HDTV Heaven

Staff writers | Sep 22, 2006 10:53 AM
High definition video is the next big thing for Australia. We explain the essential technologies for your TV or living room PC, and what to expect from our broadcasters.
The expectation has been building for years, the TV sets continue to be heavily promoted in stores, and now Australia’s major free-to-air broadcasters are sending next generation television over the airwaves. That is, of course, a very simple summary of what is becoming one of Australia’s biggest technological revolutions. This feature looks at the technology, the complexity and the politics – and why your PC is at the centre of it all.

If you’ve not seen HD video in action, there’s no written description that can bring the technology to life – you just have to experience it. Increasing the resolution to 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080 (the two standard HDTV formats) unleashes some major enhancements: the image looks clearer and brighter; colour gradations are smoother and more realistic; you can see more intricate forms or textures. The image looks both more lifelike and more cinematic. Some compare it to looking out of a clean window, but here’s something easier to grasp – it’s like comparing an image taken with a 1-megapixel digital camera to an image taken by a 2- or 4-megapixel model. You’re getting between double and four times the detail.

And, in theory, the PC is perfectly equipped for this. Most of us have displays capable of a 720p image (more on this later), even if we use a 1280 x 1024 LCD monitor or a 1280 x 800 laptop. What’s more, HD content is already available, from downloadable demo clips to HD trailers on Apple’s QuickTime site. With the right software – Windows Media Player 10 or QuickTime 7 - we can enjoy video recorded in the H.264 and WMV 9 (Windows Media Video) HD formats, and most recent graphics cards from NVIDIA and ATI have listed H.264 acceleration among their features. Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray PC drives are on their way, and we even have HD digital video cameras capable of shooting 1080i resolutions. What’s more, Avid, Pinnacle and Ulead have produced HD editing software to match.

But HDTV, whether for your television or your PC-connected widescreen LCD, is a minefield, and there will be winners and losers from television’s HD revolution. From the recording studio, through the broadcast network and into your living room or study, every link in the chain must be ready.

The technology
As well as the tremendous increase in resolution, HDTV also promises a more stable image, and it’s important to be clear about the different terminology. The old CRT televisions were built to handle an interlaced picture, where the image was converted into two fields of odd and even lines that alternated 50 times per second, fooling the eye into perceiving a single 25fps image. The problem is that the eye isn’t that easily fooled – it notices the slight flicker, and registers unnatural motion. The 100Hz sets were designed to fix this, but the digital processing required often resulted in noticeable digital artefacts, particularly in sequences with lots of fast movement.

The LCD and plasma screens that make up the bulk of HDTV sets use a different system, called progressive scan. Here, the whole image is updated one frame at a time at a constant 25fps or 30fps. As a result, HDTV is designed to run in three formats: 720p (1280 x 720 pixels, progressive scan), 1080i (1920 x 1080, interlaced) or 1080p (1920 x 1080, progressive scan). It’s here where Australia differs controversially from the rest of the world, where the Digital Broadcasting Australia association states that the lesser 576p (720 x 576 progressive) standard also qualifies as high definition video.

Which you use will depend on first, your set, and second, the resolutions supported by your broadcaster or source equipment. Basic HDTV sets may support only a particular resolution; most current HDTV broadcasters in the US, for example, broadcast only in 720p or 1080i; the Xbox 360 games console outputs only 720p or 1080i, and the same goes for the next-generation HD DVD format; and in Australia, you’ll find 576p and 1080i. However, both the Blu-ray format and the PlayStation 3 console are expected to support 1080p. Perhaps that’s why Sony, which produces both, is so keen to describe 1080p as the true high-definition format.

Is the premium for a 1080p set worth paying? Well, while there’s some doubt about whether 1080i is an improvement over 720p – you have to trade off added detail for that interlace flicker – there’s little doubt that 1080p offers noticeable benefits, particularly if the screen goes above 40in or you’re sitting closer to it. That added detail and smooth playback add up to a very pleasurable experience.
The final key benefit is audio. Depending on your source, you can expect anything from 5.1 Dolby Digital (in the case of Channel Nine), or Dolby Digital 2.0. HDTV services are designed to work with a full 5.1 signal.On the world stage, HDTV has been around for a while, particularly in the US and Japan. Australia has seen a painful process, where broadcasters have been mandated to provide a minimum quota of high definition broadcasts. Worse still, there’s a great deal of variation between the broadcasters, with some simply upconverted standard definition video to high definition resolutions, while others broadcasting true, native 1080i HD signals.

