The HD ready is a certification program introduced in 2005 by EICTA (European Information, Communications and Consumer Electronics Technology Industry Associations), now DIGITALEUROPE.
There are currently four different labels: "HD ready", "HD TV", "HD ready 1080p", "HD TV 1080p". The logos are awarded to television equipment capable of certain features.
In the USA, a similar "HD Ready" term usually refers to any display that is capable of accepting and displaying a high-definition signal at either 720p, 1080i or 1080p using a component video or digital input, but does not have a built-in HD-capable tuner.
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The labels and relevant specifications are based on agreements between over 60 broadcasters and manufacturers of the European HDTV Forum at its second session in June 2004, held at the Betzdorf, Luxembourg headquarters of founding member SES Astra.[1] Before the introduction of the HD ready program, many TV sources and displays were being promoted as capable of displaying high definition pictures when they were not; according to Alexander Oudendijk, senior VP of marketing for Astra, in early 2005 there were 74 different devices being sold as ready for HD that were not.[2]
The certification program was introduced on January 19, 2005. The "HD ready" logo is awarded to television equipment capable of displaying High Definition (HD) pictures from an external source, however it does not have to feature a digital tuner to decode an HD signal; devices with tuners were certified under a separate "HD TV" logo, which does not require a "HD ready" display device. A UK BBC television programme found that this confuses purchasers, many of whom buy HD-ready equipment expecting to be able to receive HD with no additional equipment;[3] they are sometimes actively misled by salespeople—a 2007 Ofcom survey found that 12% were told explicitly that they could view analog transmissions in HD, 7% that no extra equipment was needed, and 14% that HD-ready sets would receive existing DVB-T transmissions in HD.[3]
On August 30, 2007, 1080p versions of the logos and licensing agreements were introduced; in a departure from the earlier scheme, "HD TV 1080p" logo now requires "HD ready 1080p" certification.
HD ready and HD ready 1080p logos are awarded to television displays (including integrated TV sets, computer monitors and projectors) which have certain capabilities to process and display high-definition source video signal.
The HD TV logo is awarded to integrated television sets and set-top boxes which are capable of receiving and decoding high-definition broadcasts, that is include a DVB tuner and decoder which support MPEG-4.
The HD TV 1080p label is awarded to integrated television sets which have a DVB tuner, MPEG-4/H.264 AVC decoder, and a display conforming to HD ready 1080p requirements.
In order to be eligible for the "HD ready 1080p" or "HD Ready" logo, a display device has to meet the following requirements:
| Requirements | HD ready | HD ready 1080p |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum native resolution | 720 horizontal lines (rows) in widescreen ratio |
1920×1080 |
| Analogue YPbPr HD input | Yes | Yes |
| Digital HDMI or DVI HD input | Yes | Yes |
| The HDMI or DVI input supports copy protection (HDCP) | Yes | Yes |
| 720p HD (1280×720 progressive @50 & 60 Hz) | Yes | Yes |
| 1080i HD (1920×1080 interlaced @50 & 60 Hz) | Yes | Yes |
| 1080p HD (1920×1080 progressive @24, 50 & 60 Hz) | No | Yes |
| Accepted video formats are reproduced without distortion | No | Yes |
| Display 1080p and 1080i video without overscan (1:1 pixel mapping) | No | Yes |
| Display native video modes at the same, or higher, refresh rate | No | Yes |
Older products that bear the label "HD ready" may not be able to display the full picture resolution possible from an HD source. Most "HD ready" sets do not have enough pixels to give true pixel-for-pixel representation without interpolation of the higher HD resolution (1920 × 1080) – or (in rare cases) even the lower HD resolution (1280 × 720) horizontally (CRT based sets, or the plasma-based sets with 1024 × 768 resolution). Equipment with the "HD Ready 1080p" logo is not permitted to have this limitation.
Similarly, labels which are used by the industry but not formally defined as a standard such as "Full HD" can be misleading, as they can refer to any 1080i or 1080p devices which typically do not fulfil all requirements defined in HD ready 1080p specifications.
The following technical references are used in the specification: