Any new technology has at least a little learning curve to it, but high def TVs seem to have a really big one, for good reason. Instead of just one technology, high def TVs are an amalgam of a dozen or so: plasma TVs, LCD TVs, DLP TVs, Blu-ray disk technology, new cable and satellite broadcast technology, cabling technology - the list goes on. Worse, for the nontechnophile, there is no easy way to understand what’s going on. The interaction of all these different technologies can lead to problems even for the specialist installers.

There are a few things you should know, though, that will help you head trouble off before it impacts you.

1. Do the HD math before you buy your set. Not all plasma TVs have HD capacity. You want to get a set that adheres to one of the two broadcast standards: 1280×720 (720p) and 1920×1080 (1080i or 1080p). Why? If you don’t have a television that brings in at least the lower of these resolutions, you won’t be receiving the full band capacity being sent to your set, resulting in either resolution issues or no picture.

2. Just because you bought an HD-capable set does not mean you’ll be able to bring in your cable company’s HD signal! Broadcast standards coming up only require digital - DTV - capable sets, and those that claim to be capable of HD may still need an adapter. An “HD ready” television is capable of showing HD, but does not necessarily have an HD tuner, which you need to translate the signal; worse, older sets advertised as HD ready may not display your full HD resolution. “Full HD” only means that the set is 1080p or better, not that it has a tuner. Lesson here: make sure your TV has the HD tuner.

3. Don’t think you have to use the expensive HDMI cables just because the guy in the store says you do. The advantages of HDMI cable are improved shielding and an all-in-one video and audio capacity. Standard DVI-D cables, provided they are short and new, do just as well in most cases and are significantly cheaper. However, they should be either new or guaranteed free of shorts and dirt. Any interference in a standard television will just cause degradation of signal; for a high-def TV, you lose your picture entirely.

4. You can use your high-def TV to record HD signals to DVDs and even VHS, but you won’t have a lot of capacity. Blu-ray recordings or recordings to a computer or separate hard drive are your best bet.

5. If your image carries “artifacts” such as a wavy background or “swarms” around images, it’s not your set, it’s your HD provider. You can’t do much about it except whine to them and hope they open up more HD channels to carry their crowded signals - not likely. One option is to purchase a device like the Algolith Mosquito HDMI to clean up your signal - but it’s more expensive than most plasma TVs, at about three thousand bucks. Your other option is to wait a couple of years for the problem to resolve itself as cable and digital technology improve, or change your provider.

6. Read your high-def TV’s manual. Whether you have a plasma TV or an LCD TV, the manual will give you information that you desperately need, whether you know it or not. Don’t expect to operate your television out of the box. Instead, schedule yourself some “me and the TV” time so you’ll have time to get to know the different options before they become problems.

SNS Designs, Inc. owns a number of websites. They carry wide selection of High Definition Televisions, Samsung LCD TV, Plasma Televisions. They offer the most popular in home theatre and a number of televisions that range from Sony, Pioneer to LG that everyone can afford.

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