This chaotic situation of slow uptake and varied signal types has arisen largely from the painful costs in moving to HD broadcasting, which affects everyone in the distribution chain.

It starts with production. While standard definition (SD) programmes can be ‘upconverted’ to run in HD, the result is like using the digital zoom on a digital camera or resizing an image in Photoshop; the new pixels have to be interpolated from existing ones, so you don’t actually get any more detail. True HD programmes are shot using HD cameras, and produced using HD editing and processing equipment. Even for a small production company this is a sizable investment. Even the mighty BBC has had some trouble – it has already filmed flagship programmes in HD, including Planet Earth, Bleak House and the second season of Doctor Who, but it will be some time before HD becomes the norm across its output.

And for a broadcaster, that isn’t the only expense. Whatever the transmission platform – cable, satellite or terrestrial TV – broadcasters have a finite quantity of bandwidth to play with. This means HDTV signals need to be compressed, and as a single uncompressed MPEG2 channel might take up to 885Mb/s of bandwidth at 720p, they need to be compressed efficiently. The widespread industry adoption of the MPEG4 AVC format (also known as H.264) has dragged down the requirements to a more practical 5 to 8Mb/s, but also demanded another heavy investment in equipment. In short, HDTV puts more pressure on the broadcaster, and more pressure on its broadcast infrastructure.

And finally, there’s the cost to you: first, in terms of HD LCDs, televisions or receivers, and second, in sorting through the mess of deciding what, exactly, constitutes a HD product. The latter refers to the complicated web that various vendors have weaved to market their wares as HD compatible. A ‘HD-ready’ monitor or TV can be described as HD-capable, HDTV-compatible or HD-ready. It’s here that you need to be wary. If a manufacturer describes a screen as HD-capable, it simply means that the device is physically capable of taking data from a high-definition source and displaying it at the appropriate resolution. This doesn’t, however, mean that it has all the necessary inputs and technology to do so, and we’ll cover the reasons why this is vital later.

To get around this, an official certification process is vital, and unfortunately lacking in Australia. This would indicate to consumers whether the screen they’re purchasing will receive a native HD signal and display at its intended resolution. Ideally, it would be similar to the European industry body, EICTA, which has recently launched two logos, HDTV and HD-ready. The latter means that the product satisfies the minimum requirements for HD display: a 720-line display in the widescreen aspect ratio, support for 576p/720p and 1080i sources, an analog component-video input and a digital DVI or HDMI input, plus support over the digital input for the HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) protocol.

In addition, any reception equipment, including integrated sets with integrated HDTV receivers and set-top boxes, should show the HDTV logo. This ensures that it supports the necessary file formats (MPEG2 and MPEG4 AVC) at the necessary resolutions (720p and 1080i) with the necessary outputs (component video, DVI or HDMI), and with the necessary content-protection protocol (HDCP). This should, theoretically, guarantee that HDTV will work on your equipment.

Oddly, it’s the HDCP support that proves critical. HDCP is a standard encryption/decryption copy protection protocol designed to reassure the Hollywood studios and their TV equivalents that content won’t easily be copied directly from a digital output. The important thing to understand is that HDCP has to be supported all the way through the device chain, every time one piece of equipment connects to another. Your HD DVD or Blu-ray player will need to support it, as will your TV and your HDTV receiver. If not, any HDCP-protected content will turn up as a blank screen or as a working image with the resolution downgraded to SD.

In most cases, this won’t be a problem. If your HDTV-compliant receiver is connected to the HDMI connection or HDCP-compliant DVI input on your HD-ready set, everything works. The problem is that there are so-called HD-capable screens out there that use either an analogue component video input or a DVI input without HDCP support. As the HD DVD format looks set to demand HDCP compliance (the Blu-ray format does not) and much US-generated content will be HDCP encoded, this may cause much grief to those who invested in non-HDMI TVs in the past few years. And, as we’ll see in a minute, it also causes problems for anyone planning to enjoy HDTV on their PC.
Sports are destined to be a major HDTV showcase.
Sports are destined to be a major HDTV showcase.

