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Summer 2006 is World Cup football time again. It also marks the official debut of High Definition TV in the UK, offering a spectacular increase in broadcast picture quality, taking the image well beyond the current analogue, digital or even DVD spec. By happy coincidence, you will be able to watch at least half of the World Cup matches in HD if you have the right kit, though that probably means changing your old TV. The BBC's coverage will be available in HD, including the opening match on 9 June to the final on 9 July, so the beautiful game promises to look more fantastic than ever.
The broadcaster will be running a year-long HDTV trial from 15 May via satellite and cable which is available free to anyone with compatible equipment, while a very limited test will take place on Freeview in the London area to a few hundred sample homes (HD on Freeview is not likely to be available nationwide for several years). Keep an eye on bbc.co.uk for more. Even if you can't get HDTV now, it's worth getting your system ready, and there are plenty of interim technologies - such as HDMI connectors, progressive scan conversion and upscaling - which can make conventional pictures look a little better.
What can you see in HD?
The Beeb's HD coverage will also include Wimbledon 2006 along with other high-profile BBC1 and BBC2 programmes. There should also be a chance to see recent HD productions such as Bleak House and Planet Earth in their full glory for the first time.
Although the BBC trial may stop for a short time, there will be an ongoing range of new HD subscription channels from Sky, including Sky Movies and Sports in HD, various Sky One shows (particularly prime-time US imports like 24 and Battlestar Galactica which are shot in HD), culture from Artsworld and documentaries from National Geographic and Discovery. Telewest cable subscribers can also upgrade to HDTV through its new TVDrive PVR-based service, which will also include some on-demand HD content.
What do you need?
If you're planning to go HD now or in the near future, you'll need to be able to receive HDTV services from digital satellite or cable (only the Telewest service for now but that's set to change, especially given its recent merger with NTL and Virgin Mobile). You will also need a compatible digital TV receiver. No previous Sky or cable boxes are HD-enabled, so new ones will be available. Sky's box is a hard-drive equipped Sky+ model re-engineered for viewing and recording HD as well as standard digital satellite programmes.
It will cost £299 to buy plus an extra £10 per month if you want to access the pay-TV bundle of HD broadcasts. If you don't want to pay Sky anything, you can get a third party HD receiver such as the Humax PR-HD1000 and connect it to a dish pointing at the correct satellite. Most local satellite dealers should have full details, but be aware that you will not be able to receive Sky's subscription-based HD channels, only the likes of the BBC test and any other free content.
Finally, of course, you'll need an HD-ready TV. Conveniently, the industry now adds an 'HD-ready' label to any product that meets the right criteria. Most new LCD TVs, plasmas and projectors or rear-projection TVs boast this all-important tag. To check, see www.hdready.org.uk. As mentioned, even if you don't get HD programmes right away, it pays to make sure any new TV is not going to look past its use-by date within the next few years, particularly with next-generation DVD formats and games consoles also pushing HD levels of quality.
| | Panasonic TH42PX60
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Pick up a plasma
Plasma TVs are the most established flat-screen technology and they are still unrivalled for big pictures with fast-moving action - whether it's Beckham on the pitch or Batman in a blockbuster. HD-ready plasmas are commonplace and prices have plummeted to not much more than £2,000 for a decent 42-43in model.
For the best all-round televisual experience take a look at Panasonic's £2,400 HD flagship TH42PX60 and Pioneer's £2,500 43in PDP-436SXE, each with built-in Freeview too. Avoid the cheaper non-HD screens (even from the big names) especially in larger sizes. The main plasma drawback is screen burn, so don't leave anything paused for too long or linger on channels or videogames with non-moving parts of the image or you may get a semi-permanent or indelible afterimage.
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| | Sagem HD-L32T
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Leading LCDs
Fast approaching plasma in screen size and affordability is LCD, which has evolved beyond office desktop monitors to adopt living-room looks and capabilities. LCDs are slim, light and reasonably energy efficient (though not much more than plasma if you watch a wide mix of things). They are less good at handling rapid motion (you may see a smeary trail behind fast moving objects), and have trouble delivering wide viewing angles and making dark parts of an image actually look black, especially in a darkened room.
However, LCD continues to tackle those obstacles, even though cutting-edge developments such as SED are poised to blow other flatscreen formats away by the end of the decade. In the meantime, consider Sagem's £1,200 HD-L32T for a superbly sharp 32in widescreen iDTV with HDMI input for HDTV, or Toshiba's £1,400 32WLT58 - again 32in wide, Freeview-equipped but with two HDMI inputs.
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Seeing the light
You can't beat a video projector for a truly massive image and they work equally well for the big match or the latest Hollywood DVD. You can get dedicated home cinema projectors optimised for film or HDTV and designed to work fairly quietly in a dimly lit lounge. Don't borrow the office data projector if you're thinking of a quiet night in! Most will also connect to standard set-top boxes or recorders (projectors don't have TV tuners).
| | Hitachi PJ-TX200
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LCD chip-based projectors are generally more affordable, even the more luxurious three-chip versions. The downside of LCD is an allegedly shorter life span compared to the rival DLP system and a tendency for a 'mesh' effect to appear on the image, but one worth trying is the highly rated PJ-TX200 from Hitachi, a £1,500 HD-ready LCD projector.
DLP meanwhile is gaining ground in home cinema due to its very high contrast. Colour performance is improving too but some people are troubled by the 'rainbow' side effect coming from the spinning colour wheel that helps create the image. Cheaper DLPs tend to be the worst offenders, but ultra-high-end three-chip models can eradicate the problem completely. Optoma's Themescene H30A is a great-value budget DLP projector at around £1,000, though you'll need to spend more if you want an HD-ready alternative.
Keep some money by for a proper screen, too, because even white walls are never perfect or reflective enough and you'll need to replace the projector lamp eventually - and this may not be cheap.
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Projection power
If you like the big-screen projection experience but prefer the look and feel of a more conventional TV, then rear-projection provides just that. Again, LCD and DLP dominate, along with the older CRT (tube) projection technology. Also again, DLPs tend to look the clearest but can suffer the same colour-wheel drawbacks of front projection.
Toshiba's CRT-driven 42PW33Q gives you a 42in TV for a mere £700, while Sony's 50in £1,400 KDF-E50A12U is an excellent LCD rear-pro set and HD-ready too, as is the near-perfect 50in DLP - Sagem's £2,000 HD-D50HG4T.
Make sure you get a good long demo before buying any big-screen TV and remember not to sit too close if you can't get HDTV, otherwise the pixels in the image might become too visible and spoil the experience.
