HDTV, also known as high-definition television, emerged in the early 1980s as an experimental Japanese analog system developed by Japan’s public TV network, NHK, which began research and development for this technology as far back as 1963. It offered near-theater-quality pictures and a surround sound, but it required too much bandwidth to be transmitted on standard TV channels. NHK marketed its analog HDTV worldwide under the names Hi-Vision and MUSE (Multiple Sub-Nyquist Sampling Encoding), but it never spread commercially beyond Japan.

The FCC rejected NHK’s analog HDTV for use in the United States, because it required 9 MHz of broadcast bandwidth, which was 1.5 times that of the standard U.S. television channels. In addition, the FCC felt political pressure to nurture a homegrown advanced-TV system, hoping to stem Japan’s dominance of the video-hardware industry. As Canada’s FCC equivalent, the CRTC, nearly always followed the technical standards adopted in the United States by the FCC, Canada again followed the lead of the United States for digital television.

In 1982, the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), was formed by several industry and professional associations which included the National Association of Broadcasters, the National Cable Television Association, and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, among others. The committee’s name was based on the old NTSC acronym, and this group would spearhead private-sector efforts to create a new way to produce, send, and receive TV signals. In 1987, the FCC formed the Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service to oversee the government’s side of advancing TV technology. Initially, it rejected several proposals for enhanced analog TV systems, because none of them provided enough improvement over traditional NTSC signals within the bandwidth of a standard TV channel.

As analog video uses a continuous, variable electrical signal, the new solution would be digital. In contrast, digital video uses a sequence of discrete binary digits or 1s and 0s following the basis of computing technology. These digits would form the pixels (picture elements), that combine to produce final picture you see on screen. Digital video images weren’t intrinsically superior to analog video images, but they provided an opportunity to move beyond the NTSC’s primitive color encoding. They could be copied and retransmitted with no degradation in image quality, and more importantly, these digital signals could be compressed by replacing redundant information with mathematical algorithms.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, digital video surfaced on two fronts. The first came on the professional end with lightweight chip-based cameras and tape-less editing systems, which eventually revolutionized video production that makes today’s nonstop news channels and reality shows more feasible. The second front came in the mid-1990s with the proliferation of the world wide web gave rise to various new compressed video formats from the likes of Apple, RealNetworks, and Microsoft among others by bringing small-screen-size video clips to computer desktops around the world. As broadband connections were not not readily available at the consumer level back then, image compression was standard in every online-video.

Digital video compression wouldn’t end these these proprietary systems, as other digital video standards are available for license to the industry as a whole. The most prominent of these is the MPEG series of specifications that is named for the Moving Picture Experts Group, the international consortium that originally worked out both audio and video compression standards. The audio-compression format known popularly as MP3 is a subset of the group’s earliest video format, MPEG-1. The group’s MPEG-2 video standard has become a basic part of digital TV standards in the United States. Thanks to digital compression, high-definition signals could at last fit into standard broadcast TV channels, with room for one or two standard-definition signals as well.

The National Television System Committee (NTSC), made up of corporate and governmental representatives, devised the transmission standards for North American TV. They included 525 horizontal lines (including 480 devoted to the picture), at 60 interlaced fields or half-frames (for 30 total frames) of black-and-white pictures per second, transmitted on 6 MHz channels, with frequency-modulated (FM) audio. In the early 1950s, a second NTSC was formed to add color information to the signals. The committee chose RCA’s “compatible” color scheme, which enabled existing black-and-white TV sets to receive monochrome versions of color transmissions. This coloring was done by adding a color signal (chrominance) to the existing brightness signal (luminance), which added color without enhancing the signal. By the mid-1980s, the NTSC phased in stereo sound and closed captioning subtitles for the hearing impaired, which were the last major additions to NTSC analog TV. For more than 4 decades, all video innovations including videotape, camcorders, cable, VCRs, and other video equipment sold in the United States and Canada would be made to these NTSC specifications. The NTSC color standard has long been derided by videophiles as “never the same color” becuase of the relatively fuzzy picture and the wandering color hues, but NTSC will soon become part of history.

