Plenty of reliable and comprehensive information is available on the web and in technology magazines that can serve as an in-depth education on high definition, and the pros and cons of different formats, products and setups. If you're an expert in these matters, no need to read further. HDBlu provides this starting guide for everyone else.
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1. What is High Definition and Should I Be Interested?
Simply put, high definition (HD) generally refers to systems that enable a higher level of clarity in audio and video than standard definition - standard definition being what most people are accustomed to as of today. For video, clarity is largely associated with a metric commonly referred to as resolution. For audio, clarity is often related to the ability to separate sounds into more discrete channels and at a higher quality. Adopting HD, or an interest in HD, is obviously up to you. We'll just try to offer up a few reasons why you might (or might not) like to learn more.
For instance, you might have already taken an interest in HD without realizing! Chances are, you're reading this on your laptop or PC. If you've grown to enjoy the level of detail you see on the screen when you browse the web or look at your digital photos, you're really enjoying an implementation of high definition. If so, you might be interested in HD so that you can enjoy the same level of detail in your everyday television or movie-watching.
You may have also heard that your won't be able to watch regular TV after 2009. If you have, don't worry just yet because that's not 100% true. While it is a fact that the US gov is currently planning to turn off over-the-air TV broadcasts that year, you will only be affected if your current means of watching TV is by hooking it up to a big antenna. Cable and satellite TV subscribers don't need to worry. Unfortunately, there are thousands of people that do rely on over-the-air TV and we hope that our trusty lawmakers will help these folks make the transition. For everyone else, you might ask why this is an HD issue? Well, really only because these kinds of mandates have served as big motivators in adopting digital technology.
But perhaps the most important factor in your interest in HD is whether it's too costly. While largely relative, it's hard to dispute that adopting HD now is not cheap. High definition players, movies, recorders and TV channels all cost 25% to over 100% more than their standard definition counterparts. However, the good news is that prices are coming down, and fairly fast. One of the most critical HD components, the HD television, has seen significant price reductions between 2005 and 2006, with further reductions forecast for 2007. For instance, major LCD distributors reported a 30% drop in price in 2006 for plasma and LCD screens. Expectations for 2007 depend on specifications and demand, but all signs generally seem to indicate that prices will fall another 20% on average.
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