Will you get (cable) carded? More HDTV answers from A/V Guy

January 27, 2008|By Kevin Hunt, Special to the Tribune

Q: I read your interesting article about getting some HD signals with basic cable. Comcast is upfront in its list of services/charges that anyone with expanded basic can get the local stations in HD if they have HD equipment. Comcast is less upfront about their first tier of paid HD service. I only want to receive the channels -- I'm not interested in pay-per-view or any of their interactive services.

The companies' Web site hints that the cable box is needed for all that extra stuff -- but may not be needed for one-way reception. But all Comcast's customer-service reps insist a box is needed to receive HD service. Do you have any idea if I really need the box when I sign up for HD service if I just want to receive the signal?

-- Jim Petzel, Wadsworth

A: I'm afraid the only way to avoid the cable box for all those HD channels is if your HDTV has a CableCard slot. You rent the card from the cable company -- much cheaper than the box, maybe $2.50 or so a month. You'll get the HD channels but not the program guide and pay-per-view options.

Q: I read ads that say very large sets have a CableCard but have never seen any small sets that say this. I have been shopping for a replacement HDTV for the 12-inch set in my kitchen. Will I need a set with a CableCard?

-- Ginny Hanson, Darien

A: Maybe not. You might be able to keep your old TV -- even if you do find a 12-inch HDTV, you won't notice an improvement in the picture. Check with your cable provider. It's possible it will be converting the digital signal back to analog for those customers who keep their analog sets. (Where I live, in Connecticut, Cox Communications will be doing this; Comcast probably won't.)

Q: I'm in the process of buying a 52-inch LCD TV and the salesperson I'm dealing with recommended that I have the TV calibrated, which is expensive. Just what exactly does the calibration do and is it necessary? Is the expense worth the result?

-- Bob Antognoli, Lincolnshire

A: A calibration by a pro will give you the best possible picture, but it will cost at least $350. You can get a great picture for a lot less. Try the HDTV Calibration Wizard, a $30 test disc distributed by Monster Cable ( That's the easiest, and least expensive, way I know to get an accurate picture. You might also try SpyderTV, a $230 device that takes readings from your TV's picture, sends them to software installed on your laptop or PC, and suggests proper settings based on the results.

Q: Some questions:

1. Is there a viewing-distance calculation for larger HDTVs that I should keep in mind?

2. What is an "upconverting" DVD player?

3. What is Blu-ray technology?

4. Is it true that most HDTV broadcasting (network TV and sporting events) is 720p? I have been told that 720p and 1080i are the same. True or false?

5. Last, is there a next-generation technology on the drawing board that will surpass HDTV as we know it today?

-- Doug Hoefener, St. Charles

A: Some answers:

1. Here's a link to a chart for both 720p and 1080p sets that give the optimum seating distance for every screen size:

2. An upconverting DVD player digitally manipulates the 480p picture produced by a standard DVD so that it looks closer to the 720p or 1080p picture produced by HDTVs.

3. A Blu-ray or HD DVD player can play movie discs that are actually 1080p -- they're true-blue HDTV pictures. (They also upconvert standard 480p DVDs to 720p or 1080p.)

Blu-ray apparently won the high-definition format war earlier this month when Warner Bros. announced it would drop HD DVD and support only Blu-ray. It left Blu-ray with backing from five studios (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and Walt Disney are the other four) and HD DVD only two (Paramount Pictures/DreamWorks, Universal Pictures).

4. NBC and CBS broadcast in 1080i. Fox and ABC broadcast in 720p. ESPN, which is owned by ABC, also broadcasts in 720p. Most people consider the progressive-scan format (720p), which displays a picture in a single scan instead of the two fields of the interlaced format (1080i), better for action sequences, particularly sports.

5. Mitsubishi showed a new laser technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month. And the flat panels driven by long-lasting LEDs look promising too.

