High definition. It's a term we've all heard, read and used manytimes. Ever since those outrageously expensive HD plasma screen televisionsstarted to appear at the beginning of the century. Big, flat, expensive andcool looking. Everyone wanted one. And everyone still does.
But the number of us who have actually been able to put HD throughits paces is still relatively small, and the number of people who've had HD intheir homes is smaller still.
High Definition in action
Until a month ago I was one of those people who'd seenplenty of HDTVs in action, but had never actually tried one out at home. So aboutfive weeks ago I borrowed a 46 inch Aquos LCD TV from Sharp and a Blu-rayequipped PlayStation 3 from Sony.
I wanted to see if it would really make all that much of adifference over standard definition video.
I'll start by saying that the TV was great, and thePlayStation 3 upscaled DVDs and played Blu-ray movies brilliantly. But by thetime the trial was over, there was one piece of advice that it seemed obviousto write in this piece.
Buying advice
If you want to embrace the HD revolution, sure go out andbuy a nice big high definition TV. But don't fork out for a Blu-ray or an HDDVD player just yet. Because even though these products get all the press, it'sthe television broadcasts which really make a difference.
Instead of buying an HD player, you should subscribe to ahigh definition TV service like Sky HD. That way, you'll be receiving TV broadcastsat twice the quality that you currently get through your analogue aerial. So,to be clear, you'll be jumping from a fairly bad quality picture, to somethingwhich is well beyond the quality of DVDs.
The difference is quite astonishing.
Don't buy a Blu-ray player just yet. Don't plump for HD DVD. Bide your time, wait to see which one comes out on top. And in the meantime you canstill enjoy the pleasures of HDTV in the comfort of your own home.
It should also be noted that if you're not planning onbuying an HD player, and you're also not planning on buying a new games consoleor subscribing to HDTV, you should probably think twice before buying an HDTV at the moment.
Atthe rate in which the quality of Plasma and LCD panels are improving, with falling prices and withLaser and SED TVs looming on the horizon, you'd be wise to wait just a bitlonger. Now is not the ideal time to buy. But then, when is?
And one last piece of advice: if you're dead-set on buying an HDTV, make sure you spend all you can afford. Because money buys quality. And if you find a 'bargain' TV made by an unknown brand, odds are that it'll be awful.
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