Hdtv Galaxy

The next time you try to buy a television, prepare to face a torrent of acronyms, formats, specs, and screen measurements that may make you think twice about whether you really need to join the modern entertainment age. It’s not entirely your decision to make, though, is it? Broadcasters, TV manufacturers, cable and satellite providers, and the federal government are all pushing us down the path to the futuristic world of high-definition TV, whether we want to go or not, and our PCs may be coming along, too.

Regardless of this apparent manifest destiny, you’d think the people who make televisions would want us to feel informed and comfortable enough to make a buying decision of $1,000 to $2,000 or more without leaving us feeling that we’re being taken for a ride. (Shouldn’t Panasonic, for example, be leading a worldwide educational effort—or must we all go on a field trip to Japan?) So far, they haven’t shown much interest in helping us out.

Which is, of course, why we have the Internet. Start at Marshall Brain’s HowStuffWorks: How HDTV Works [howstuffworks.com/hdtv.htm] for a 10-minute lesson on HDTV basics: what it is, why it’s different, and what you need to buy. It’s here that we learned the important difference between a true HDTV and an HD-ready TV (the latter requires a set-top converter).

Find more in-depth articles and FAQs at HDTV Defined! [hdtvinfoport.com] and HDTV Galaxy [hdtvgalaxy.com], where true TV geeks share the latest info. If you’ve seen wide-screen TVs at the electronics superstore and are wondering about them, check out tech expert Robert X. Cringely’s clear explanation of the aspect ratios of the future at Digital TV: A Cringely Crash Course [pbs.org/opb/crashcourse/aspect_ratio], which offers plenty of illustrations.

A quick browse through some online electronics stores led to a great plain-English FAQ at Digital Connection: Digital Multimedia FAQs [digitalconnection.com/faq/hdtv_6.htm], which admits that “the labels HDTV and HD-ready may be of some confusion to the consumer.” Uh, yeah, just a bit. Fortunately, the site goes on to demystify them and untangle other abbreviations as well.

But why even consider buying an HD-ready TV at this early stage of the game if there’s no programming available that you’ll enjoy? Check Home Theater: HDTV Program Schedule by Network [hometheatermag.com/hdtv.shtml] to find out which of your favorite shows are already being broadcast at high-definition quality. Jay Leno, anyone? Once you’ve found something to watch, check out Home Theater: Receiving HDTV [hometheatermag.com/showarchives.cgi?86] for a three-step boot camp on receiving HDTV signals. In a nifty back-to-the-future twist, you may find that the best way to get your HDTV fix (for now) is with a rooftop antenna.

Copyright © 2002 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Yahoo! Internet Life.

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