Last UpdatedNovember 09, 2008
What is HDTV?
Who's broadcasting HDTV in Detroit?
Where can I see or buy HDTV?
What can I see on HDTV? *updated*
What equipment do I need?
Can I record HDTV with a VCR?
Can I receive HDTV via cable?
What about digital cable?
Where can I learn more about HDTV and DTV?
My personal experience
HDTV is a subset of DTV, which is going to be the new standard for broadcast television. Actually, one could refer to several standards, for the DTV system sponsored by the ATSC encompasses 18 different formats, only some of which are considered high-definition. I'll give some really basic technical information here; there are other sources on the Web which go into more detail.
The typical resolutions seen in Detroit are 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i. The number refers to the number of horizontal lines of resolution, and "i" and "p" stand for "interlaced" (the way standard TV creates a picture) and "progressive" (the typical way a computer monitor creates a picture). Thus, "480i" refers to 480 horizontal lines per picture, interlaced; FYI, this is the digital equivalent of standard TV, which has 525 lines (480 of which contain the picture, the remainder containing control signals, closed-captioning info and other information) and an interlaced picture.
To be considered true HDTV, the picture must be widescreen; that is, it must be wider than the standard TV screen. The term for this is aspect ratio, which compares the width and the height of the picture. Standard TV has a 4:3 (1.33) aspect ratio, whereas HDTV has a 16:9 (1.78) aspect ratio, which is close to what you see in today's movie theaters.
As of April 2008, there are eight digital TV stations in Detroit:
| Station | Network | Analog channel | Digital Channel |
| WJBK | Fox | 2 | 58 (7 after 2/17/09) |
| WDIV | NBC | 4 | 45 |
| WXYZ | ABC | 7 | 41 |
| WWJ | CBS | 62 | 44 |
| WTVS | PBS | 56 | 43 |
| WKBD | CW | 50 | 14 |
| WADL | Independent | 38 | 39 |
| WMYD | MyNetwork | 20 | 21 |
Canada will use the same ATSC standard as the US, but broadcast Canadian DTV is still a few years off (August 2011 is its scheduled date for analog shutdown). There is currently no Canadian over-the-air DTV in the Windsor area. If/when Windsor's CBET starts DTV, it will be on channel 35.
On satellite, DirecTV and Dish carry several HDTV channels, such as
HBO and
Showtime, Discovery HD Theater and HDNet, ESPN, ESPN2, and so on. There was a third
satellite service, Voom, that provided HD content, but it never
attracted many subscribers.
As of 2008, DTV's and HDTV's are available just about everywhere, from consumer electronics speciality stores such as Best Buy and Circuit City to discount chains such as Wal-Mart and Target. You may recall that ABC Warehouse and channel 7 sponsored viewing parties for the HDTV broadcast of 101 Dalmatians in November 1998, which was one of the first national HDTV broadcasts. DTV tuners for your PC or Mac are available at leading computer retailers, too
Nearly everything, with the exception of most reality TV shows. For a look at what could be seen on the networks back in the early and mid 2000's, look at this list below:
CBS -- Then:
They've carried several sporting events in HDTV (AFC playoffs, NCAA
Final Four, the Masters, the US Open tennis tournament) and will
continue to do
so. In 2001, they've carried the AFC playoffs, the Super Bowl,
and the
Sony Open (PGA) in HDTV, the NCAA Final Four and the Masters. For
2003-04,
they have carried the US Open and will carry one SEC and one AFC
football game a
week, as well as the playoffs and Super Bowl. Jan. 2005: The vast majority
of their scripted programming is in HD, as well as NFL football, the
NCAA tournament, a number of golf tournaments, etc.
ABC -- Then: As of
October 2001, all of their scripted programming is being
broadcast in HDTV. In 1999,
they carried Monday Night Football in HDTV but dropped it for
2000.
In 2000, NYPD Blue was their only series being broadcast in
HDTV.
In 2003-04, Monday Night Football is back in HD, as are all of their
scripted
programming. Jan. 2005:
Scripted programming, MNF and the occasional NBA game are in HD. Good Morning America recently
become the first network news program to broadcast in HD; this was for
the presidential inauguration.
NBC -- Then:
broadcasts several series in HDTV, such as the Tonight Show,
Frasier, E/R, West Wing, American Dreams,
etc. Jan. 2005: In
addition to those programs mentioned above, NBC's other late night
programs will originate in HD come fall.
Fox -- Then: no HDTV
at all, though word is that they'll start HDTV for the
2004-05 season. However, many of their primetime series (Boston
Public, Malcolm in the Middle, 24, etc.) are
carried in 480p
widescreen format. Also, one NFL game a week is carried in
widescreen
format. The 2003-04 NFL playoffs will be in widescreen. Jan. 2005: Fox has really
caught up to the other networks in HD coverage. Much of their
scripted programming is now in HD, and all of the NFL games this season
were in HD. The Daytona 500 will also be in HD this year.
PBS -- Then: generally broadcasts three or four new programs a month in either HDTV or 480p widescreen. Also available to stations is a continuously running demo reel of over 2 hours worth of HDTV programming. WTVS carries this demo reel whenever they're not showing PBS network HD programming. Occasionally, WTVS multicasts 3 other PBS channels, including two versions of PBS Kids. As of November 2002, they are multicasting their analog channel programming on a subchannel. Jan. 2005: no real change.
