Step One: Programming
Start your search on the Internet at
www.digitaltvzone.com. Here, under Transmitting Today, you’ll find a list of shows available in HD. This means that the show is either recorded in high-
definition video, like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, or recorded on film and transferred to HD, like CBS’s Everybody Loves Raymond. Live shows are still rare, as the cameras are
| USE THE INTERNET to find out what
channels and
shows are available
to you in high definition. |
expensive. Transferring film to HD is much more economical. Fortunately, nearly all scripted shows (comedy, drama and action) are shot on film and then transferred to video or HD. Sorry, no reality shows are broadcast in HD yet. CBS, ABC, NBC and the WB offer most of their respective prime-time lineups (and CBS’s daytime soap, The Young and the Restless) digitally. Fox transmits a few shows in the 480p digital format, which look and sound good even though the format is not officially considered high definition. The network may offer true high def soon.
Though few if
any live news programs are broadcast in HD, many movies, sports and special events like the Academy Awards are. In addition to the major networks, there are a number of premium networks that offer an HDTV channel, including HBO, Showtime, Discovery HD Theater, ESPN, NBA TV, HDNet Sports and HDNet movies. Bravo, Starz, A&E and Cinemax have announced that they’ll have high-definition channels available soon.
Even when a particular network doesn’t have HDTV programming to show, it doesn’t go dark. Instead, the station will upconvert the regular channel’s shows to the new format to make them compatible on the new channel. Upconverted shows won’t necessarily look better on the digital channel than on the regular channel, but at least you don’t have to switch back and forth. To get all or many of the major networks in HD, you need either cable (step four) or an antenna (step five). To get any of the premium channels, you’ll need either cable or satellite (step three).
