What You Need To See High Definition on an HDTV

Many consumers, after they purchase their HDTV assume that everything they will watch on it is in High Definition. Needless to say, many are disappointed when they find out that their VHS videos and analog cable channels many times actually look worse on their new HDTV than they did on their old analog set. There are several reasons for this which are explained in my article: Why Do Analog TV Signals Often Look Worse on an HDTV than on an Analog TV?.

So, after investing a lot of money on an new HDTV, how do you get the High Definition picture everyone is talking about?

To Get High Definition on an HDTV, You Need High Definition Sources

If you have an HDTV, the only way to view true HD is to have true HD sources, such as HD-Satellite, HD-Cable, or, if you have built-in a built-in ATSC tuner - you can use a standard TV antenna to receiver over-the-air HDTV signals if stations in your area are broadcasting in HD.

Other true High Definition sources are Blu-ray Disc, HD-DVD players, and Cable/Satellite HD-DVRs. However, another popular source that provides near-HD quality is a good Upscaling DVD player. For more details, check out two of my articles that address this issue:

Upscaling DVD Players vs Upscaling HDTVs

DVD Video Upscaling - What You Need To Know

DVD Recorders with ATSC or QAM tuners can receive HDTV signals, but they are downconverted to Standard Definition in order to record onto DVD, and the DVD recorder does not pass the HDTV signal directly from its tuner through to the TV. For more details on this, read my article on this issue:

Can I Record HDTV on a DVD Recorder?

High Definition vs Non-High Definition Video Sources

If you are interested in getting the most from your HDTV, you need have one or more of the following High Definition sources connected to your TV:

1. HD-Cable, HD-Satellite.

2. HD-Cable DVR, HD-Satellite DVR, or TIVO-HD.

3. Over-the-Air Antenna combined with an ATSC tuner in the HDTV.

4. Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD Player (Blu-ray is preferable as HD-DVD is now discontinued).

5. Upscaling DVD player with HDMI output. This is not true High Definition, but an upscaling DVD player can provide a much better image on an HDTV than a standard non-upscaling DVD player, unless the scaler in the HDTV is very good on its own.

6. High Definition Camcorders - such as HDV or AVCHD format camcorders.

Sources that do not provide a High Definition signal:

1. Analog Cable or Basic Digital Cable.

2. Standard Satellite service.

3. DVD recorders, DVD Recorder/Hard Drive combinations, and DVD Recorder/VCR combinations.

4. VHS VCRs.

5. Standard Resolution Analog and Digital Camcorders.

For a more in-depth look at HDTV, and what you need to know on how it can enhance your your home theater television viewing experience, check out my HDTV FAQs.