HDTV Channels

Where are the HDTV channels?

These days HDTV channels are widespread across all major television networks. In June 1999 only 66 TV stations transmitted a digital television. In June 2002 around 400 stations offered HDTV and by May 2004 that number had reached 1,200. According to statistics about 99 percent of American families are located near at least one station that offers digital signals.

Both ABC and CBS feature their dramas, comedies, and movies in HDTV format. HDTV channels are on the rise across most networks. However many news and reality shows are still offered in standard definition television fromats. NBC, the WB, and UPN feature their dramas and some comedy shows in high definition. Most NFL games, NASCAR races and basketball and baseball games are in high definition.

So it's clear that HDTV channels are the wave of the future. It is entirely possible that in the not too distant future it may be the only option for television viewing as more and more broadcasters make the switch to high definition programming. So if you're in the market for a new television the latest model HDTV is definitely where it's at.

What about HDTV resolution? HDTV programming is broadcast in one of two resolutions: 1080i or 720p. The majority of HDTV channels offer the 1080i format. However ABC, Fox, and ESPN HD chose smoother 720p pictures. 1080i offers better resolution but is in interlaced format. Pictures are less smooth in this format.

HDTV channels that offer the 720p (progressive) format less lines data but each frame is drawn only once. This results in smoother images. For video the 720p format is probably better. Most viewers won't really notice the difference.

Plasma, LCD, LCoS and DLP TVs offer fixed numbers of pixels. This is called native resolution. The higher the number the better the images will be. High resolution fixed-pixel displays e.g. 1080p sets with 1,920x1,080 pixels are more expensive. However HDTV channels on any model of HDTV looks far superior to analog television.

Some HDTV tuners offer extra features designed to enhance your HDTV viewing experience. They offer channel-surfing modes, favorite-channel lists and make switching HDTV channels easier when using that tuner. However if you use an external tuner to change channels like a cable or satellite box, tuner extras will not be of much use to you.

Also be sure to check out our pages about HDTV Reviews, HDTV Ratings, Plasma HDTV, HDTV Receivers, and HDTV Tuner elsewhere on this site.