Comcast Cable TV Promotion
Getting an HDTV set can be a real positive step in your enjoyment of your home entertainment center. That’s because high definition TV sets have screens with wider aspect ratios than conventional TV sets and they often have narrower profiles than conventional TV sets (at least if they’re Plasma screens or LCD displays) for a more stylish look. However, there are some additional things that you need to do in order to get full enjoyment from your new HDTV set. Specifically, you need HDTV programming, an HDTV receiver to decode it, and a sound system that can take advantage of the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound that’s part of the HDTV standard.
This may come as a surprise to you, but HDTV is actually a type of TV programming rather than a type of TV. Sure, you need an HDTV set to watch HDTV programming, but the HDTV set does not automatically make everything that it displays into HDTV. The difference is that conventional TV sets only display pictures with up to 480 horizontal lines of resolution, while an HDTV set can display up to 720 or 1080 horizontal lines of resolution- depending on the model. More lines of resolution translate into a more detailed picture, but those extra lines of resolution must be part of the TV programming in order to be displayed on the HDTV screen.
Fortunately, HDTV programming is relatively easy to obtain. It’s available through most cable TV companies in the form of channels that are dedicated to providing TV programming in the HDTV format. Some HDTV channels are simply high def versions of channels that are also available in conventional TV format, but some are also specialty channels. More HDTV channels are coming into existence all the time and the cable TV industry sees delivering them to subscribers as a vital part of maintaining its competitive advantage.
Cable TV companies can also provide the HD receiver necessary to view HDTV programming. Often it’s included at no extra expense with a subscription to a programming package that includes HDTV channels. These receivers also work with channels of normal TV and many have built in digital video recorders. These DVR’s are capable of recording dozens or hundreds of hours of both HDTV and normal TV, depending on the model. More importantly, they can be easily programmed ahead of time to record programs that the subscriber can’t be around to watch when they come on. This makes it a good device to have as part of a home entertainment center.
Unfortunately, cable TV companies won’t help you out with the sound system that complements HDTV programming, but such a sound system is relatively easy to install yourself. It involves placing three speakers in front of the audience, two behind the audience, and installing a sub woofer on the floor to provide bass output. Properly configured, this system will envelope the audience in the sound.
As you can see, HDTV places some more demands on viewers in terms of what’s needed to enjoy it, but once those requirements are taken care of, it delivers a lot more quality!
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