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Published on February 13, 2008

However, a better understanding of the current transition of television standards to digital is becoming essential, especially when considering the purchase of a new television set.

The transformation of television standards to digital means the native resolution of display panels [screens] is changing from 525i or 480i to 1,080i or 1,080p. The numbers refer to scan lines, and interlaced (i) or progressive (p) scan.

HDTV broadcasting has already been launched in Thailand by satellite, and although HD digital broadcasting from ground stations may still be a long way off, what we have now will eventually encourage a growth in HDTV for home-theatre viewing.

First, though, let's consider HD disc formats. The manufacturers of two formats - HD-DVD and Blu-ray - have competitively released HD players into the market. However, the formats are incompatible; they cannot use the same players, so the manufacturers are promoting their products separately. That leaves hardware manufacturers, film studios and consumers to choose one or the other. In fact, Blu-ray discs have recently been hitting markets in greater numbers than those of HD-DVD.

Both disc formats are HD, with 1,080p or Full HD attributes. This is the main reason LCD-TV technology has opted to support 1,920-x-1,080p native-resolution panels.

The standard for HDTV is any one of three resolutions: 720p, 1,080i or 1,080p. The 1,080p standard is alternately called Full HD, because it delivers native resolution at 1,920 x 1,080p. The 1,080i standard displays more lines and thus delivers more information. This produces better resolution, or sharper pictures. However, the 1,080p's full-frame progressive scanning enables it to reproduce fast-moving action and graphics without blurring the image.

An important fact for consumers concerning HDTV resolution is that a television receiver is capable of converting incoming signals to whatever its native resolution is, so all television signals may be viewed in the set's native format. For instance, a liquid-crystal-display television set with 1366 x 768 native resolution is capable of converting incoming signals to 720p, 1,080i or 1,080p, but its real resolution will be no more than 720p.

Therefore, when you look for an HDTV, always look for one that comes with native resolution of 1,920 x 1,080p, for full HD resolution. Otherwise, the television will commonly be referred to as "HDTV-ready".

If you have never experienced Blu-ray or HD-DVD picture quality, there are now DVD players that are capable of converting - called "upscaling" - incoming signals from 480i to 1,080i. Although the picture quality and details are not on a par with HD-DVD or Blu-ray discs, it is nevertheless a good start to the HD experience.

HDTV pictures can also be picked up from Shin Satellite, and the other means of viewing HDTV is from HD camcorders being promoted for home-movie recording.

Overall, the arrival of full-scale HD home viewing is just around the corner.

By Wijit Boonchoo

The Nation

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