HD ready
Encyclopedia
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.
headquarters of founding member SES Astra
. 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.
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; 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.
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.
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 box
es 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:
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:
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
720p
720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan...
, 1080i
1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
or 1080p
1080p
1080p is the shorthand identification for a set of HDTV high-definition video modes that are characterized by 1080 horizontal lines of resolution and progressive scan, meaning the image is not interlaced as is the case with the 1080i display standard....
using a component video
Component video
Component video is a video signal that has been split into two or more component channels. In popular use, it refers to a type of component analog video information that is transmitted or stored as three separate signals...
or digital input, but does not have a built-in HD-capable tuner.
History
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, LuxembourgBetzdorf, Luxembourg
Betzdorf is a commune and village in eastern Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Grevenmacher, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher. The commune's administrative centre is Berg....
headquarters of founding member SES Astra
SES Astra
Astra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
. 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
SES Astra
Astra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
, in early 2005 there were 74 different devices being sold as ready for HD that were not.
The certification program was introduced on January 19, 2005. The "HD ready" logo is awarded to television equipment capable of displaying High Definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
(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
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
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; they are sometimes actively misled by salespeople—a 2007 Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
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
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
transmissions in HD.
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.
Requirements and logos
HD ready and HD ready 1080p logos are awarded to televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
displays (including integrated TV sets, computer monitors and projectors) which have certain capabilities to process and display high-definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
source video signal.
The HD TV logo is awarded to integrated television sets and set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
es which are capable of receiving and decoding high-definition broadcasts, that is include a DVB
DVB
Digital Video Broadcasting is a suite of internationally accepted open standards for digital television. DVB standards are maintained by the , an international industry consortium with more than 270 members, and they are published by a Joint Technical Committee of European Telecommunications...
tuner and decoder which support MPEG-4
MPEG-4
MPEG-4 is a method of defining compression of audio and visual digital data. It was introduced in late 1998 and designated a standard for a group of audio and video coding formats and related technology agreed upon by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group under the formal standard ISO/IEC...
.
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 YPbPr ' is a color space used in video electronics, in particular in reference to component video cables. is the analog version of the YCBCR color space; the two are numerically equivalent, but YPBPR is designed for use in analog systems whereas YCBCR is intended for digital video. cables are also... HD input |
||
| Digital HDMI HDMI HDMI is a compact audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data. It is a digital alternative to consumer analog standards, such as radio frequency coaxial cable, composite video, S-Video, SCART, component video, D-Terminal, or VGA... or DVI Digital Visual Interface The Digital Visual Interface is a video interface standard covering the transmission of video between a source device and a display device. The DVI standard has achieved widespread acceptance in the PC industry, both in desktop PCs and monitors... HD input |
||
| The HDMI or DVI input supports copy protection (HDCP) | ||
| 720p 720p 720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan... HD (1280×720 progressive Progressive scan Progressive scanning is a way of displaying, storing, or transmitting moving images in which all the lines of each frame are drawn in sequence... @50 & 60 Hz) |
||
| 1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels... HD (1920×1080 interlaced @50 & 60 Hz) |
||
| 1080p 1080p 1080p is the shorthand identification for a set of HDTV high-definition video modes that are characterized by 1080 horizontal lines of resolution and progressive scan, meaning the image is not interlaced as is the case with the 1080i display standard.... HD (1920×1080 progressive Progressive scan Progressive scanning is a way of displaying, storing, or transmitting moving images in which all the lines of each frame are drawn in sequence... @24, 50 & 60 Hz) |
||
| Accepted video formats are reproduced without distortion | ||
| Display 1080p and 1080i video without overscan Overscan Overscan is extra image area around the four edges of a video image that may not be seen reliably by the viewer. It exists because television sets in the 1930s through 1970s were highly variable in how the video image was framed within the cathode ray tube .-Origins of overscan:Early televisions... (1:1 pixel mapping 1:1 pixel mapping 1:1 pixel mapping is a video display technique used in some devices, such as LCD monitors. A monitor that has been set to 1:1 pixel mapping will try to display an input source without scaling it, such that each pixel received is mapped to a single native pixel on the monitor... ) |
||
| Display native video modes at the same, or higher, refresh rate Refresh rate The refresh rate is the number of times in a second that a display hardware draws the data... |
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
Cathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
based sets, or the plasma
Plasma display
A plasma display panel is a type of flat panel display common to large TV displays or larger. They are called "plasma" displays because the technology utilizes small cells containing electrically charged ionized gases, or what are in essence chambers more commonly known as fluorescent...
-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:
- DVIDigital Visual InterfaceThe Digital Visual Interface is a video interface standard covering the transmission of video between a source device and a display device. The DVI standard has achieved widespread acceptance in the PC industry, both in desktop PCs and monitors...
: DDWG, "Digital Visual Interface", rev 1.0, April 2, 1999 as further qualified in EIA861B, "A DTV Profile for Uncompressed High Speed Digital Interfaces" May 2002, furthermore allowing both DVI-D and DVI-I connectors, requiring compliance to both 50 and 60 Hz profiles, and requiring support for both 720p and 1080i video formats. - HDMIHDMIHDMI is a compact audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data. It is a digital alternative to consumer analog standards, such as radio frequency coaxial cable, composite video, S-Video, SCART, component video, D-Terminal, or VGA...
: HDMI Licensing, LLC, "High-Definition Multimedia Interface", rev.1.1, May 20, 2004 - HDCP: Intel, "High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection System", rev 1.1, June 9, 2003. (For DVI input, HDCP rev 1.0 will apply.)
- YPBPRYPbPr' is a color space used in video electronics, in particular in reference to component video cables. is the analog version of the YCBCR color space; the two are numerically equivalent, but YPBPR is designed for use in analog systems whereas YCBCR is intended for digital video. cables are also...
: EIA770.3-A, March 2000, with the notice that the connectors required may be available only through an adaptor.