HD ready

HD ready logo for devices that are not 1080p

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.

History

The "HD ready" certification program was introduced on January 19, 2005. 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]

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.

Before the introduction of the "HD ready" certification, many TV sources and displays were being promoted as capable of displaying high definition pictures when they were in fact SDTV devices; 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] Devices advertised as HD-compatible or HD ready could take HDTV-signal as an input (via analog -YPbPr or digital DVI or HDMI), but they did not have enough pixels for true representation of even the lower HD resolution (1280 × 720) (plasma-based sets with 853 × 480 resolution, CRT based sets only capable of SDTV-resolution or VGA-resolution, 640×480 pixels), much less the higher HD resolution (1920 × 1080), and so were unable to display the HD picture without downscaling to a lower resolution. Industry-sponsored labels such as "Full HD" were misleading as well, as they can refer to devices which do not fulfil some essential requirements such as having 1:1 pixel mapping with no overscan or accepting a 1080p signal.

A UK BBC television programme found that separate labels for display devices and TV tuners/decoders confused purchasers, many of whom bought HD-ready equipment expecting to be able to receive HD with no additional equipment;[3] they were sometimes actively misled by salespeople—a 2007 Ofcom survey found that 12% were told explicitly that they could view analog SDTV transmissions in HD, 7% that no extra equipment was needed, and 14% that HD-ready sets would receive existing digital SDTV transmissions in HD.[3]

On August 30, 2007, 1080p versions of the logos and licensing agreements were introduced; as an improvement to the earlier scheme, "HD TV 1080p" logo now requires "HD ready 1080p" certification.

Requirements and logos

Current logo for 1080p displays
Logo for 720p televisions and set-top boxes

HD ready [4] and HD ready 1080p logos[5][6] are awarded to displays (including integrated television sets, computer monitors and projectors) which have certain capabilities to process and display high-definition source video signal, outlined in a table below.

The HD TV logo[7][8] is awarded to either integrated digital television sets (containing a display conforming to "HD ready" requirements) or standalone set-top boxes which are capable of receiving, decoding and outputting or displaying high-definition broadcasts (that is, include a DVB tuner for cable, terrestrial or satellite broadcasting, a video decoder which supports H.264/MPEG-4 AVC compression in 720p and 1080i signal formats, and either video outputs or an integrated display capable of handling such signals).

The HD TV 1080p logo[5][9] is awarded to integrated digital television sets which have a display conforming to "HD ready 1080p" requirements, a DVB tuner and a decoder capable of processing 1080p signal.

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

Technical references

References

  1. ↑ "HDTV specifications and timetable agreed by SES ASTRA and industry partners from all over Europe" (Press release). SES ASTRA. June 21, 2004. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  2. ↑ Twist, Jo. "Confusion over high-definition TV" BBC News Retrieved on November 26, 2008
  3. 1 2 BBC1 TV "Rip off Britain" programme transmitted 25 November 2010 at 9:15
  4. ↑ http://www.digitaleurope.org/HighDefinitionFastFacts/HighDefinitionTV/ConditionsforHighDefinitionLabellingofDispla.aspx
  5. 1 2 http://www.digitaleurope.org/HighDefinitionFastFacts/HDReadyHDTV1080plogos.aspx
  6. ↑ http://www.digitaleurope.org/Portals/0/Documents/HD/HD_ready_1080p_LICENSE_AGREEMENT.pdf
  7. ↑ http://www.digitaleurope.org/HighDefinitionFastFacts/HDTVlogo.aspx
  8. ↑ http://www.digitaleurope.org/Portals/0/Documents/HD/HD%20TV%20Logo%20License%20Agreement.pdf
  9. ↑ http://www.digitaleurope.org/Portals/0/Documents/HD/EICTA_HDTV_LICENSE_AGREEMENT.pdf

External links

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