FAQ

High Definition Television is the ultimate of high quality viewing experience available in Japan and the USA and now partly available in the UK and the rest of Europe. SKY Satellite Broadcasting has started to broadcast transmissions in early 2006. Beside an incredible picture quality with amazing detail, HD provides a high quality audio experience with Dolby 5.1 sound.

These two items must not be confused as competing - they are two elements that work together. Digital Television transmissions provide a much stronger quality signal than the soon to be replaced analogue signal. Currently in the UK both analogue and digital are being transmitted in parallel though analogue is to phased out gradually by the year 2010 / 2012.

High Definition Television broadcasts need to be transmitted via a Digital signal.

IMPORTANT - Please note that not all HD-ready TV sets have digital tuners to reproduce transmitted Digital TV programmes; i.e. FreeView.

To receive Digital TV programmes, i.e., FreeView, your TV must incorporate a DVB tuner. Ask your retailer for details.

In readiness for High Definition programmes look for a Plasma, LCD, DLP or 3LCD Projector TV which has the HD-ready logo - please see the TECHNOLOGY section on this site for a full explanation.

A. For the UK the satellite provider, SKY started broadcasting High Definition programmes in early 2006 initially consisting of:

SKY Sports - Live Barclays Premiership Football and Guiness Premiership Rugby;

SKY Movies - With two Screens showing all films in HD including, Spider Man 2, The Day After Tomorrow and The House of Flying Daggers;

SKY One - A range of Shows;

ArtsWorld - A selection of Opera, Dance and Classical Music;

SKY Box Office - A choice of up to Ten HD movies a week

In the UK, the BBC announced in the Autumn of 2005 it will commence conducting test broadcasts during 2006. The Corporation already have some recorded material / programmes in HD created during 2005.

Initially there will be a requirement for a special, separate STB - Set-Top-Box. For terrestrial receiving will be via aerial through a FREEVIEW type box. Satellite transmissions and cable will be the earlier option. SKY will have a new HD box and relevant subscriptions - please consult your local TV retailer for further details or visit www.sky.com/hd for more information.

YES. Though not widely available as yet, already there are two contenders producing two different DVD formats that will play their own new breed of HD software supported by their relevant major film studios - Blu-ray and HD-DVD.         

Both are high quality formats and it is up to each individual to support whichever. For more information about the Sony led Blu-ray consortium - www.blu-ray.com. For information about the Toshiba - NEC led HD-DVD - http://www.hddvdprg.com