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You are here: Home > Helpful Information > The HDTV Programming Hitch

The HDTV Programming Hitch


You've finally ponied up for a big time TV. You've got great seats on your own couch and a sound system in your entertainment center that will make you feel the action. You've even signed up for the premium digital package with your cable company or slapped a dish on the house. You're ready. You settle in with your popcorn, flip it on, and brace yourself for the television revolution. It has arrived... hasn't it?

The truth is that the amount of High Definition programming available is pretty pathetic, especially when you tally up all the cash you shelled out to get the ultimate TV experience. The good news is that slowly but surely it's getting better.

CRT TVs
If you've still got an old Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) set in your entertainment center you probably don't know what you're missing. Even if the program claims it is in HD, which it very well may be, you simply can't receive the HD signal on these dinosaur sets. You may have digital cable, but that doesn't mean your TV is set up for HD.

You may even be paying for HD channels though you can't get the HD picture on your TV. If you've got an old CRT TV, don't pay for premium HD programming. You just can't get it.

HD Ready
Maybe you've got an HD Ready TV. That's fine, as long as you've got an HD decoder box, which your cable company should provide (though sometimes for a rental fee). Otherwise, you'll have to buy one for several hundred dollars. If you've got this box and an HD ready set, you've got HD -- when it's broadcast that is.

HDTVs
If you have a true High Definition Television, you don't need the decoder box, but you probably paid more up front. Your TV decodes the HD signal automatically, so you won't have to clutter up your entertainment center with extra equipment.

HD Programming
Most major local stations have a separate channel over which they broadcast some programs in HD. Typically, this doesn't apply to reality shows. Commercials are usually still in standard definition (SD) as well. Even the HD broadcasts of local news shows often use HD in the studio and switch to SD for field reports.

Some national movie and sports networks offer a premium HD channel, but these, too, still broadcast some programming in SD.

Cable or Satellite
If you sign up for digital cable, you should receive the local HD programming and a few HD only channels, but you will probably pay for the rest. If you choose satellite, you will likely receive all the HD channels, though you may not get your local broadcasts in HD. It's always a good idea to ask and figure out what's best for what you watch.

The HDTV revolution has definitely begun, but it's not over. You may have to settle for some SD programming for a while, but be patient. It will soon be a thing of the past.