A recent survey by Nielson found that 56% of US households have at least one HDTV. They also found that the vast majority of total viewing is still standard definition.
The reasons for this are multi-fold, but one big contributor is that many who own an HDTV aren’t actually watching HD. Just because you have an HD set, doesn’t mean everything you watch is suddenly HD.
So if you own an HDTV, make sure to check this guide to be sure you’re actually watching HD.
1) If you’re like most Americans, you have cable or satellite. The first step is to get an HD-capable box from your provider, and in that process, making sure you have access (i.e. pay for) the HD channels.
2) If you have an HD-capable box, you’ll need an HD connection like HDMI or component. The single yellow cable is SD only. HDMI carries audio as well as video, and is an inexpensive cable.
3) Once everything is connected, make sure in the cable/satellite box’s setup menu that it is set to output HD. This is a big one. You could have everything else set correctly, and the box could be secretly keeping you in the SD realm. Some boxes may just label this “aspect ratio” which should be 16×9.
4) Find out what channels are actually HD. Some providers stack the SD and HD channels together. Others, like AT&T, place them in a different channel area (1000 and up). Some channels, like TBS and TNT, show SD programs stretched out and claim them to be HD, so these channels aren’t a good test for what’s HD. As an aside, if you’re watching one of these channels and everyone is stretched out, your TV’s aspect ratio button should be able to squeeze them back into shape.
5) If you want to watch a movie in HD, the only option is Blu-ray. DVDs are not HD. Upconverting DVD players may output HD resolutions (like 1080p), but an upconverted DVD looks nothing like the real HD of Blu-ray.
Checking your work
If you’re watching TV with black bars on the top and black or gray bars on the sides, chances are you’re not watching HD.
Another check is if you’re watching 1st-run programming (primetime HD programs like Castle
, House
Another easy check, if your TV has it, is the “Info” button. This can sometimes be found in the menu. This tells you the incoming signal’s resolution. It should be 720p, 1080i, or 1080p.
If you’re watching an HD image, it should look amazing, detailed and exceedingly “clear.” The improvement over standard definition is pronounced. If your HDTV just looks “ok” then go over all the steps above. If you don’t think HD is anything special, it’s likely because you’re not watching HD.
â€â€Geoff Morrison – Follow me on Twitter @TechWriterGeoff
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