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Message started by bigglesk on Jun 13th, 2006, 10:06am

Title: Question on HD TV
Post by bigglesk on Jun 13th, 2006, 10:06am

I hope you can help me out with a couple of questions regarding HDTV.

Ok, not necessarily HDTV but, from my (old) knowledge current tv has 625 lines (Is this correct?)

Second question is: - Does one need a saparate box for the reception of HD on one of our satellites ie, not
Sly tv. I have seen the following on adverts ie 720p & 1081i (I think those were the numbers.

Any help appreciated.

bigglesk

Title: Re: Question on HD TV
Post by Steve on Jun 13th, 2006, 3:46pm

Hi there

You are quite right with your assumptions, the numbers are the number of lines the screen can display. A lot of hd screens will 'upscale' from 720 to 1080 - not true hd as far as I'm concerned!

The new HD services use mpeg4, most satellite boxes will only do mpeg2 so you will probably need a new box to view.

Title: Re: Question on HD TV
Post by bigglesk on Jun 14th, 2006, 12:58am

Tanks Steve

Still in a quandry about spending all that cash for HD though.

Cheers...   Keith

Title: Re: Question on HD TV
Post by BeatO on Jun 15th, 2006, 6:31am

Hi M8

You'd perhaps like to have a read at this: High-definition television on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDTV)

I'm not a hundred percent sure about all the figures, it might well be that some small errors are in there or the figures are not exactly the same on sat as on other technologies. The page mentions PAL as 768x576. but I always get 720x576. Anyway, looks like a good read to me if you want some details.

BeatO

Title: Re: Question on HD TV
Post by jmd on Jun 20th, 2006, 12:36am

Maybe the overscan is included in the 768?
I was always under the impression that Pal was 720x576 as well

Title: Re: Question on HD TV
Post by Steve on Jun 21st, 2006, 10:18am

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/5099402.stm


The pitfalls of HDTV
HDTV may promise of crisp, clear images but it is still going through some growing pains, as the BBC's Martin Shankleman found out.

I think I might be starting to fall out of love with High Definition (HD). Don't get me wrong, I'm still very impressed, but that misty eyed infatuation has gone. And I can tell you the exact moment when it happened.
It was 14.03 pm on Saturday 10 June, during England's opening match with Paraguay. Beckham was poised to take a vital free kick.

As the rest of the team jostled in the penalty area, I suddenly heard a loud roar from the pub down the road.

For a split second I was puzzled, but then realised these were England fans celebrating a goal, which according to my set had yet to be scored.

Sure enough, I looked back at my HD set and saw Beckham's kick soar into the back of the net.

The truth dawned, the HD picture was delayed by a second or so. That may not seem much, but it is enough to spoil your enjoyment of a match.

A roar from the pub serves advance notice of what I was about to see on my set.

In the case of a penalty shoot-out, the delay would ruin the drama completely.

A BBC spokeswoman admitted this was problem.

HDTV IN EUROPE
Commercial HDTV services began with Belgian channel Euro180 in 2004
Telewest launched the UK's first HDTV service in March 2006.
BBC and Sky began HDTV transmissions in May 2006
BBC to have 100% HD programmes by 2010

"It is something we're aware of, yes", she said, and helpfully suggested the most practical answer might be to shut the windows.
She explained the problem was caused by the complexity of handling the extra information.

"Any digital signal requires processing time at the capture stage, coding and again when it hits your set-top box.

"This inevitably leads to a slight time lapse. Normally this doesn't matter very much, unless it's a live event as you've found," she said.

If this delay was a big disappointment, so too was the lack of authentic HD programmes, even on the dedicated channels.

I first realised this while watching Test cricket from the West Indies. Even thought this was shown on Sky Sports HD, the picture quality lacked the tell-tale clarity.

A Sky spokeswoman confirmed my suspicion that I had been watching a conventional broadcast relayed on the HD channel.

"Not all programming on all high-definition channels is actually HD," she said.

A quick survey confirmed a real dearth of authentic HD programming on the dedicated channels.

Not a single programme on Sky One HD in the schedules for the evening of 20 June had been shot in HD.

The same went for the evening schedules for Sky Sports HD for 19 June. Sky admitted that their only HD channels with guaranteed 100% HD content were the film channels.

None of these criticism detract from the amazing quality this new technology delivers to viewers.

But customers should beware of the pitfalls before making what could be an expensive investment.

Title: Re: Question on HD TV
Post by bigglesk on Jun 21st, 2006, 6:14pm

Thanks all

I think i will let HDTV settle down. The out-lay is quite high. Costs should come down considerably if I wait say, 6 months.

Thanks again.... bigglesk

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