When European countries decided to switch to color in the 1960s, they chose to go with newer and more advanced broadcasts standards — either PAL (phase alternating line), developed in Germany, or SÉCAM (séquentiel couleur avec mémoire, or sequential color with memory), developed in France. Both of these standards offered more lines with better color than NTSC, but were not only incompatible with the NTSC system but also within their own countries’ black and white telecasts. Even with the different standards, European viewers enjoyed sharper pictures with higher resolution and more stable colors than those in North America. As well, for several years, Europe’s broadcasters would simulcast the same shows on separate color and black and white channels, before they finally shut off the black-and-white channels. The British Broadcasting Corporation launched color channels in 1967 and didn’t scrap the last black and white channels until in 1985.

Now, the United States and Canada are going through a similar transition from analog to digital television technology advancements that include the ever important color-stabilization, among other things. Digital television transition is a game changer for the way we watch TV in the near future.

Philips 52″ Diagonal 1080p Full HD LCD HDTV w/ Digital Tuner, 52PFL7422D/37

We often base our buying habits on how good a product looks along with how well it performance and if its price point is affordable. With this Philips television you’ll get the high-style HDTV you desire with the performance to match and it can be yours for less than $2000 making it very affordable. This 52″ LCD television isn’t just about its sleek look and inexpensive price, because it also offers top-end features like 1080p resolution with a 10000:1 dynamic contrast ratio that ensures you’ll see images that are crisp and amazingly sharp in detail. The 52PFL7422D/37 supports any high-definition signal, whether it’s from a Blu-ray disc player or a game console, so you’ll get the great visual experience no matter what your intention. As the Philips 52PFL7422D/37 also has integrated Dolby Digital sound, you’ll also hear audio that has the clarity to match the on-screen picture. This television will even make it easy to connect all of your home theater and other digital devices thanks to the USB and HDMI ports, which will even allow you to use this HDTV as a PC display. If you’re looking for style and functionality in your next television, then buy the Philips 52PFL7422D/37 52″ LCD HDTV which also comes with an attractive price.

Curtis Mathes CMMX32 32″ LCD HDTV

If you’re ready to upgrade your television from a standard analog box-like TV set to a sleek new HD flat panel wide screen but are afraid of what that might cost, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised that you can have a brand new 32″ LCD HDTV for less than $700. Although you won’t be getting the largest or most advanced television available, you’ll definitely see a marked improvement in the viewing quality of everything you watch with the comfort in knowing that you bought your new HDTV at a rock bottom price. This Curtis Mathes television comes with both an analog and digital tuner while offering a 1500:1 contrast ratio that is ready to provide you with high definition quality programming if you have an appropriate HD source. The CMMX32 has the same same sleek design you might expect from a more expensive flat panel television, and it comes with the appropriate connection ports to accommodate your other digital devices helping you create a true home theater system. At less than $700, you’ll have all the viewing capabilities you require with the Curtis Mathes CMMX32 32″ LCD HDTV to enjoy a better television viewing experience.

Vizio 32″ Class Plasma HDTV with Digital Tuner, VP322HDTV10A

If you ever thought that you couldn’t afford a plasma television, then you would be wrong because Vizio makes one that’s affordable. This 32″ widescreen television offers everything you could want and need in clear high-definition, and its size allows it to fit in just about any room of your house. With the VP322HDTV10A you won’t have to give up room space or picture quality, as this plasma television produces bright colors and dark blacks while achieving a 30,000:1 contrast ratio with a 5ms response time that ensures everything you watch is sharp. This HDTV gets the same picture quality that you’ll find in larger and more expensive plasma televisions, but with the Vizio VP322HDTV10A you’ll be paying a fraction of the price. As with with any other flatscreen television available today, you’ll have multiple HDMI connections allowing you to create the perfect home theater system. If you’ve been looking for a plasma television that will fit your room and your budget, then get the Vizio VP322HDTV10A 32″ Plasma HDTV for its clear picture quality with its compact size and price.

