by Staff Writer
Upgrading to high definition (HD) can be tricky if you don't know what to look for. Making the switch starts with a high-definition TV, but you'll also want things like movies and TV shows for you and your family to enjoy. Of course, you want to avoid buying televisions just based on word of mouth alone; research your purchase and you'll be sure to get the most for your money. If you're having trouble deciding which high-definition equipment is right for you, follow these tips:
The first thing to consider is that to enjoy the benefits of high definition, you'll need both a high-definition television and sources of high-definition movies and shows. These high-definition sources include Blu-ray, high-definition stations from your cable or satellite provider and certain video game consoles.
If you want to start by shopping for a high-definition television, you might first decide what size of television screen you want. It helps to measure the space where you want to put your new TV. Be aware that TV screen sizes are measured diagonally, so when a television is referred to as, say, a 22-inch screen, it will measure 22 inches across diagonally, from one corner to the other.
You have the choice between widescreen and standard (full screen), but high-definition TVs are increasingly becoming available just in widescreen. The only drawback to widescreen televisions is that standard-sized broadcasts may only take up part of the screen or they may be stretched to fit the screen; fortunately, if you pair a widescreen TV with widescreen movies and TV shows, you'll never have this problem to worry about.
Consider the resolution that the TV is capable of. HDTVs are available in resolutions such as 720i, 1080i and 1080p, with 1080p being the highest resolution picture quality. The "i" and the "p" in the resolution means that the picture is either interlaced or is progressive-scan, respectively; progressive scan gives a smoother picture than an interlaced image, while HDTVs that only support 720i or 1080i will generally cost a bit less.
Two major types of technology are mainly used to make HD televisions: LCD (liquid crystal display) and plasma. Both will give excellent picture quality. Of course, some people advocate one type over the other; some say that plasma screens have a sharper picture, while others say that LCD TVs have better contrast. A third type, OLED (Organic LED), offers high picture quality but is thus far generally just used to make small screens, such as those on handheld devices.
Most high-definition sets come with built-in tuners, sometimes referred to as ATSC tuners. If the HDTV you're considering doesn't include a tuner, you might consider getting an external tuner, also called a "digital converter box," if you want to watch antenna-based TV in high-definition. If you receive your television broadcasts through a cable or satellite service, then the receiver for that service most likely includes the ATSC tuner, so you probably don't need any additional equipment to connect the receiver to your HDTV.
If you don't currently have cable or satellite or if your subscription doesn't include any high-definition stations, you'll want to look into adding those stations so that you can enjoy high-definition broadcasts that were designed to look great on your HDTV.
Blu-ray is a way to enjoy high-definition movies and videos. Blu-ray players and movies support high definition up to 1080p. If you love watching movies at home, you'll definitely want to consider making the switch to Blu-ray to get the most from your HDTV. Of course, you can still use your DVD player with a high-definition television, but the picture quality won't be any better than with a standard-definition television.
Newer high-definition equipment typically uses a new connection type called HDMI. HDMI is convenient because it can carry high-definition video as well as encoded surround sound audio signals over a single cable. This means that if you use a surround sound home theater receiver and HDMI inputs, you just need a single HDMI cable to connect your Blu-ray player to the receiver and then another HDMI cable to connect the receiver to your high-definition television. Some HDTVs (as well as computer monitors that can act as HDTVs) may only have DVI connections instead of HDMI, meaning you'd need an HDMI-to-DVI cable to connect an HDMI-only Blu-ray player to that TV. Note that DVI is video-only; you'd need separate cables for audio.
