High Def Talk Part II:
Content
Background
Last month we talked about
high definition TV monitors and how to get started by choosing the right
HDTV equipment. This month in part 2 of 2, let's take a quick look
at high definition content to see what is available as far as getting
high definition signals to your new HD home theater.
Through the airwaves
Perhaps the most accessible way to
get HD content is to subscribe to a satellite provider that offers HD
content. Unless you live in an apartment (and sometimes even if
you do), you're likely to be able to get satellite TV because satellite
TV is available to almost anyone provided you are not surrounded by tall
trees that block the satellite signal based on where on your house (or
in your yard) you can install the receiving dish. Since satellite
TV depends on "line of sight" transmission, it doesn't depend on other
services (like cables) being installed to your house. While
federal law grants you the right to install up to an 18 inch dish even
if you are in a subdivision with covenants/bylaws, there may be some
local restrictions, so check with the provider you are considering to
see if the satellite TV service can be installed in your location.
Of course, if you already have one of these services, just call or visit
their web site to inquire about getting upgraded equipment and
subscription plans for HD content. Below are the two major
satellite TV providers:
-
Dish Network: Dish Network offers one
of the most comprehensive high definition packages on the market as of
this writing as they (relatively) recently took over VOOM satellites
which are dedicated to HD content. If you are looking for the most
HD channels, Dish may be your best bet at this time regardless of what
other services may be available to you. To see what Dish Network
has to offer in the way of HD content, click
this link. You can contact Dish Network from their web site to
find out if you can receive Dish Network programming from your location.
A visit to your home may be required to determine if the satellite
dish(es) can be located/aimed from your home/property. You may
also wish to inquire as to whether or not Dish Network carries your
local TV channels in high definition and if they don't, whether it is
possible to receive these channels OTA (over the air) via an antenna at
your location in addition to the satellite dish(es). While
visiting the web site, you can check plans/pricing as well.
-
DirecTV: DirecTV has fewer HD
channels than Dish, but they do plan to add more and even launch more
satellites to carry more content at some point. Details on timing
are sketchy/speculative at best. To see what DirecTV has to offer
in the way of HD content, click
this link. You can contact DirecTV from their web site to find
out if you can receive their service from your location. A visit
to your home may be required to determine if the satellite dish(es) can
be located/aimed from your home/property. You may also wish to
inquire as to whether or not DirecTV carries your local TV channels in
high definition and if they don't, whether it is possible to receive
these channels OTA (over the air) via an antenna at your location in
addition to the satellite dish(es). While visiting the web site,
you can check plans/pricing as well.
In addition to satellite TV
providers, most areas that have access to broadcast TV via the old
"rabbit ears" also now have digital broadcast TV. OTA (over the
air) channels will be limited to what you can receive as far as the
major networks from local stations (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, etc.).
See
last month's article for information on receiving HD over the air
and to find out whether or not there are digital channels in your area.
While over the air choices/channels are limited, once you buy the HD
tuner box (if your TV doesn't already have one), you can receive content
for free. Believe it or not, over the air HD signals are some of
the highest quality you'll experience because they are typically less
"processed" than HD content that goes up to a satellite or to a
cable/fiber provider and is re-encoded for viewing. Don't think
noise and snow when you think about over the air high definition
broadcasts as they are just as "digital" and often even cleaner than
other providers.
Wired/fiber HD content
If you live in an apartment or other
location where satellite dishes are not an option, the next logical
option is a cable/fiber service that delivers HD content via a physical
cable to your residence. Most cable companies offer high
definition packages, but be aware that many cable providers only offer a
handful of channels so check their web site or call them to be sure
exactly what channels are offered in HD. Also be aware that with
cable, some of your (non HD) channels may be "analog", meaning they are
not digital and can be susceptible to noise/snow just like an old TV
with rabbit ears. "Digital Cable" often means that only a portion
of the channels are digital and noise-free while many are still the old
analog format. If you want to know which channels are digital
versus analog, just check with the cable company or their web site.