The BBC's Planet Earth was shot entirely in HD, even though its initial UK broadcast is in standard definition. As HDTV grows in Australia, the US and Japan, JD will be a must-have for programmes destined for international sales.
The BBC's Planet Earth was shot entirely in HD, even though its initial UK broadcast is in standard definition. As HDTV grows in Australia, the US and Japan, JD will be a must-have for programmes destined for international sales.
So what about those of us that want to watch the television revolution via our PCs? Given all of the inherent advantages of PCs – from the high-resolution screens, powerful graphics and up-to-date codecs – surely it’s hard to get more HD-ready?

Sadly, no. First, we need a way of getting HDTV signals onto the PC. HDTV tuner add-ons, either internally or externally, are widely available, and these ensure that you can get HDTV from digital terrestrial sources, and in addition, Windows Media Center Edition 2005 supports HDTV recording and playback of these channels. Currently, all local free-to-air channels broadcast HD in some form, and in some areas. Beyond free-to-air, the big next likely source is HDTV-over-IP services. On the downside, there are major issues with HDCP in the PC sphere. Again, while large numbers
of monitors have been marketed as HD-capable, only a few support HDCP. This isn’t just an issue if encrypted shows are broadcast to your PC, but also if you buy a HD DVD drive at a later date. To make things worse, Windows Vista will be HDCP-compliant, and you might face a blank screen or a 480p image if your display isn’t equally amenable.

Widescreen multimedia monitors such as the Sony MFM-HT75W and the Samsung 950MW are your best bet – these are HDCP-certified – but check the specifications carefully and look for the HD-ready logo before buying.

Things get worse. Remember that HDCP works throughout the chain, at every point of connection. This means that not only must your monitor be HDCP-compatible, but your graphics card should be too. The problem here is that while a number of cards have been sold as HD-capable, hardly any actually are. Existing ATI and NVIDIA chipsets support HDCP on a board level, but only if the required encryption/decryption hardware is installed during production. In most cases, board manufacturers - including ATI - simply haven’t seen the need. A few HDCP-compliant cards are now appearing, such as Sapphire’s Radeon X1600 Pro, but if you’ve bought graphics hardware in the last two years, prepare for a shock. Again, check those specifications carefully, and look out for cards that either specify HDCP support or carry the new-style HDMI interface.

Luckily, the PC offers one advantage in terms of getting HD content – while broadcast sources might be limited, we do get the option of downloadable content. Of course, there’s already a mass of illegal HD content in the shadier sectors of the Internet, but there’s legal content as well. Try mariposaHD: an online HD series downloaded using BitTorrent software. While its subject matter – street-style, travel, and gorgeous girls – is hardly heavyweight stuff, it offers a taste of the future. What’s more, some US movie download sites, such as Movielink and CinemaNow, are experimenting with HD downloads. The movies concerned are more scientific documentaries than blockbuster Hollywood fare, but they still demonstrate the potential. Sadly, Movielink’s line-up isn’t available outside the US.
Next-generation games, such as Capcom's Resident Evil 5, need a high-definition screen to do them justice.
Next-generation games, such as Capcom's Resident Evil 5, need a high-definition screen to do them justice.
Take-up of HDTV is stymied by consumer confusion over capabilities and standards. In Europe, the two EICTA logos are designed to assure viewers that their equipment will work with HD screens and sources.
In Australia, HD broadcasters vary greatly in their approach, with three main distinguishing factors: resolution, audio and content. As mentioned, Australia has taken a different approach to the rest of the world by allowing the 576p resolution to be classified as high definition. For many, this simply isn’t a big enough leap over ordinary SDTV broadcasts (which uses a 576i format) and early adopters now refer to 1080i as Australia’s true high definition format. So while all broadcasters technically provide HD broadcasts, the results vary. SBS, ABC and SEVEN all broadcast the lower grade 576p, while NINE and TEN do 1080i.

Audio is likewise a mixed bag, which also depends on the nature of the original source video (you can’t broadcast 5.1 surround sound if it wasn’t recorded in the first place). ABC, SEVEN and NINE all have the capability to broadcast Dolby Digital 5.1, while SBS and TEN are stuck with Dolby Digital 2.0 or standard two-channel stereo.

Finally, there’s content. SBS and ABC broadcasts standard definition video around the clock, and the HD broadcast is simply an ‘upconverted’ version of the SD content. SEVEN, although using the 576p format, broadcasts a selection of movies as well as a regular HD version of The Great Outdoors. NINE and TEN have the luxury of displaying native 1080i HD video the way it was meant to be, and regularly broadcasts movies and sporting events.

