SolveYourProblem
HDTV Article Series
Buying
a High Definition Television (HDTV)
3
HDTV Questions You Should Ask
Nearly 75% of cable companies now offer HDTV
broadcasts. TWC and Comcast are among the major cable companies
that provide this extraordinary service. But, cable television
isn’t always the best route for accessing HDTV. For this reason,
it is important to ask three key questions when looking into
receiving HDTV through cable in order to guarantee the best
picture quality.
Do I Need a Set-Top-Box or a Built in HDTV Tuner?
A set-top-box is a device that connects to a television and
an external source for a signal. The set-top-box turns the
signal into specific content that is then displayed on the
television screen. In the case of cable, the set-top-box receives
a signal from the cable company through a coaxial cable. When
used along with HDTV, the set-top-box decodes the High Definition
channels and sends the information to the television. In order
to reap the benefits of a set-top-box and an HDTV signal, it
is necessary to also have an HDTV television that can unscramble
the code. Televisions that need an HDTV set-top-box are generally
called “HDTV ready” because they do not have a built in HDTV
tuner, but they are compatible with an HDTV set-top-box.
A built in HDTV tuner, as the name implies, is a television
with a HDTV tuner built in. These television sets do not require
a HDTV set-top-box to receive an HDTV signal.
For cable users, purchasing a television with built in HDTV
is unnecessary. This is because most of the large cable providers
issue high definition set-top-boxes with their cable service.
The picture quality received through a set-top-box issued through
the cable company is about the same as a HDTV set-top-box that
is purchased separately.
What is the Quality of HDTV through Cable? The HDTV signal quality that is transmitted over a cable system
depends on the cable company. This quality is dependent upon
the capacity of the cable company’s system, as well as its
philosophy in regards to signal transmission and image quality.
It is important to note that cable companies have limitations
to the capacity of their systems. HDTV signals being transmitted
at their fullest quality take up a lot of the space available.
For this reason, many cable companies that claim to offer HDTV
don’t actually transmit the signal to its fullest quality.
This is done primarily to conserve space for video-on-demand,
pay-per-view, and other services.
To be considered true HDTV, the signal being transferred must
have 19.4 million bits per second. Often cable companies offering
HDTV only transfer 10 million bits per second. The resulting
picture still generally looks better than that received from
a regular digital channel, but it is not of the full-quality
that should be received from HDTV.
For this reason, a consumer should ask the cable company about
its bit rate before signing up with a cable company. If the
bit rate is not to the fullest 19.4 million bits per second,
then the consumer is better off sticking with receiving HDTV
through an antenna or through a satellite dish.
Is HDTV the Same as Digital Cable?
The short answer to this question is “no.”
The long answer is that a cable company needs to be digital
to be able to offer HDTV, but having digital cable doesn’t
guarantee getting HDTV. It’s just like gas for a car. A car
needs gas to run, but having gas doesn’t mean a person has
a car.
Unless a cable company specifically says that it is offering
HDTV, it most likely is not broadcasting these signals. In
fact, most digital cable services offer a mix of analog and
digital channels. Analog channels are generally the lower-numbered
channels. Furthermore, the digital channels usually look crisper
and clearer than analog channels. Nonetheless, digital channels
are not the same as HDTV channels. In addition, digital channels
look no where near as detailed and clear as HDTV.
For cable companies that do offer HDTV service, the selection
of HDTV channels can be sparse depending on the location. Before
signing up for cable service, the consumer needs to ask the
cable company if it offers HDTV and, if so, how many and which
channels are offered through HDTV. This information will help
determine whether or not it is worthwhile to sign up with the
cable company.
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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