High Definition Hardware

Networking your Home

Only a few years ago, home theaters consisted of large tube-based TVs, VCRs, and stereos with two speakers. Today, home theaters consist of flat-panel HDTVs, receivers, surround sound speakers, DVD players, and more. So what components will make up the home theater of tomorrow? Audio, video, and data distribution will be key to the future home theater, which will soon morph into a home theater network.

What makes an HD image so good?

Unless you have been living in a box for the last few months you are bound to have heard about the impending release of HDTV in the UK, and the potential benefits that High Definition offers.

High Definition TV is being touted as the biggest revolution in TV for years. Bold statements such as the difference being as big as that between black and white and colour have already put HD on a pedestal.

What is HDMI?

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the first industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface. HDMI provides an interface between any audio/video source, such as a set-top box, DVD player, and A/V receiver and an audio and/or video monitor, such as a High definition digital television (HDTV).

What is High Definition Hardware?

High Definition (Hi-Def) hardware is a term used to describe hardware that is compatible or able to send or receive a video signal that is of a higher quality than standard definition.

This technology is far from new, computer screens have always displayed images with more detail and of a higher quality than you would achieve on a standard definition display. However, what is new is the increased demand for high quality displays from the general consumer and as more and more video is viewed through computer style Plasma and LCD screens, Projectors and large computer monitors, there is a need to bridge the gap in quality and create a compatible standard.

Toshiba releases new HD-XA1

Toshiba has unveiled its new HD-XA1 High Definition (HD) DVD player which promises to deliver exceptional image quality, life-like clarity and enhanced audio playback from what Toshiba (and others) hope will be the next generation movie format and replacement for the current standard DVD. Alongside the playback of pre-recorded HD DVDs, Toshiba's HD-XA1 also offers support for up-conversion of standard DVDs to a resolution of 1080i or 720p through a HDCP capable HDMI connection, meaning your current DVD collection should look even better!

HD Ready TV Buyers Guide

So you’ve decided its time to buy that new High Definition Ready Television, but what do you actually need to look out for?

High Definition Hardware’s TV Buyers Guide covers the key things that you need to be aware of when purchasing a new High Definition TV.

Projectors

The only way to get the real big screen experience

There are those that argue that enjoying a movie at home is simply not the same unless you are projecting an image. Now you may disagree, however it is certainly a giant step closer to real cinema. If you're a beginer then chances are you will be looking at using either DLP or LCD technology. Both are impressive when used properly and a huge let down if they are not.

SED

The return of the tube: thinner, flatter, better

Not everyone believes that plasma and LCD is the future. Toshiba is developing SED (Surface conduction Electronic-emitter Display) in a joint venture with Canon. Canon began research into SED in 1986 and needed a partner with TV experience, which is where Toshiba stepped in.

Like CRT, SED uses a tube, only one that's thinner and flatter. However, it doesn't need an electron gun or shadowmask and has a much lower power consumption. Each SED pixel has an emitter that fires an electron beam at a phosor in front of it. The screen is a vacuum, much like a conventional CRT.

SED screens are brighter than CRTs while current contrast rates at 10,000:1 - a black level superior to plasma or LCD. At launch, SED panels may be just 50mm deep and weigh just 10kg for a 50in screen. SED is compatible with high defintion sources. The first examples should be availalbe later on this year

Rear-Projection

Plasma pics without the price-tag

Rear projection TV's looked as if they were heading for extinction when flatpanels first appeared, however they seem to have staged a remarkable comeback, thanks to the so-called microdisplay technologies such as DLP and LCD.

By replacing traditional three-tubed sets, rear projection models have become slimmer and sharper. You can still buy CRT based rear projection sets, but their inabiliaty to display high definition has confined them to the budget end of the market. The most exciting genre of the current rear projection models are the DLPs. These offer huge screen sizes at prices far lower than Plasma or LCD - with a comparible image quality.

Plasma / LCD

With prices falling and quality ever improving, slimline seems like the only way to go.

A Plasma or LCD screen seems like the must have product for the style-concious. Seducing us with their skinny build and huge screens - the perfect gadget.

You'll find sizes of 32, 42, 50, 55 and 61in varieties, along with a few others.