Sky's High Definition TV (HDTV)

Sky has anounced that is going to introduce an HDTV service in 2006. The initial boxes capable of decoding HDTV are to be manufactured by Thompson. These new boxes will also incorporate a PVR (Personal Video Recorder) with the capability of the existing Sky+ box.

Sky is introducing HDTV ahead of any terrestrial transmission broadcaster reaffirming the fact that the digital satellite platform is the best for choice and for the highest-quality viewing experience available. The BBC has now carried out test transmissions and are currently developing plans to produce all its TV output to meet HDTV standards by 2010.

Sky's HDTV channel line-up will include a combination of sports, movies, entertainment and documentary programming. Full details will be announced later.

HDTV offers a step change in picture quality, delivering a home viewing experience similar to that offered in cinemas. Viewers will see greater depth and tone of colours and textures. The improved clarity of HDTV broadcasts will bring an even greater sense of excitement and drama to a wide range of programme genres.

Thinking of buying a New Plasma -
Make sure it is equiped with an HDMI connector and is HD ready if you want to use it with Sky's HDTV

John Binks, director of GfK, which monitors global consumer markets. stated (March 2005)"Of all the flat panel screens sold, just 1.3% in the UK are capable of getting high-definition."

Although Skys HDTV box can be connected to any kind of TV set, customers will require an “HD Ready” TV set with a flat-screen display of 26” or more to enjoy the full benefits of HDTV picture quality. Sky estimates that almost two million “HD Ready” sets will have been sold in the UK by the end of 2006.

HDTV can provide more than four times more data on a display screen than a Standard Definition broadcast. This is because of the increased picture resolution that HD broadcasts deliver and HD display devices will be able to receive. Pictures are delivered in widescreen format.

Any kind of screen or TV set could be connected to Sky's HD STB but, to truly experience Sky's HDTV picture quality, a 26" or larger "HD Ready" plasma, LCD or DLP TV.

"HD Ready" is a labelling scheme that is being introduced by the TV manufacturer's organisation EICTA. The "HD Ready" logo will appear on an increasing number of TV displays in shops over the coming months. Any TV set that carries the "HD Ready" label will work with Sky's HDTV service.

The receiver will have an HDMI connector (High Definition Multimedia Interface) as its primary means of connecting to an HD display. HDMI can also be connected to DVI equipped displays using a suitable adapter cable.

Most HDTV content will be protected by HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection). This means most HDTV content will only be able to be viewed on display devices that have HDCP software built into them.

Sky 's HDTV broadcasting system and HDTV receiver will support two HDTV formats:
- 720 / P / 50 (Progressively Scanned picture)
- 1080 / I / 25 (Interlaced picture)

Broadcasters planning on launching HD services on the digital satellite platform will be able to choose whether to broadcast content in 720 / P / 50 or 1080 / I / 25.

Sky's HD service will also utilise the advanced compression technology MPEG4. MPEG4 is a more efficient means of compressing the data in a TV picture.

JARGON - BUSTER:

BIT RATE: Bit rate is measured as "bits per second" (bps) and refers to the rate at which data is transmitted.


· DLP: Digital Light Processor. A display device that reflects light on a pixel-by-pixel basis to create a projected image.


DVI: Digital Video Interface. Provides high-bandwidth digital connection between a video source and a display device. It is a type of cable connector.


HDMI: High Definition Multimedia Interface. A high-bandwidth digital connection for both video and audio data. HDMI ensures the best video signal is sent from the source (HDTV signal) to the display (LCD, Plasma, DVL). It does this by sending uncompressed video and multi-channel audio data to the display through one single cable.


HDCP: High bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is a copyright protection system that is incorporated into HD displays and receivers. It prevents unauthorised duplication and distribution of copyrighted content.


INTERLACE SCANNING: Interlaced scanning refers to the process of re-assembling a picture from a series of electrical (video) signals. With Interlace Scanning a display shows every odd line at one scan of the screen and then all the even lines in a second scan of the screen.


LCD TV: Liquid Crystal Displays are one form of flat-panel TVs. They are made up of two transparent panels with a liquid crystal solution sandwiched between the two. Electric currents are passed through the liquid - this causes the crystals to line up so that light cannot pass through them. Each of the crystals acts as a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking out the light. The pattern of transparent and dark crystals forms the image.


MPEG4: MPEG4 is a more efficient means of compressing the data that is sent to a TV.


PIXELS: Pixels is the abbreviation for "picture element". Pixels are the smallest bits of data in a video image. The smaller the size of the pixels in an image, the greater the resolution.


PLASMA DISPLAY: Plasma display is created by thousands of tiny tubes filled by ionized gas in a plasma state.


PROGRESSVE SCANNING: Progressive scanning is based on the principle that all the horizontal scan lines are 'painted' on the screen at one time. 720 or 1080 horizontal lines are scanned progressively or in succession in a vertical frame. This is repeated 50 times a second. Some displays, for example LCD and plasmas use the progressive scanning method, while CRTs may use progressive (e.g. in computer monitors) or interlaced scanning method.


720P: 720P means the resolution of the TV picture is 720 horizontal lines. P refers to Progressive Scanning


1080i: 1080i means the resolution of the picture is 1080 lines. i refers to Interlaced scanning.