One of the most promising "cable"
services is Verizon
FIOS. FIOS is Verizon's fiber optic answer to local cable
providers. They offer a very good selection of HD channels and
also offer (extremely) high speed internet that beats just about
anything else available for residential customers. Unfortunately,
if you are reading this article any time close to when it was written
(March 2007), there is more than a 90% chance that you cannot get
Verizon FIOS where you live as its availability is very sparse right now
due to the necessity to install fiber optic cables to every location
where it is being offered. You can enter your phone number on the
web site above to find out whether or not you can get FIOS. Note
that FIOS TV and internet are actually separate services but if you can
get FIOS, it is likely you'll be able to get both: high speed internet
and TV.
Hardware for
satellite/cable HD content
These days any company who offers HD
content via satellite or cable also offers equipment that allows you to
receive the HD content and send it to your TV (monitor). The most
common setup is an HD DVR (digital video recorder). For those
familiar with Tivo, you'll know what these are. They are simply a
decoder box with a hard drive inside that allows you to record HD
content for later playback. Many offer nice features like passes
where you can record all episodes of a certain show automatically, even
if the times change, etc. An HD DVR is the best way to enjoy
broadcast HD content as you can pick the shows/movies you want and you
get to pick the time you watch them. Be aware that most services
offer to rent the DVR for a small fee assessed on your monthly bill so
many times you don't have to pay a lot for the equipment.
Other hardware: HD
DVD and Blu-Ray
HD DVD and Blu-Ray are the next
generation digital media format. Both the size of a standard DVD,
they hold as much as 10x or more data and therefore support HD content.
Unfortunately, the "format war" is still ongoing and there is no clear
winner amongst these two competing HD disc formats. That's part of
the reason why not all newly released movies are available in HD DVD or
Blu-Ray even though most of the mail rental services do allow you to
rent the ones that are available at no extra charge over what you pay
for renting standard DVD's. At the moment, HD DVD players are
about $500 and Blu-Ray disc players are about double at $1000. If
you buy a player that only supports one of the two formats, you'll only
be able to watch movies released in that format and some movies are only
released in one of the two formats. This is especially true for
HD-DVD since Sony owns Blu-Ray and will therefore not allow movies from
Sony Pictures to be released on HD DVD.
There is finally one "hybrid" player
at about $1100 that can play both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs but from what
I understand, this first hybrid player is really a Blu-Ray player with
HD-DVD support added almost as an afterthought. Apparently it
doesn't support the full HD-DVD spec as far as being able to use all the
menus/features of HD-DVD. Unless you have deep pockets and just
want to play with a new toy, the word here is still... wait and see.
Good hybrid players with less problems and faster boot up times should
be available within the next year so it still probably isn't the best
time to get into HD-DVD or Blu-Ray.
Do all HD channels
carry HD content?
Well, yes and no. All HD
channels carry true HD content from time to time, but that doesn't mean
that the channel continuously broadcasts nothing but HD content!
Take the major networks for example. Nearly all prime time (that
would be 8:00pm or later here on the east coast) shows on major networks
are now broadcast in high definition including dramas like CSI Miami,
Jericho, etc. and even half hour sitcoms. The exceptions are
reality shows like Survivor or The Apprentice or news/documentary shows
like Dateline or 20/20 where footage is shot with non HD cameras as the
shooting environment is less controlled out in the field. It is
worth mentioning then, that just because you are watching an HD channel
does not necessarily mean that you'll be watching HD content 24/7.
In fact, while many football games are broadcast in HD during football
season, you'll occasionally find some broadcast in SD (standard
definition). Of course, major sporting events like the Super Bowl
and the Daytona 500 are broadcast in HD and the best part is, if you
have an OTA (over the air) tuner, you can receive these broadcasts in
all their glory for free with just a table top or rooftop antenna
provided you are close enough to a TV station/tower.
Summary
In this short article, we've taken a
look at the major players involved in getting the high definition
content you need delivered to your home. A big part of enjoying
your new high definition home theater is being able to get actual high
definition content on your system. More and more HD content is
becoming available and it is certainly no longer true that having a high
definition TV doesn't make sense because there isn't any good HD
material. The material is there for the taking and it's getting
better all the time!
Mike Chaney
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