Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) like Tivo are wonderful products that change the way you watch TV. They are simple to use. DVR’s record like a VCR, but no tapes are involved since all programs are recorded onto the unit’s hard disk. A DVR is really a computer you program to record your favorite programs through simple menus that appear on the TV screen. They allow you to time-shift your television viewing, enabling you to watch your favorite shows whenever you prefer and also skip through commercials while viewing!

Standard Tivo will not record HDTV signals. It takes approximately 8GB of disk space to record an hour of HDTV programming compared to about 1GB to record standard TV programming.  Most modern DVR’s are capable of recording HDTV programming.

• Tivo: www.tivo.com

Comcast provides a mixture of analog, digital, and HDTV channels. For a $5 upcharge you can get a limited amount of HD programming through Comcast cable. Current HDTV channels include PBS, ABC, ESPN-HD, and NBC.

These HD channels are transmitted as separate channels in the 80 to 90 range; the same programming can typically be watched on their corresponding standard analog channels. You can pay more to receive the premium HBO or Showtime packages. Confirm with Comcast EXACTLY which channels they broadcast in HD so you won’t be disappointed to find your favorite shows are only transmitted in a non-HD format.

To receive the Comcast HD programming you need a set top box provided by Comcast to decode the signals from Comcast. The Comcast hardware is really very good and includes component video and digital audio outputs. Unfortunately most of the standard analog channels are broadcast in mono.

Good luck finding HDTV info on the Comcast website: www.comcast.com

While all DirectTV channels are digital, only a limited number of the channels carry HD programming. Current HDTV channels include the HBO and Showtime channels, Discovery-HD, ESPN-HD, and HDNET.
These HD channels are transmitted as separate channels in the 70 to 90 range; the same programming can typically be watched on their corresponding standard channels. HDTV programming uses more bandwidth than the standard DirectTV channels and are only available bundled as part of premium packages with up-charges of $10 to $15 per month. While you can receive standard definition local channels from DirectTV for $6 per month, no local HDTV channels are available.
To receive HD programming through DirectTV you need a three lnb oval dish and a satellite receiver capable of decoding the HDTV signals. This is NOT the equipment you are provided as part of the DirectTV teaser offers which promise free hardware.

DirectTV’s HDTV info: http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/imagine/HDTV.jsp

Put up an antenna and you receive HDTV signals over the air (just like TV was back in the 1960’s!). If you have a working TV antenna then you may not need a new one!

All of the local stations in the Detroit market are broadcasting digital signals. There is a mix of HD programs and rebroadcast standard programming on the station’s digital channel. But even the rebroadcast standard definition programming looks better through a digital signal.

A large number of programs are broadcast in full HD and the list grows daily. Some examples of over the air HD programming: most CBS and ABC sitcoms, Monday night football, college football, NHL hockey.

Check out TitanTV.com for a digital TV guide: www.titantv.com

If you want to watch High Definition Television (HDTV) you need a television capable of displaying the high quality HDTV pictures. Such monitors continue to drop in price and are now below $1000. You also need a receiver which decodes the HDTV signal and outputs it to the television monitor. Some HDTV televisions have the receiver included within the monitor, some others HDTV televisions require a separate receiver box.

You will most likely want to include a blue ray DVD player in your home theater environment.  Blue ray DVD’s display wonderfully on a HDTV monitor.

You might also want to consider a multi-speaker sound system to round-out your home theater. This setup typically includes 6 speakers to provide 5-1 sound. It also includes an audio-visual (AV) receiver. An AV receiver is like a stereo receiver, but can also switch and pass through video signals from your HDTV receiver, satellite receiver, and DVD player.