Finding The Best HD Set

February 6, 2009 – 1:48 pm, posted by Oliver

HD Set

What does it really take to enjoy HD programming? Is a lonely HDTV set sufficient? Of course not. There are plenty of factors that impact on the quality of the content that we watch.

First, we must understand that in today’s digital cable and satellite driven entertainment world, our TV’s are only tools used to display images that are fed to them. Long gone are the days where rabbit ear antennas or roof top units were ample to get good quality signal.

We must first feed out TV set the High Definition Signal it deserves. This means that in order to benefit from HD you must subscribe to programming that is broadcast in that format. Either cable or satellite providers will set you up. You will need to buy or rent a High Definition receiver for the duration of your subscription. You will also need to properly hook up your receiver to the television set using adequate wiring as well as to properly configure the settings for both the receiver and television set. Both the cables and HD provider hardware are widely available at electronics stores such as Best Buy. You may also consider acquiring a home theater sound system to increase the audio experience offered by digital audio signals as well as a professional in home setup to insure optimal configuration.



  1. 4 Responses to “Finding The Best HD Set”

  2. I find this post full of misinformation. A “lonely HDTV set” with rabbit ears can pick up DTV signals within range of the rabbit ears, no converter box or cable/satellite service is required. Most DVD players will supply a signal up to 720p, and the newer HD and Blu-Ray DVD players supply the best currently available signal of 1080p, better than ANY cable/satellite signal of 1080i. Any of these options is cheaper than cable/satellite, and NONE of them require any sort of converter box. ONLY IF you are attracted to the CHANNELS available on cable/satellite, would you consider that expense.

    By Low-end tv watcher on Feb 13, 2009

  3. I fully agree with the comment above. Quality of a signal picked up with rabbit ears is often far superior to that received over cable/satellite

    By hdtvlabs on Feb 13, 2009

  4. Over-the-air signal (broadcast television) provides the best quality content available today.

    Many still use their rabbit ears or original attic/roof antenna with great results.

    The problem is for those who were very near the digital “cliff” before the transition. These would be those who’s antennas needed adjustment when changing channels and those who saw ghosts and fading. If this is/were you, upgrade your antenna and enjoy the best picture available and the additional local channels that your cable or satellite provider won’t provide.

    By highdefjeff on Apr 29, 2009

  5. It’s true that most HD TV’s need only an antenna which can be as simple as a pair of quality Rabbit ears. This is of course provided that one lives within 20 miles of the broadcast signal. The greater the distance from the source the more antenna size and sensitivity comes into play. Uncompressed off air picture quality can be excellent, and is generally better than that received through cable.

    “Most DVD players will supply a signal up to 720p.”

    Actually a standard DVD can produce only 480P (720X480 doesn’t equal 720P), although many now can upconvert to 1080P. Upconverting doesn’t improve the picture quality but it does make them playable on HD TV.

    HD DVD and Blu-Ray is about as good as it gets for now.

    By Soph on May 17, 2009

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