Any new technology has at least a small learning curve, but HDTVs seem to have a very big one, for good reason. Instead of a single technology, HDTVs are an amalgamation of a dozen or so: Plasma TVs, LCD TVs, DLP TVs, Blu-ray Disc technology, new cable and satellite transmission technology, wiring and the list goes on. Worse, for the non-tech savvy, there’s no easy way to understand what’s going on. The interaction of all these different technologies can create problems even for specialized installers.
However, there are a few things you should know that will help you avoid problems before they affect you.
1. Do the HD calculations before you buy your equipment. Not all plasma televisions are HD capable. You want to get a set that adheres to one of two broadcast standards: 1280×720 (720p) and 1920×1080 (1080i or 1080p). Why? If you don’t have a TV that provides at least the lowest resolution, you won’t receive the full bandwidth capability being sent to your TV, resulting in resolution issues or no picture.
2. Just because you’ve purchased HD-compatible equipment doesn’t mean you’ll be able to bring your cable company’s HD signal! Coming broadcast standards only require digital-capable (DTV) equipment, and those claiming to be HD-capable may still need an adapter. An “HD ready” TV is capable of displaying HD, but it doesn’t necessarily have an HD tuner, which it needs to translate the signal; Worse still, older equipment that is advertised as HD-capable may not display its Full HD resolution. “Full HD” just means that the equipment is 1080p or higher, not that it has a tuner. Lesson here: make sure your TV has the HD tuner.
3. Don’t think you have to use expensive HDMI cables just because the guy at the store says you should. The advantages of HDMI cable are improved shielding and all-in-one audio and video capability. Standard DVI-D cables, as long as they’re short and new, work just as well in most cases and are significantly cheaper. However, they must be new or guaranteed free of short circuits and dirt. Any interference on a standard TV will only cause signal degradation; for an HDTV, you lose the picture entirely.
4. You can use your HDTV to record HD signals to DVD and even VHS, but it won’t have much capacity. Blu-ray recordings or recordings on a computer or a separate hard drive are your best bet.
5. If your image has “artifacts” such as a wavy background or “swarms” around the images, it’s not your equipment, it’s your HD provider. You can’t do much about it except complain and hope that more HD channels will open up to carry their crowded signals, which isn’t likely. One option is to buy a device like the Algolith Mosquito HDMI to clean up your signal, but it’s more expensive than most plasma TVs, around $3,000. Your other option is to wait a couple of years for the problem to resolve itself as cable and digital technology improves, or your provider changes.
6. Read the manual for your HDTV. Whether you have a plasma TV or an LCD TV, the manual will give you the information you desperately need, whether you know it or not. Don’t expect to operate your TV out of the box. Instead, schedule “me and TV” time so you have time to learn about the different options before they become problems.