Satellite and Cable
-- There has been an explosion in non-broadcast HDTV in the last few
years. HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz and The Movie Channel all
have HD versions of their main channels. HDNet operates two
channels, one for general programming and one for movies. INHD
and INHD2, available exclusively on cable, also have a wide range of
programming, from movies to sports to IMAX films. ESPN and ESPN2
have HD versions, as does the Discovery Channel.
WJBK: Broadcasts two subchannels, one in widescreen format (HD when available) and one in standard 4:3 format.
WDIV: Historically, WDIV has broadcast two subchannels, the main widescreen one (HD when available) and a second standard format channel. In the past, this channel was used to carry a live view of downtown Detroit from Windsor. This was replaced by NBC Weather Plus, which will be shutting down by the end of 2008. They have carried a subchannel for the weather radar in the past, but not now. Plans for the subchannel after 2008 are not yet confirmed.
WXYZ: They are carrying three subchannels: a widescreen channel (HD when available), a channel for the Retro Television Network (RTN), and a 24/7 weather information channel. In the past, subchannels have included a tower-cam view and ABC News Now.
WDWB: Two subchannels, a widescreen channel (HD when available) and a standard format simulcast channel. In the past, this subchannel had carried the World Championship Sports Network (now Universal Sports), but this channel was dropped in the summer of 2008.
WADL: Two standard-format subchannels, one simulcasting their analog programming, the other carrying the religious channel The Word
WKBD: One widescreen channel (HD when available)
WTVS: Three subchannels, one widescreen format (HD when available), one standard format that usually simulcasts analog programming, and one standard format carrying PBS Create.
WWJ: One widescreen
channel (HD when available).
For the latest information, check My Personal Experience with HDTV.
Cable: You'll need an
HD-capable box from your cable company. In metro Detroit,
Comcast, Bright House and Wide Open West all provide HDTV service of
some kind. Many TV's now sold in the US carry QAM-capable tuners, allowing them to received unencrypted cable DTV channels
Broadcast: To receive any DTV broadcasts, you need an HDTV receiver and an indoor or outdoor antenna. To view them at true HDTV quality, you need to have a DTV-ready or HDTV-ready set; in some cases, a good computer monitor will work. Note that all TV's now sold in the US must contain an ATSC-capable DTV tuner
Receiver: The HDTV receiver (also known as an STB, or set-top box) receives the HDTV signals and make them viewable on your receiver. The receivers will generally have outputs for both HDTV sets and for standard sets; this allows you to receive HDTV broadcasts on your regular TV set. The picture resolution will still be the standard 480i (i.e., regular TV), but it will be high-quality standard TV; the odds are that it'll be much better than what you'd get over your cable or on their regular over-the-air channels. There is more variety in the digital outputs: some receivers have a 15-pin VGA connection, just like on computers; some will have a 3-wire output called component; some will have a different means of connection, such as IEEE 1394 "FireWire"; and who knows what the future will bring? Be sure that the receiver you buy has outputs that are compatible with your viewing device. There are devices available which will convert a VGA/RGB output to a component output.
Note that all TV's now sold in the US must contain at a minimum an ATSC-capable DTV tuner, so an external box may not be necessaryAntenna: This will depend on your particular location. If you can put up an outdoor antenna, do so. I cannot, so I must use indoor antennas. On my upstairs setup, I use a Radio Shack bowtie antenna, while I used to use a Recoton amplified antenna downstairs. I have since replaced it with a Silver Sensor antenna, a UHF-only antenna imported from Britain.
Set: Available in direct-view, rear projection, and flat-panel, although flat-panel is most popular these days. Front projectors are available too, but they are way too rich for my blood.
Flat-panel: These include LCD and plasma screens.
Prices have come down dramatically over 10 years. It is now
possible to buy a 19" LCD HDTV (including ATSC tuner) for around $250.
My setup: I have two HDTV setups. My first setup uses a 26" Samsung widescreen HD monitor, which replaced a 19" Samsung multisyncing computer monitor. It's fed by a Mitsubishi SR-HD5 receiver. The analog output goes to a DVD recorder. My second setup uses Hitachi's 43FDX01B. Originally, I used a second DTC-100 going through RCA's VGA-to-component video converter. Nowadays (January 2004 to the present), I am using Comcast's HDTV service with Motorola's DCT2100 cable box. I also have an Apple iMac computer with an Elgato EyeTV Hybrid tuner, which allows me to view and record over-the-air HDTV
If you mean "Can I record HDTV that's been converted to standard TV with my regular VCR?" then the answer is generally yes. You can definitely record terrestrial HDTV broadcasts, but some of the satellite HDTV channels (notably HBO-HD) are encoded with Macrovision to prevent recording. If you mean "Can I record HDTV in its digital state so that I can watch it later on in its full resolution?" then the answer is also yes, depending on the equipment you have. If you have a tuner connected to a PC or Mac, then you can record over-the-air broadcasts and possibly some cable broadcasts. If you have a HD-capable DVR from your cable or satellite company, then you can record those broadcasts as well.
It depends on where you live. Comcast, Bright House (formerly Time Warner) and Wide Open West have HDTV service in southeastern Michigan.
Digital cable, as currently implemented, is not the same as HDTV. It's currently a form for digitally compressing analog TV signals to improve the capacity of cable systems. The output from a standard digital cable box is still an analog TV signal. If you have digital cable from your southeast Michigan cable company, you will not be able to receive any HDTV channels with it, unless you sign up for their HD service and obtain one of their HD-capable boxes.
Here are some good resources:
Written by Roger Reini
©2000-2008 R. W. Reini