Currently, the true winner for HD in Australia is NINE. Not only does it regularly broadcast a selection of films and unique content, but it does so in 1080i, with 5.1 surround sound. TEN isn’t far behind, however, and once it upgrades to 5.1, it’ll give NINE a run for its money. As for ABC, SBS and SEVEN, the sooner they can ditch 576p and bring themselves in line with a true HD format, the better off we’ll all be.

The light at the end
There’s no doubt that the high definition revolution is starting, and like all early adopters, you’ll have to be careful where you tread. The broadcasters are on board, and the quality and service will only improve. The hardware situation is the biggest sticking point, but the convoluted mess of standards and marketing witchery is slowly unwinding as consumers get savvier about what HD means, and what they need to make the most out of it. For those of us with PCs, we have the best and worst of it – our systems are flexible enough to handle the broadcasts, the media and the resolutions, but we need to ensure we’re being HDCP compliant at every step of the way.

But in the end, the rewards are in the results, and if you’ve ever seen a Swans match or action film in true HDTV, you’ll know what we’re talking about. Just like DVDs, it will spread as more people see the intrinsic benefits and vastly improved quality – and you can experience it right now.
In terms of pixel resolution, HDTV offers up to four times the detail of an SD screen. With blockbuster films such as Spider-Man 2, the result us much closer to the look and feel of cinema.
In terms of pixel resolution, HDTV offers up to four times the detail of an SD screen. With blockbuster films such as Spider-Man 2, the result us much closer to the look and feel of cinema.
Despite seemingly backwards decisions on HD (like allowing 576p to be considered a HD format), free-to-air broadcasters in Australia are now at least doing their part. So how do we stack up to the rest of the world?

Japan has had analogue HDTV broadcasts over its 1125-line MUSE system since 1991, though in practical terms, this has meant only eight hours per day of mainly experimental programming. However, since 2003, the nation has moved over to the digital, MPEG2-based ISDB (Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting) format with considerable success. Fourteen percent of Japanese households are already enjoying HDTV, and that’s set to rise to 66 percent by the end of 2010.

In the US, it’s taken more time for HDTV to establish a foothold, but it’s certainly growing fast, with 17 percent of US households already HD-ready. HD programming is carried by all the major terrestrial networks, while cable and satellite providers also deliver HD movies and events on a pay-per-view basis. Most major series are now recorded and produced in HD, and the fact that this includes hits such as Lost, Desperate Housewives, and CSI: Miami should help push HD sales elsewhere. However, even the US is a long way from continuous HD programming; to spare resources, the broadcasters have standardised on a mix of true HD content and upscaled HD programmes, and what you get depends on where you live.

Screen test
Despite advancements in digital TV, image quality has always suffered from one major limitation: the 576-line working resolution of the PAL system. This was adequate in the days when a 21in TV was considered a luxury, but as sizes have crept up to 28in to 42in and beyond, it’s become a problem. The past year has seen a massive worldwide shift from old-fashioned CRT technology to large-screen LCD and plasma TVs – with 39 percent and 20 percent of international sales respectively (according to figures from DisplaySearch), these now make up most of the TVs bought. Sadly, our current TV system just doesn’t make the most of these screens – in PC terms, it’s like using a 21in monitor, then running Windows at 800 x 600.

If the lure of big flatscreens is only one factor that’s driving us towards high definition, it’s a major one. As Vincent Letang of media analyst Screen Digest puts it, ‘People want flat TVs, and flat TVs happen to be HD-ready whether we want it or not’. It’s one of those rare situations where the ‘chicken and egg’ scenario of hardware, software and services doesn’t apply, because people are buying HD hardware even though the software and services aren’t yet available. They will be soon, however. The entertainment world is currently on a mission to match the visual high-fidelity of cinema, and there’s a feeling that the old resolutions of 720 x 480 (NTSC) or 720 x 576 (PAL) won’t cut it any more. We need a screen resolution that can do the material justice.
Sony's HDR-HC1 camcorder brought HD video production down to consumer level - don't you deserve a screen worthy of its output?
Sony's HDR-HC1 camcorder brought HD video production down to consumer level - don't you deserve a screen worthy of its output?











Take-up of HDTV is stymied by consumer confusion over capabilities and standards. In Europe, the two EICTA logos are designed to assure viewers that their equipment will work with HD screens and sources.
This article appeared in the July, 2006 issue of PC Authority.