How to Get True HDTV Content On Your New TV

[admin]

Many people bring home a new HDTV and look forward to the excitement of viewing a true high definition picture. But is it really that simple? Well it can be - if you follow a few guidelines and understand the nature of real HD content and where it comes from. An HDTV doesn't give you high definition content - it simply means that you have the pixels to display high definition sources in all their glory. We'll take a look at four types of high definition sources most commonly received by HDTVs...


Discuss "How to Get True HDTV Content On Your New TV" here. Read the article.

[kleinwl]

boring article written for the novice... why bother on a site like this... which is, I think for the non-neophyte. Even novices can seach around and find "intro" to HD articles on the web.

[markw]

Originally Posted by kleinwl

boring article written for the novice... why bother on a site like this... which is, I think for the non-neophyte. Even novices can seach around and find "intro" to HD articles on the web.

As your time here increases, you'll find that a lot of questions are on the fundamentals, not the intricacies of the hobby.

Newbies deserve consideration as well. Basic articles are what makes this site great. It's got something for everybody, not just the seasoned hobbyist and, even they can learn a few things here.

Thanks to these things called "search engines", a lot of non-savvy people (newbies?) wind up lurking here for information before they work up the gumption to post a question. I think a lot of their apprehension is the fear that they will be looked down upon by those that know more than they do.

I wonder where they get that idea?

[Tom Andry]

Because now they can search and find one here.

[Halon451]

Originally Posted by kleinwl

boring article written for the novice... why bother on a site like this... which is, I think for the non-neophyte. Even novices can seach around and find "intro" to HD articles on the web.

Part of what makes this site great is the fact that we welcome people of all experience and knowledge levels, and are as helpful to 30 year plus audiophiles and A/V wizards as we are to newbies who barely know how to hook up their DVD player. And the fact that I don't believe any one of the regulars here (even the admins and mods) claim to know everything, because it's a constantly evolving technology, therefore do not look down on those who come in asking the very basic questions.

[birdonthebeach]

Originally Posted by kleinwl

boring article written for the novice... why bother on a site like this... which is, I think for the non-neophyte. Even novices can seach around and find "intro" to HD articles on the web.

Well, one reason to bother is that this is a great article/link for me to send to people who call me because they just bought a new flat panel display and don't know how to hook it up, or aren't sure if it is hooked up right. I would imagine that many of us have spent countless hours of our life helping people with fundamentals such as this. It's what makes Audioholics such a great site - it is fantastic resource for EVERYBODY...

[Davemcc]

Originally Posted by Halon451

Part of what makes this site great is the fact that we welcome people of all experience and knowledge levels, and are as helpful to 30 year plus audiophiles and A/V wizards as we are to newbies who barely know how to hook up their DVD player. And the fact that I don't believe any one of the regulars here (even the admins and mods) claim to know everything, because it's a constantly evolving technology, therefore do not look down on those who come in asking the very basic questions.

I may be a regular here, but I'm no electrical engineer. I like movies and music and the equipment that reproduces it without really knowing how or why it works. It's generally enough for me to know what things do unless I really need to study something until I understand it properly. Articles that cover the simplest, basic functions are generally the best place to start and can guide research into the more complex areas of the hobby, just as Einstein's theory of relativity isn't going to make much sense if you can't understand the Doppler Effect. You have to start somewhere.

[Biggiesized]

Correction, Clint: ATSC OTA HDTV is not uncompressed. It's simply not RE-compressed by your cable or satellite vendor. It still has to adhere to the 19.39 Mbps limit.

Also, I've read that FiOS does not re-compress its channels so you are getting the full bandwidth allotted (or whatever the that network chooses to use) per channel. You may want to look into that.

[westcott]

I think some diagrams showing how to hook up an OTA antenna to a cable or satellite box would make this article more useful. Twice I have had to rewire my system because the technician that came out to install my HD boxes with PVR capabilities did it wrong. It caused recording problems while using an OTA signal on one system and I could not get OTA local channels at all from the other bad installation.

And I agree, OTA signals really can put cable or satellite signals to shame. I would be embarrassed, if I were a content provider, to call some of the stations HD that I receive via satellite.

[Pyrrho]

Given the extra compression on cable and satellite, I am glad I am not wasting my money on that. I like my HD local broadcasts (well, some of them), and have no wish to pay for a worse picture.