From Robert Silva,
Your Guide to Home Theater.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

INTRODUCTION TO HDTV

The road to HDTV hasn't been a smooth one. Lack of logical leadership from the government side has caused confusion over standards and timetables. In addition, lack of enthusiastic co-operation between broadcasters, cable/satellite providers, and manufacturers has injected further confusion for retailers on how to sell HDTV and consumers as what products to buy, how to use them, and to what programs are actually available in HDTV.

However, despite this, HDTV is making progress with more affordable products and accessible programming, making it an increasing viable choice for the consumer. There are more local TV stations installing the needed hardware to implement HDTV. Satellite services and a Cable TV providers are providing an increasing number of HDTV feeds. Programming providers, such as Showtime, HBO, Discovery, ESPN, HDnet, and all of the major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, FOX, and WB) are dedicating more broadcast hours to HDTV.

All of the above issues surrounding HDTV give rise to confusion for the average consumer. The following are common FAQs that I get asked frequently on the subject of Digital TV/HDTV. Just click on the questions to access the answers. In addition, be sure to check the additional resource links in the upper right of the HDTV FAQ pages. Lastly, watch for updates and additions to the following FAQ list and resources as the need arises.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIGITAL TV (DTV) AND REGULAR (Analog) TV?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIGITAL TV AND HDTV?

WHAT IS THERE TO WATCH ON HDTV?

WHAT DO I NEED TO GET TO BE ABLE TO WATCH HDTV?

WILL MY CURRENT TV STILL WORK WHEN DIGITAL AND HDTV TAKE OVER?

WHY ARE BLACK BARS SOMETIMES STILL VISIBLE ON A 16X9 HDTV?

WHY DO ANALOG TV SIGNALS OFTEN LOOK WORSE ON AN HDTV THAN ON ANALOG TV?