Step1
Understand the advantages of having HDTV over normal TV. HDTV offers improved sound and video quality over traditional TV. It also enables a TV channels to offer more channels than before in the limited broadcast bandwidth.
Step2
Understand the types of HDTV sets available. HDTVs can be categorized in Flat panel TV, Direct View TV, Rear Projection TV and Front Projection TV
Step3
Understand Flat panel TV. This is a new age alternative to the conventional tube TV. Flat panel TVs come in two types–Plasma and LCD. Plasma TV is extremely thin at around 3 inches and provides an incredible image quality. The image quality varies depending upon the make of your Plasma TV. It is susceptible to burn-in problems in the first 100 hours of viewing, which can be avoided by keeping the contrast lower than 50 percent. New models have features which help avoid burn-ins. A Plasma TV’s lifespan can stretch up to 60,000 hours of clear viewing, which is a long span considering normal TV viewing habits.
Step4
Alternatively, LCDs offer great variety in screen sizes, ranging up to 65 inches in diagonal size. Though the picture quality is inferior to Plasma, newer advances have improved it to a great extent. Besides, when viewed from the sides, the picture quality suffers. The prices of both Plasma TV and LCD have come down in recent times making them affordable, without a reduction in the quality.
Step5
Understand Direct View TV. A Direct View TV is what is commonly referred to as Tube TV. The most popular among all the HDTVs, it stretches up to 36 inches diagonally. Though inexpensive, it has disadvantages like its bulk and weight. They are good to view from any angle but the picture loses sharpness with High-Definition feed. Its make also causes straight lines to bend on the screen. With innovations, Direct View TV sets now appear in flat screens and are even compatible with High-Definition feed.
Step6
Understand Rear-Projection TVs. Rear-Projection TV sets are HDTV compatible and much less expensive than Plasma TVs. Its size starts at 42 inches and runs on two different technologies–CRT tubes and micro displays using DLP, LCD or LcoS technology. CRT TV sets are considered to be short lived by many experts. Though inexpensive, they don’t deliver the same amount of brightness as micro displays. Microdisplays are advanced TV sets which run on microchips containing thousands of pixels. All microdisplay sets contain a lamp that relays light to the screen through or off the microchips. These lamps need to be replaced every 3,000 to 10,000 hours, depending on usage. DLP chips, made by Texas Instruments, are the most popular among the three chips. There is a wide range of DLP chips, all varied in their price and picture quality. Some DLP chips cause what is called the Rainbow effect–passing streaks of color on the TV sets. It also at times leads to the appearance of grainy pixels, but future versions of DLP TV promise to circumvent these drawbacks and deliver a better viewing experience.
Step7
Understand other types of Rear-Projection TVs. LCD, for instance, is less popular than the other microdisplays. Though it gives freedom from the rainbow effect, it is not as bright as LCoS or DLP TVs. It also has a lower black level and is prone to the screen door effect–appearance of faint grid lines on the screen–when seen from a close distance. White uniformity is another issue with LCD sets. It causes discolored patches on the screen at times. LCoS TV sets deliver good image quality due to deep blacks and outstanding pixel fill. Like LCD, it stays clear of the rainbow effect, further making for a pleasant viewing experience. But like LCD, it also has white uniformity issues.
Step8
Understand Front-Projection TVs. Front-Projection TVs are very different from conventional TV sets. It is a display projector, which is not ideal for everyday viewing. It offers a brilliant image quality but requires a great deal of light control. They are available as DLP projectors or LCD Projectors. While DLP scores on brightness, uniformity and blacks, LCD scores on the number of features. DLP suffers from the rainbow effect and is relatively expensive while LCD has some screen door effects and is not as bright as DLP sets.
Step9
Get your HDTV programming. HDTV programming happens in three ways, cable programming, satellite programming and over-the-air programming. Cable allows you to watch HDTV through your cable operator. For this, you need an HD tuner box, a digital cable connection, and an HDTV package, which includes the channels you want. Satellite programming enables you to get the HDTV experience by subscribing to any satellite TV provider. A major advantage with satellite programming is a pleasant viewing experience no matter where you are located. The two main players in this arena are Dish Network and DirecTV. The third type of programming is over-the-air programming. All you need is an HDTV set with a built-in ATSC tuner and an antenna. If you don’t have a built-in tuner, you will need a set top box to receive the high-def signals. This way, you won’t pay monthly fees for your HDTV experience.
Step10
Ensure that your HDTV source has the perfect input/output device. Fire Wire, DVI-D with HDCP and HDMI give the highest digital video quality.
Step11
Consult your cable operator and subscribe to hi-def channels. Hi-def channels are fewer when compared to the standard-definition channels, but increasingly, channels have started offering both standard-def and hi-def versions.
