DIRECT Deal TV1-866-244-0916 Need Assistance? Call Us!

Satellite TV service is going hi-tech. High Definition Television or HDTV is the new mode of entertainment today. What is HDTV in the first place? 

HDTV is actually digital signal in contrast to traditional analog TV signals. Analog TV signals are projected in waves with highs and lows. This signal has a limited aspect ratio. It is only 4:3 on a standard television set. Which means four units wide by three units high. In contrast, HDTV has a 16:9 aspect ratio and it looks more like a movie screen. The digital signal is clearer and more focused than analog signals because the signals are transmitted as 0 and 1 bits. Also, HDTV resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels compared to 704 x 480 pixels on analog TV. HDTV offers a bigger image area and higher resolution. The higher the resolution, the clearer the picture. 

Why do I need to read all these technical jargon? Why can't I just keep my 10-year-old TV? Why do I need to know about HDTV? There's only one reason: analog TV will be phased out in time to come and so you need to keep up. 

Broadcasters have lamented the shortcomings of analog TV for some time when digital TV or DTV was first introduced. DTV offered better sound quality, video, and frame-by-frame picture instead of lines of pixels on cathode ray tube (CRT) TV sets. It is possible to convert digital signals to analog TV signals by using a set-top digital converter. It means the analog TV sets can still be used when broadcasters switch over to HDTV broadcasting. 

HDTV is in the highest category of all digital signals. The frame rate offered by HDTV can be 24 frames per second, and progressive up to 60 frames per second, progressive or 24p up to 60p for short. It is like seeing a fish in an aquarium so real and lifelike that you can mistake it as your own fish in your living room. That's how clear and sharp the picture of television can be. But there are new equipments and subscriptions to purchase before HDTV can be seen in your home. 

To view HDTV the equipments that you would require are an HDTV-ready television set, an HDTV-compatible satellite dish, receiver, and remote, an HDTV broadcast and an HDTV subscription from a satellite HDTV service provider. 

The HDTV-ready television set comes in two models: an integrated HDTV with built in receiver and an HDTV-ready only monitor. It is possible to view analog and digital TV with either sets. Find out from the manufacturer before you purchase. Needless to say, the integrated HDTV model is more costly. And HDTV can only come to your home from an HDTV station broadcasting HDTV signals. 

Home entertainment will not look the same after HDTV comes into full force in the market. It is a good time to get ready for this technology and prepare to say GOODBYE to the old analog TV. Progress in the 21st century does give more delight but costs more. Satellite TV service is here to stay for the future.