High Definition (HD) Digital Television

What does "HD Ready" Mean?

"HD Ready" is a labeling scheme that is being introduced by the European TV manufacturer's organisation EICTA in order to make clear to consumers what they are buying. The "HD Ready" logo will appear on an increasing number of TVs in shops. Any TV that carries the "HD Ready" label will work with Sky's HD service and will be capable of displaying an HD picture.

TVs that meet requirements of the HD Ready logo must:

• Have minimum native picture resolution of 720 lines in wide aspect ratio.
• Support either 720p/50 or 1080i/25 picture formats.
• Be capable of accepting HD input by DVI (with HDCP) or HDMI (with HDCP) and component inputs.
• Some TVs have the correct screen resolution to receive Sky's HD service but do not have HDMI or DVI connectors. These TVs do not carry the "HD Ready" logo but may still be able to connect to Sky's initial HD box using analogue component connectors.

Types of TV

• CRT TVs: Cathode Ray Tube TVs. Until plasma and LCD TVs were invented, these were the main type of TV. They are the sets most people have in their living rooms. The disadvantage of a CRT is that they can be quite bulky, especially in bigger screen sizes, which is why many people are now buying flatter plasma and LCD TVs. Only a small minority of CRT TVs are high definition. If you are thinking about buying a High Definition (HD) CRT we recommend that you choose one which is greater than 26" and that carries the "HD Ready" logo.
• LCD TVs: LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) TVs are one of the main types of flat screen TVs. They are made up of two transparent panels with a liquid crystal solution sandwiched between the two. Typically, LCDs have smaller screen sizes than plasmas. Remember that not all LCD TVs are high definition. If you are thinking about buying a new LCD we recommend that you choose one which is greater than 26" and that carries the "HD Ready" logo.
• PlASMA TVs: Plasma TVs are one of the main types of flat screen TV. They are created by thousands of tiny tubes filled by ionised gas in a plasma state. Not all not all LCD TVs are high definition - if you are thinking about buying a new plasma we recommend that you choose one which is greater than 26" and that carries the "HD Ready" logo.
• DLP Rear Projection TVs: These TVs use the DLP (Digital Light Processor) - a device that uses millions of little mirrors - one for each screen pixel - to create a projected image. The DLP device is also used in front projectors for the complete cinema feel.