HD (high definition) is the latest in a long line of major
improvements in television technology, which has moved from
black-and-white analogue to widescreen colour digital over the last
50 years. HD gives you exceptionally clear, crisp pictures with
vivid colours and up to five times more detail than standard
definition.
HDTV is now available in New Zealand with Freeview|HD
TM
TVNZ launched HD platform with the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
starting in August.
Television NZ will also continue HD with selective peak time
viewing on varying nights across both TV ONE and TV2.
Nearly all internationally produced movies and most television
programmes are now HD. This means they have a higher resolution
(either 720 or 1080 vertical lines in the picture) than standard
definition (576 lines). 1080i and 720p are the two common broadcast
formats; 'p' stands for progressive and 'i' interlace scanning. The
resulting picture quality is therefore considerably better and HD
also provides other benefits such as smoother motion, richer and
more natural colours and surround sound.
Picture quality may vary depending on hardware and signal strength. Above is an example of the picture you may get with each signal. The SD (analogue) example shows a picture with static interference. A picture delivered by a digital signal is not affected by this.
To be ready for HD broadcasts you'll need a TV with at least 1280 * 720 resolution and an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) input, an HDMI cable, and it must have HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) or no HD picture (most TV's that meet these requirements say 'HD Ready' but check carefully before you buy). Then you'll need a HD capable digital terrestrial receiver (to decode the digital signal).
In summary there are four requirements to enjoy the HDTV
experience:
