HD Ready
High Definition TV (HDTV) is the most exciting thing to happen to television since black and white turned to colour. HDTV pictures contain four times as much picture definition as the standard TV picture, this translates into a high definition picture that is bursting with extra clarity, sharpness and depth.

High Definition technology relies mainly on the number of lines that the TV has to ‘draw’ the picture. When we talk about picture quality we refer to resolution. This is made up of many lines of pixels, the more of these pixels there are on screen the better the resolution and,therefore, the picture quality. Conventional TVs use 625 lines but HDTV will use 720 or 1080 lines to create the picture. This increase in lines will result in vastly improved picture quality, clarity and colour definition.

HDTV offers digital audio and CD quality surround sound, creating a much clearer listening experience. Just like CD’s produce a better sound than audiocassette tapes, the digital audio sound of HDTV is better than the sound provided by an analog television.
 
In addition, new videogame system consoles are taking advantage of HDTV, claiming the graphics of the games themselves will be clearer when played on an HDTV television. HDTV tube televisions are also better than plasma televisions for the videogame player.
 
 
 
Key Benefits of HDTV:
 
  • Picture clarity like you've never seen before
  • True to life colour and detail that will make you feel like you are there
  • Widescreen broadcast for a breathtaking home cinema experience
  • Better Sound
  • Larger viewing area than regular analoge television
 
HD ready is a protected label that offers picture quality beyond that of progressive scan. It conforms to strict standards laid out by EICTA to offer a HD screen that displays the benefits of resolution and picture quality of a High Definition TV signal.
 
In order to enjoy high definition programmes you must have a HD Ready TV. Sky have already started broadcasting in high definition, via their Sky HD service, with lots of great programmes now seen and heard as never before. You can now enjoy a host of your favourite programmes, films, and sporting events in breathtaking quality.
 
There are three different high-definition formats;
  1. 720p has 720 lines and is a progressive scan format - progressive scan means that the whole picture is loaded at once. The number 720 stands for 720 lines of vertical display resolution, while the letter p stands for progressive scan or non-interlaced. When broadcast at 60 frames per second, 720p features the motion resolution possible under the ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) standard. Progressive scanning reduces the need to prevent flicker by filtering out fine details, so sharpness is much closer to 1080i than the number of scan lines would suggest.
  2. 1080i has 1080 lines of vertical resolution, while the letter i stands for interlaced or non-progressive scan. 1080i is considered to be an HDTV video mode.  The letter at the end of 1080i describes the type of scan the television uses to display the picture. That means the picture is scanned in two passes, or “fields,” each lasting 1/60th of a second
  3. 1080p, the third format, combines the superior resolution of 1080i with the progressive-scan smoothness of 720p. The number 1080 represents 1,080 lines of vertical resolution, while the letter p stands for progressive scan or non-interlaced. This is the highest resolution available at the moment and is classed as true High Definition.1920 x 1080 pixels (over 2-million pixels), brings with them the ability to watch 1080-line HD broadcasts with no scaling or compressio  All 1080 formats are known as full HD.

Naturally all HD Ready TVs will also work excellently with standard broadcasts, so don’t be concerned if you haven’t yet invested in a high definition source such as Sky HD. As well as enhancing the picture quality and enjoyment you get from the TV, purchasing an HD Ready TV is a way of ‘future proofing’ yourself.
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