9780764575860

Get HDTV and get connected without getting confused! Buy wisely, surround yourself with sound, watch your movies in HD, and more. If HDTV looks appealing but the mountain of mumbo-jumbo has you peeling out the door, take heart! Finally, here's a plain-English explanation of what HDTV is and how to choose one, hook it up, locate and access programming sources, and even how to connect your movie machines and Xbox for even more HD fun. Discover how to: Plan your HDTV system and choose the right equipment. Connect to programming sources. Add A/V entertainment gear and accessories. Access HDTV over your home network.

Danny Briere is an advisor to telecom carriers, vendors, and regulators Pat Hurley is a telecom consultant and wireless expert

Introduction

1

(1)

About This Book

1

(1)

Foolish Assumptions

2

(1)

How This Book Is Organized

3

(2)

Part I: HDTV Fundamentals

3

(1)

Part II: Love at First Sight

3

(1)

Part III: HDTV Channels

3

(1)

Part IV: Movie Machines

4

(1)

Part V: Monitor Madness

4

(1)

Part VI: Sensory Overload

4

(1)

Part VII: Geek Stuff

5

(1)

Part VIII: The Part of Tens

5

(1)

Icons Used in This Book

5

(1)

Where to Go from Here

6

(1)

Part I: HDTV Fundamentals

7

(40)

What the Heck Is HDTV?

9

(8)

Oh, Say, Can You ATSC?

9

(1)

Powerful Performance

10

(4)

Video standards

10

(2)

Audio standards

12

(2)

Perplexing Pitfalls

14

(3)

Shopping Smart

17

(16)

The 50,000-Foot View of HDTV

18

(1)

Flat-panel HDTVs

18

(1)

Projection HDTVs

19

(1)

CRT HDTVs

19

(1)

What's Important in an HDTV

19

(1)

Budgeting for HDTV

20

(4)

Finding the Right Size

24

(1)

Matching Your HD Needs

25

(1)

Connecting the Other Gizmos

25

(4)

Accessing your HDTV channels

26

(1)

Getting your analog channels

27

(1)

Working with your other sources

28

(1)

Which Features Matter?

29

(4)

Cables and Connections

33

(14)

Video Connections

33

(10)

High-definition video

34

(5)

Traditional video

39

(4)

Audio Connections

43

(4)

Digitizing your audio

43

(1)

Attaching analog audio

44

(3)

Part II: Love at First Sight

47

(32)

Hooking Up Your HDTV

49

(18)

Making Connections

50

(17)

Jack panels

50

(3)

Connecting basic TV sources

53

(4)

Connecting DVRs and VCRs

57

(3)

Other connections

60

(7)

Enhancing Your HDTV

67

(6)

Why You Need to Calibrate

67

(1)

Getting Your Settings Right

68

(1)

Getting Calibrated

69

(4)

Doing it yourself

70

(2)

Bringing in the pros

72

(1)

Magic Black Boxes

73

(6)

What the Heck's a Video Processor?

73

(3)

Going up or going down?

74

(1)

De-interlacing your video

75

(1)

Getting fancy with scaling

75

(1)

Choosing Scalers

76

(3)

Part III: HDTV Channels

79

(34)

Who's Showing HDTV?

81

(8)

Looking at Who Has HDTV

82

(2)

Broadcasters

82

(1)

Cable and satellite networks

83

(1)

Specialized HDTV stations

84

(1)

Making Your Choice

84

(1)

All HDTV Signals Are Not Equal

85

(4)

Something's in the Air

89

(8)

Finding Local HD Broadcasts

90

(1)

Tuning In

91

(2)

Building on a built-in tuner

91

(1)

Adding on a tuner

91

(2)

Antennas A to Z

93

(4)

Choosing the right antenna

93

(2)

Installing your HDTV antenna

95

(2)

The Cable Guy

97

(8)

High-Definition Cable

98

(2)

Getting on the QAM bandwagon

98

(1)

Encrypting and decrypting

98

(2)

Digital Cable

100

(2)

Defining digital

100

(1)

Getting the benefits

100

(1)

Getting the digital box

101

(1)

Analog Cable

102

(1)

Going Boxless

102

(3)

Rocket Science

105

(8)

Planning a Satellite TV System

105

(4)

Service

106

(1)

Equipment

106

(2)

Availability

108

(1)

Choosing a DBS Provider

109

(4)

Programming

109

(3)

Digital video recorder (DVR)

112

(1)

Part IV: Movie Machines

113

(26)

DVDs

115

(8)

Learning about the DVD disc

115

(1)

Dealing with today's DVDs

116

(1)

Deciphering DVD Recorders

117

(1)

