The United States is going to be moving its television broadcasts from the old analog feed to a new high definition broadcast. This new high definition broadcast is called HDTV. Far from just an upgrade, HDTV is a huge leap in the world of television broadcast. HDTV pictures are more colorful, clearer and sharper than their analog predecessors. In order to make sure you will be able to view your television in July 2009, you will want to buy your HDTV equipment ahead of time. In order to make sure you are getting the right equipment, you should be aware of the following things.

You will see a lot of digital televisions available for sale. Do not rush out and buy just any digital television. You will want to make sure the television is a true HDTV set that is HDTV ready. Additionally you will want to purchase an HDTV television that is widescreen in order to take advantage of the HDTV broadcasts which will all be in widescreen format. This will mean that the viewing area of your HDTV television will be much smaller than an analog television. Widescreen broadcasts are done in 16:9 aspect ratio. Analog broadcasts are done in 4:3 aspect ratio. Since the viewing area is smaller, you will need to purchase an HDTV that is a bit larger than a standard, analog television to maintain the same viewing area.

You will notice the different resolutions offered. The best resolution, hands down is 1080p. The others that are offered are 720 and 1080i. The numbers represent how many lines are used to make the picture on the screen and the letters at the end represent how those lines are displayed.

The next step to making sure you can see HDTV in its full glory is to subscribe to a cable or satellite television service that is offering HDTV. If you have an HDTV ready television and the service is providing HDTV, you will have no trouble with the transition in July. Another thing you will want to get is a DVR. DVR stands for Digital Video Recorder and it replaces the VCR as a medium to record shows when you’re not home. If you are getting HD service, you will want to get an HD DVR so the shows will be recorded in HD format.

The HDTV broadcast is also accompanied with better sound. This means that to take advantage of the improved sound quality of the broadcast, you will want to hook your HDTV up to your stereo equipment or your home theater system.

Getting quality HDTV cables is a must if you want to make sure your HDTV setup has no weak links. While the manufacturers will include cables for HDTV in their components, these cables are typically the one thing that they skimp on. To avoid the signal quality getting degraded by sub-standard cables, you will want to purchase a good quality set to really ramp up your system.

If you do your research and make sure you have no weak links, you can’t go wrong when you purchase and setup your HDTV. With its improved video and sound quality, you could have your very own neighborhood movie theater in your own basement for years to come!