying great DVD content on HDTVs, right? First, access your DVD player's settings and choose Widescreen mode (or 16:9). Second, you might want to "upscale" or "upsample" your player to achieve near-HD results.
- HD-DVDs and Blu-ray -- The successors to the DVD format are still duking it out for supremacy, but in the meantime you can treat yourself to truly high-definition content from either disc.
- Computer -- While a seeming waste of widescreen, you can treat your HDTV as your computer's monitor. This means you can do office work (!) and play computer games on your HDTV. You'll need a digital connection for your HDTV, the appropriate tuner card, and a heck of a graphics card for games.
- Game consoles – Video games from PCs? Why not from the game consoles themselves? The games of the Xbox 360 play in 720p and 1080i. On the other hand, the PlayStation 3 is capable of high-def at resolutions of up to 1080p, not to mention it sports a Blu-ray disc player.
Other Things to Remember
Once you've set up your HDTV, you might expect that all the shows you'll be watching will have more detail, larger screen size, and better quality. Scratch that notion -- not all channels broadcast their programs in high-def. Also, high-def channels occasionally serve programs that aren't in HD format, and that the HD channels broadcast by cable and satellite companies might be found on different channel numbers than their standard TV counterparts. For example, if Network X was assigned to Channel 31 in standard TV, its HD counterpart might be Channel 32.
One of the great things about owning an HDTV is getting to watch widescreen shows. Don't forget to set your TV's aspect ratio to 16:9 ("full screen mode" or simply "full mode"). Regular TV broadcasts are in 4:3 (squarish as opposed to widescreen), and non-HD shows in this format will still appear in your HDTV viewing.
Because 16:9 is wider than 4:3, you'll be seeing black or grey bars at the edges when viewing non-HD shows. Either you leave it as it is, or select a stretch or zoom mode for your HDTV. Beware, though -- these modes can distort or clip off the edges of the image.
After setting up the nitty-gritty hardware stuff around your HDTV, it's time to tweak its settings. If you didn't bother to touch the settings of your previous TVs (maybe for fear of ruining the image quality), this time you'll be forced to with your HDTV.
Basically, your HDTV needs to be calibrated for correct color, contrast, brightness, sharpness and other settings in order for you to achieve that astounding picture quality. You can do this in three ways:
- Professional help -- You want the best possible experience with your new appliance? Call an ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) technician. ISF calibration, as it is called, might cost you some bucks, but in the end the expense will be worth it... if you can afford it.
ISF professionals can adjust settings that few regular TV owners master (or even understand!). These guys will give you stunning results. You can look for the nearest ISF professional in your state (U.S.) or country here. - Calibration DVDs -- You can buy an affordable disc that will guide you, step-by-step, in adjusting your HDTV's settings. These DVDs will also help you calibrate the audio settings, and in the end you'll have a smashing one-two audio-and-visual combo -- the recipe for a great home theater system. Great examples of video calibration discs are the Avia Guide to Home Theater and Digital Video Essentials.
- DIY -- Do It Yourself. While a lot more hassle (and a strain to your eyes), this is the cheapest option. To begin with, turn off all automatic or factory settings that affect the picture. Several of the settings you can turn off are Auto-Colour and Black Level; also turn off Vivid mode and pick Movie, Cinema, or a similar mode.
Tone down brightness and contrast to the "medium" range (50%, which means that if your HDTV's contrast scale is from -50 to 50, choose 0). Most importantly, if you're going the DIY route, trust your sense of sight. Little by little, tweak the settings until actors' flesh tones appear realistic, the deepest black still shows detail, and white colors still show impurities and aren't "washed out" (such as snowed land having cracks).
For best results, repeat the calibration after a few months, after your HDTV has "burned in" or settled into its environment. "Repeat" is too strong a word – only minor tweaking needs to be done by then.
With all of that accomplished, you can now plop onto your comfy couch and start surfing away at HD shows and watching blockbuster movies. Your HDTV is now truly and indisputably the vessel of a majestic viewing experience!
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