Great Offers from Walmart.com

What is High Definition Television (HDTV)?
HDTV stands for high-definition television, and it marks the biggest leap forward for television since color TV made its debut in the 1950s. HDTV images are more than twice as detailed as standard analog TV, delivering rich, realistic images, as well as multi channel, movie-theater-quality surround sound. HDTVs can display both regular and HDTV images, but they need HD sources to look their best. Most simply, a high-definition television system is able to offer a clearer and more detailed picture than any existing broadcast system, because it contains more picture information. All television signals, whether analog or digital, are made up of many dots or picture elements (pixels) that form the image you see, so by using more of these pixels in a high-definition (HD) transmission a better image can be produced.

What is the difference between high-definition and standard digital television?
Digital television (DTV) is a transmission method that will continue to be used to broadcast high-definition signals. In the same way that audio quality was improved moving from analog music cassettes to Compact Discs, a similar change is happening to television. High Definition broadcast also includes Dolby 5.0 stereo surround sound signal that helps bring out the total home movie theater experience. Digital television is just broadcasting television signal in digital format (instead of analog). For example, DIRECTV broadcast all its signals in digital format. But they do not contain more information that high definition signal. High definition signal is always digital so you don't get a snow effect on your television when signal is weak. With Digital High Definition signal, either you get it or not. There is no such thing as partial or poor reception in HDTV.

How does high-definition compare to standard definition television systems?
An HD signal can contain up to around five times the picture information compared to standard definition (SD). Analog TV--what we've been watching for more than 60 years--has a resolution that's equivalent to about 640x480 pixels. An HDTV program, on the other hand, has a resolution that tops out at 1,920x1,080 pixels, more than six times as sharp in best-case scenarios. The difference is obvious. One look at, say, a razor-sharp image of a crocodile rolling in the mud on Discovery HD, and you'll understand. Standard television also has poor resolution compared to HDTV. Currently best HD resolution available in 1080i/p and it is sometimes referred as HD1080.

How is the sound quality on HD shows?
At best, standard-definition shows have 4-channel Dolby surround sound (left, center, right, and one rear "surround" channel), but they usually have 2-channel stereo. High-definition broadcasts, on the other hand, support 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround sound (left, center, right, left and right surround, and a subwoofer part, for booming bass). This is similar to the sound you hear in a movie theater or, with the properly equipped home theater, on a DVD. Not all HD broadcasts have 5.1 Dolby Digital yet, but the majority do, and you'll hear--and feel--the difference. Of course, you'll need a home-theater audio system to take full advantage of it.

What's the difference between 720p and 1080i/p HD broadcasts?
A native resolution of 720p is considered High Definition. The numbers 720 and 1080 refer to horizontal pixel counts, while the letters p and i refer to the picture-scanning method--either progressive or interlaced. Proponents of 1080i HD will tell you that they offer the most lines of resolution, which is true. However, 1080i images are interlaced, meaning only half of the image is refreshed in one pass(30 passes per second). For 720p, or progressive, broadcasts, tube TVs draw each frame in a single pass, making for a smoother picture (no tube televisions display everything as progressive scan). Even higher-bandwidth 1080p broadcasts could offer the best of both worlds, but they're not going to be available anytime soon.

What kind of equipment do I need to watch HDTV?
You will need an 'HD Ready' television set or equivalent that has an increased picture resolution. Remember, some television sets on the market are offered as "HD Capable". While they are capable of displaying HD signal, they lack the HD tuner you will need to receive HD broadcast. If you have a "HD Capable TV, you will also need a decoder or set-top box to receive high-definition broadcasts. Last piece of equipment is an antenna to receive HD signal from a TV station offering HD programming. If you're signed up with DirecTV or local cable company, you're fine with "HD capable television" since cable box does include a HD tuner.

Where I can get high-definition content to watch?
High-definition television channels/programming, it is available from major satellite carrier (DirecTV and Dish Network). Most cable companies are also offering HD programming. If you don't want to pay for anything, you could check to see if your local television station is broadcasting in HD. More than 1,300 local television stations broadcast over-the-air high-definition signals, meaning that about 99 percent of U.S. households are in range of at least one HDTV station. If your local station broadcasts in HD, you just need a HD tuner and an antenna to receive their signal and watch it free (over the air).

Next-generation games consoles including Microsoft's X-Box 360 and Sony's Playstation 3 support high-definition gaming, and similarly the new DVD formats, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are designed to natively carry HD content. Before making an early investment in high-definition products and services it is worth taking the time to ensure that the HD content you actually want to watch is available and available to you.

Will my local TV stations stop broadcasting analog signals any time soon?
Yes. The FCC has set a deadline for television stations to stop broadcasting their over-the-air VHF/UHF signals: either January 1, 2007 or when 85 percent of U.S. households have a TV with a digital tuner, whichever comes last. But that date is largely viewed as untenable, and legislators are proposing moving it back two years, making the last day of 2008 the official "switch off" for analog television broadcasts. (The reason for the deadline is that the FCC wants to free up the old analog TV spectrum for new wireless technologies.) Note that this deadline does not affect cable or satellite service, just terrestrial broadcasts.

Which TV and cable networks are available in HD?
More and more television shows are being produced in high definition. For starters, all the major broadcast networks, including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, UPN, and the WB, produce at least some of their schedules in HD. ABC and CBS broadcast all of the scripted shows in high definition. Sports fans will be happy to hear that their favorite events, such as the NFL, MLB, the NBA, and NASCAR, are well represented in HD. News and reality shows are typically standard definition, although Fox's American Idol went HD in 2005. Meanwhile, cable networks such as HBO HD, Showtime HD, TNT HD, Universal HD (the HD version of Bravo), ESPN, and ESPN2 HD offer at least some of their shows and movies in high definition. There are also a handful of all-HD networks, including HDnet, INHD, and Discovery HD Theater, that run high-definition programming all day, every day.

Can I record HDTV shows and movies?
Not without new equipments. Standard VCRs, DVD recorders, and digital video recorders (DVRs) such as TiVo can't record programming in high definition. Eventually, a new high-definition DVD format--either Blu-ray, the competing HD-DVD, or both--will help resolve this problem. But if you must have HD recording and playback today, there are two options. D-VHS is a hybrid VHS format that both plays and recording in HD; unfortunately, D-VHS player/recorders are pricey, there are few prerecorded D-VHS movies available, connectivity is very spotty-you usually need to use Fire Wire-and because you're using a tape, you don't get any of the random-access benefits of DVDs. Another option is to get an HD DVR, which will record your favorite HD shows just like a TiVo. Many cable providers now offer HD DVRs for about $10 a month, while satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network offer their own models for $500 to $900.