Olevia 747i 47 1080p LCD HDTV

If you’ve been waiting for just the right time to get an HD television so you can start watching high defintion programming at an affordable price, then now is the time. With this Olevia HDTV you’ll be viewing the very best that television has to offer in image quality with an incredibly sharp 1080p resolution image. The 747i delivers studio quality images, no matter what you’re watching, thanks to the SiliconOptix Realta Hollywood Quality video processor that highlights the subtle nuances that you would normally miss on a regular television. As the Olevia 747i produces such amazingly rich images with the most vibrant colors that can be seen from its wide 178 degree viewing angle, you may find it hard to turn this LCD television off. Along with the great picture that you’ll see by just watching television, you’ll also be able to connect your digital devices such as MP3 players, digital cameras and laptop computers for even more access to high quality digital media. This 47″ LCD television has everything you could want in a TV including an exceptionally affordable price for such a large screen. When you’re ready to see the best that television has to offer, then buy the Olevia 747i 47″ LCD HDTV and watch television in high definition.

Vizio 37″ LCD HDTV with Digital Tuner, VW37L

You’ll see clear images on this flatscreen LCD television, that will provide you with amazing HD picture quality along with big sound in a sleek compact design. This 37″ LCD HDTV is only 4.3″ deep and displays the crisp picture you expect in a large widescreen format with virtual surround sound from the two speakers with 20 watt stereo amplifier. The VW37L features both analog and digital tuners for receiving conventional analog channels and digital channels including broadcast HDTV signals. With it’s 1000:1 contrast ratio and fast response time, every scene including fast moving images, are clear and bright on this Vizio HDTV. The Vizio VW37L delivers excellent picture quality at an even more exceptional price, which allows anyone to enjoy today’s high-defintion entertainment. Using the HDMI inputs and the other digital inputs, you can easily connect all of your DVD players, high tech gadgets and even your computer to create a true entertainment system with this TV. When you want a feature-filled HD television with amazing picture and sound quality that’s affordable, then buy the Vizio VW37L 37″ LCD HDTV.

LG 42 720p LCD HDTV

You’ll be able to watch amazing onscreen images with bright color and crispness from just about any angle on this 42″ flatscreen television. With a 178 degree viewing angle, you’ll clearly see that this LCD HDTV delivers sharp images even with fast motion images thanks to the Super IPS Technology. The 8000:1 dynamic contrast ratio will ensure you get to watch a smooth and detailed picture on the LG 42LC7D. You will also be able to control other LG products, like DVD players, through Simplink that uses existing HDMI connections providing you extended functionality. An LCD television that performs well with its bright picture and lifelike color rendering, you’ll be impressed with the images you see on the 42LC7D, along with its functionality. If you like you’re TV to display extremely clear images while maintaining the contrast and color quality from extreme angles, then you’ll want the LG 42LC7D 42″ LCD HDTV to be at the center of your living room.

Toshiba 32AV500U 32 LCD TV – FREE SHIPPING

You don’t have to spend a large sum of money when you’re looking for a flatscreen TV that offers all of the digital aspects that you need for the today’s high definition content, because you can get a 32″ LCD television at a very affordable price. The Toshiba 32AV500U features an impressive 720p HD resolution picture and it’s compatible with your computer so this television can also act as a monitor, which doubles your usage at no extra cost. In this HDTV you also get a television that can transition seamlessly with deep blacks using its DynaLight advanced image processing technology to constantly adjust the brightness and backlight intensity that provides a better picture by creating increased detail and depth. Providing wide angle viewing with crisp high-action images, the Toshiba 32AV500U 32″ LCD HDTV offers an affordable view for any home theater.