What are HD Channels?

Programs are just better with HDTV!

Let’s use sports programs as the example. Sports viewing is extremely demanding because of the action. There are many reasons why having HD Channels make for better sports viewing but these are three of the most important:

#1 – More On-Screen Detail when watching HD Channels

At the lowest resolutions you get on HD channels, you still have many, many more times the number of dots and lines on the screen making up the picture than the older analog television standard. This means that you will see more details more clearly. If you have seen some of the newer artificial turf, you know that dirt (or at least rubber particles) fly when a soccer ball bounces or a football runner cuts this way or that. Now you can actually see it on your HDTV.

Was it a curve or a fast ball?
Was it really a three point shot or was the player’s toe on the line?
Did the receiver have possession or did the ball touch the grass?
Where will this putt break or pick up speed?

On HD Channels the replays are much, much more clear. Details are critical when officials view replays and now you can see what they see. This is the way sports were meant to be seen!

#2 – Widescreen shows you More of the Field

It’s true! Almost without exception, new HDTV’s are large widescreens and that alone means a bigger picture. HDTV’s aspect ratio is 16:9 (Width:Height) as opposed to 4:3 of the current NTSC system. With the higher resolution of HD Channels, you don’t lose any of the detail.

For football, which is played on a rectangular field, the picture is spectacular. See the quarterback and the defense he is attacking at the same time. You see the receiver cut and break free just as the quarterback does. That changes the way you watch and understand the game. From behind the running back you see more of the line of scrimmage as the line blocks and he makes his decision about which hole to hit. Watching football on HD Channels really is more like being there!

The wider screen is also changing the way sports shows are produced. The camera can be pulled back for a wider shot and, when watching HD Channels, detail is not lost. More of the golf course can be seen as the shot flies off the tee. This gives you an entirely different perspective on what is happening.

#3 – Dolby Digital surround sound puts you in the park

Don’t forget the sounds of sports. What would basketball be without squeaking sneakers on hardwood floors? What would baseball be without the crack of the bat when a slugger hits a hard fastball? When a shot rattles the rim, a safety creams a receiver, a tennis player returns a serve, a track official fires his starter pistol or the horses’ hooves pound the turf, you can now hear it with crystal clarity if you are watching an HDTV on one of your HD Channels. No static, hissing, crackling or popping. If you pipe this through your home entertainment surround sound system it’s like watching through an open window.