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Tune in or Tune Out to HDTV


To tune in or tune out to HDTV, that is the question. All of the major television networks in the United States including ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and WB are broadcasting a number of their regularly scheduled programs in HDTV. Jumping on the bandwagon is UPN although their programming in HDTV is very limited. In the fall of 2004 FOX joined the other channels by broadcasting in 720p (one of the formats used in HDTV), as opposed to what they had done in the past which was programming in 480p or standard definition digital TV.

Other channels are also catching on to the appeal of HDTV. Some of these include popular channels Discovery, ESPN, HBO, FOX Sports, Showtime and TNT. Cable systems are tuning into HDTV as well. Many systems throughout the United States including Comcast, COX, Cablevision and Time Warner are providing cable service to their customers. DirecTV and Dish Network, the two main service providers of satellite television in the U.S. have decided to switch to HDTV as well. More and more broadcasters are choosing to tune in to HDTV and all of its benefits as opposed to tuning out.

HDTV however does have its down side. Gaining access to what is available on HDTV is not always an easy feat for the average television watcher. High-definition television is still not accessible for everyone to watch and many smaller stations cannot yet afford the cost of broadcasting its programs in this manner. For example, many local HDTV broadcasts only become available over-the-air if you have an antenna but some cable companies don't have the resources to guarantee that all of the HDTV signals come through the television. For that reason many viewers are losing out. To use another example, most HDTV programming is available through satellite in the form of movie and sports channels. But local and/or network programming often suffers as it is broadcast less seldom in this manner. None of this is good news for television enthusiasts.

Price is often a factor in whether consumers can tune in or out to HDTV. Many cable companies price their HDTV service well out of range for the average low to middle income earner. While some companies opt to offer the very basic HDTV services with no extra charge whatsoever, a great majority charge more for the privilege of watching HDTV. Some cable companies choose to offer to their customers local and movie channels in a type of HDTV tier but there is an added cost for this. Even worse some companies take this a step further and charge their customers even more money for channels such as Discovery-HD for instance and ESPN-HD.

Another issue involved in the decision of whether or not to tune into HDTV is what exactly is required to be able to make use of HDTV. Let's take a closer look at this important issue.

To break it down into its basic components, three things are needed in order to watch HDTV. They are a source of HDTV programming, whether it takes the form of Broadcast, Cable or Satellite; the proper apparatus, i.e. an HD-antenna, an HD-satellite box, an HD-cable box or an HD-set-top box, and lastly, a television set that is an integrated HDTV or is HD-upgradeable (also known as HD-compatible or HD-ready).

First of all before embarking on an HDTV adventure, make sure that HDTV service is actually available in your area. If it’s not, then it is a moot point to go any further. If your service area does have HDTV programming then you need to find out what you require in terms of an antenna, in order to be able to receive signals from HDTV. To use an example, if HDTV service in your area is broadcast over-the-air but your local cable or satellite service has nothing to do with the signals then it will be necessary for you to buy a HDTV-antenna in order for the HDTV signals to be passed through into your television. Finally the kind of television you invest in is of utmost importance. An integrated HDTV comes equipped with an HDTV tuner installed in it. This means no extra money must be put out to purchase an external box to receive signals. On the other hand, an HD-upgradeable television makes it necessary for you to add what is known as a set-top box to your television set in order to receive HDTV programming. This will involve an added cost to you and the prices for the box do vary from place to place.

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