Finding DVDs in Unusual Places

118

(5)

Home theater in a box

119

(1)

DVD/VCR

119

(1)

DVD/PVR

120

(1)

Peering into the high-def future

120

(3)

Getting Into DVRs

123

(8)

DVR 101

123

(2)

Learning the benefits

124

(1)

Making the connection

124

(1)

HD DVRs

125

(2)

Standard DVRs

127

(4)

What to look for

128

(1)

Finding a DVR that fits

129

(2)

Taping Time

131

(8)

Checking Out Your Digital Options

132

(2)

Connecting VCRs to HDTVs

134

(2)

Looking Closer at D-VHS

136

(3)

Part V: Monitor Madness

139

(38)

Gaming Consoles

141

(10)

Understanding Consoles

141

(1)

Meet the Consoles

142

(4)

The PlayStation 2

143

(1)

Gaming with the Cube

144

(1)

X (box) marks the spot

145

(1)

Connecting to Your HDTV

146

(5)

Video connections

146

(3)

Dealing with audio

149

(2)

Camcorders

151

(8)

Your Run-of-the-Mill SD Camcorder

152

(1)

Connecting your camcorder to your HDTV

152

(1)

Enter HD Camcorders

153

(1)

Checking Out the First HDV Camcorder

154

(5)

Gadgets

159

(8)

Home Theater PCs

159

(3)

Video Jukeboxes

162

(2)

Jukebox 101

162

(1)

Jukebox 301

163

(1)

Do the Roku

164

(1)

Looking for HDTV Gadgets

165

(2)

Home Networking

167

(10)

Layering Your House

168

(1)

The Center of Your HDTV Net

168

(1)

Getting Signals to Your HDTV

169

(5)

Tapping into PC/Internet content

170

(2)

Revving up your RF distribution

172

(2)

Sharing Signals in Your House

174

(3)

Using coaxial cables

174

(1)

Using wireless systems

175

(1)

Using UTP cabling

176

(1)

Part VI: Sensory Overload

177

(28)

Understanding Audio

179

(8)

Grasping Audio Basics

180

(1)

Surround-Sound Mania

181

(4)

Enter the matrix

182

(1)

Introducing the formats

183

(2)

Dealing with Built-in Audio

185

(2)

Home Theater Audio

187

(6)

Boxing Up Your Home Theater

187

(2)

Receiving Home-Theater Sounds

189

(4)

Setting the Mood

193

(12)

Choosing Your HDTV's Home

193

(2)

Sounds Right?

195

(5)

Controlling sound in your theater

197

(3)

Lights Everyone, Action!

200

(5)

Controlling lighting in your HDTV theater

200

(5)

Part VII: Geek Stuff

205

(34)

TV Engineering 101

207

(8)

Lines and Pixels

207

(5)

Going with lines

208

(1)

Picking pixels

209

(2)

Defining standard and high resolutions

211

(1)

Scanning and Interlacing

212

(3)

Fields, frames and your TV

212

(1)

Doing the pulldown

213

(2)

Projecting a Good Image

215

(12)

Projection HDTV Design

215

(4)

Rear projection

216

(2)

Front projection

218

(1)

Projection TV Systems

219

(5)

CRT

219

(2)

LCD

221

(1)

DLP

222

(1)

LCOS

223

(1)

Screens

224

(3)

Thin Is In

227

(6)

Loving Your LCD

227

(3)

Everyone's Crazy About Plasma

230

(3)

Good Ol' Tubes

233

(6)

All About CRTs

233

(1)

CRT Pros and Cons

234

(2)

Navigating the CRT Jungle

236

(3)

Dealing with aspect ratios

236

(2)

Getting flat

238

(1)

Part VIII: The Part of Tens

239

(24)

Ten Places to Buy an HDTV

241

(10)

Crutchfield

242

(1)

Gateway

243

(3)

DISH Network

246

(1)

Circuit City

246

(1)

Best Buy

247

(1)

ClubMac

247

(1)

Super Warehouse

248

(1)

Best Digital Online

248

(1)

Microsoft

248

(1)

Sony Electronics

249

(2)

Ten (or so) HDTV Accessories

251

(12)

Kick Some Butt (with Transducers)

251

(2)

Motion Simulators

253

(1)

Power Conditioner

254

(1)

DVD Changer Controllers

254

(1)

Show HDTV Outdoors

255

(1)

Creature Double Feature in 3D

256

(2)

Wireless Headphones

258

(1)

In Search of That Great Remote Control

259

(3)

Types of remotes

259

(1)

Sexy remotes

260

(2)

Bring Hollywood Home

262

(1)

Index

263

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.