I wrote this article originally for the HDTVetc magazine for the August 2003 issue, and it was later published on the HDTV Magazine in 2006. Consumers still go through the same struggle at national-chain stores today. I updated the article to include current HD equipment and technologies. Its tutorial substance and analysis are still applicable today, and are intended to help consumers in making the right purchasing decisions. Enjoy the reading.
The following topics are covered in this segment:
H/DTV and NTSC TV Systems, What are they?
The First Effort of the DTV Transition
Quality HDTV, or Quantity DTV, or Both?
Backward Compatibility with Legacy Analog TV for Digital Broadcast
Satellite/Cable, and the DTV Transition
Tuner Integration
The Effect DVD had for DTV
The Rush for Knowledge
You have been hearing about HDTV and decided to start looking for one. A friend of yours reminds you that the general knowledge about buying regular TVs from the CRT analog era is not sufficient to select a digital product today, so you quickly review what you read about widescreen, black bars, digital tuners and...