High Definition Defined

In order to understand how superior HDTV is, let's first look at its predecessors.

Analog TV has been used to transmit conventional TV signals for many years. The 60-year old system is comprised of 480 horizontal lines that are scanned to form a picture that makes sense to our eyes.

In 1996 Congress authorized the FCC to add a digital frequency to the television broadcaster's spectrum. The digital technology brought improved clarity leaving behind the "ghosting" images often seen on analog transmissions. Right now TV is still broadcast using both an analog and a digital signal. Very soon, the FCC is going to take back the analog channels and all broadcasts will have to be digital. They've been planning this for years. In fact, on Feb 8, 2006 President Bush signed legislation that will cease all analog transmissions as of February 17, 2009. In turn, this will free up spectrum for public service use such as fire, police and homeland security. Consumers benefit all the way around.

High-Definition, or HDTV as it is commonly referred to, is the highest resolution and picture quality of all the digital formats. It has more than twice as many horizontal lines as analog and is transmitted in a wide screen format. Whereas analog TV has an aspect ratio of 4:3, which means the screen is 4 units wide by 3 units high; HDTV has an aspect ratio of 16:9, which provides spectacular detail. The sound is also much improved with HDTV, resembling more of a movie theater experience.

The first thing to do in order to get HDTV is to get an HDTV set. You can get either an HDTV-ready set or an integrated HDTV set. With an integrated HDTV set, you can immediately pick up free local HDTV broadcasts using only an antenna. With an HDTV-ready set, you'll need a receiver in order to get the HDTV signals. For this, you'll want to contact your cable company or satellite service provider.

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