Submitted
by
GuyFawkes
on Monday November 02, @02:29PM
GuyFawkes writes "HDTV is not exactly new, and 1080p (1920 x 1080) screens are not exactly rare, but the important metric is the bandwidth of the video signal.
In my experiments 12 mbit/sec is about the lower limit for 1080p viewing, anything below that and artifacts are noticeable / visible during normal watching. At around 18 mbit/sec (a decent 1080p camcorder) picture quality is good enough that you have to actually look for artifacts to see them.
Here in the UK, it doesn't seem to matter where you get your HDTV from (satellite / cable / broadcast), none of it is 1080p, and none of it comes in at anywhere near 12 mbit/sec, in fact most of the so called "HD" channels are actually 720p/i and between 2 mbit/sec and 4 mbit/sec.
In fact the only way to get "real" HD quality programme material is from Blu-ray, or download it from that place which we do not mention.
(disclaimer; I bought my screen to use as a media centre PC monitor, so it isn't fatal, but, if I had bought it (and gold plated HDMI leads) to watch HDTV I'd be filing lawsuits about false advertising)
So I thought it would be interesting to Ask Slashdot, what sort of video bandwidth do you get in your area? And are there any DEFINITE plans for infrastructure to deliver full bandwidth 1080p any time in the near future?"
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HD is what ever the local government says it is. In Australia, they chickened out, at the bequest of free to air TV providers, and convinced the government to declare 576p and above as "Hi-Def".
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