high quality

Blu-ray and HD DVD: The facts

Digital Living The simple answer is that these two optical disc formats are the best sources of top-quality, high-definition video currently on the market. As long as the right hardware is hooked up to your disc player, you can experience lossless Dolby TrueHD...

1 June 2007, 16:40

What size television should I buy?

Digital Living The good news is that high-definition video will look stunning at far larger screen sizes, so there is no need to worry about the quality when you are watching high-definition programmes via Sky HD, cable or HD DVD/Blu-ray.

14 March 2007, 14:08

Is a 46-inch TV too big for my living room?

Digital Living Sitting too close to a screen impairs performance, however, by revealing image build-up structures such as scanning lines and pixels -- although high-definition images allow you to sit closer without affecting quality.

15 November 2006, 16:02

Spam TV, You TV, Global TV

Digital Living Home projectors are giving us control of film in the same way that high-quality, low-cost cameras like All of these new services are getting us closer to a world in which we can avoid second-rate stuff we don't want, and go for the premium quality...

4 October 2005, 16:57

Format wars: The tech that should have won

Digital Living For example, SACD offers a cunning hybrid option, which means as well as a high-quality audio layer, there's a CD layer, which means the discs will work in any standard CD player -- although not all discs have this feature.

23 July 2007, 9:49

Choose the right gear for high definition

Digital Living Rear-projection televisionsAside from the improved picture quality, the main reason for upgrading to a high-definition display is that it is flatter than a CRT and therefore uses much less space. Picture quality is still up for debate though...

4 June 2007, 14:46

Calibrate your LCD television

Digital Living When watching high-quality movies, we recommend reducing the sharpness to zero unless you detect visible softening along the edges of text. If you care about more than just the flatness of a set, this stylish, expensive LCD offers top-notch image...

9 May 2005, 15:14

What's the best LCD TV for under £1,000?

Digital Living Some high-definition sources, such as the Xbox 360, send hi-def signals using analogue component connections, but image quality isn't as impressive and, unlike HDMI, the cables don't carry audio, so you'll need to wire that up separately.

24 January 2007, 11:40

Why isn't Freeview on LCD and plasmas as good as on my old TV?

Digital Living When it comes to high definition though, you can't beat an LCD or plasma, so if you're planning to get a next-generation games console or a Blu-ray or HD DVD player then you'll be blown away by the improvement in picture quality.

25 April 2007, 11:42

What's the difference between 1080 and 768 resolutions for LCD TVs?

Digital Living All current high-definition broadcasts use either 720p or 1080i signals and although 1080i signals require some downscaling, the effect on image quality is negligible. It's important to remember that whatever resolution you use, image quality...

4 October 2006, 14:17

Best budget hi-def LCD TV?

Digital Living Nearly all DVD players now come with component video outputs, which offer a much better picture quality than standard Scart. The only piece of equipment where RGB Scart is the best quality connection available is on digital TV boxes, so you might...

1 November 2005, 13:45

Which TV should I buy for gaming and a Media Center setup?

Digital Living Sound quality, however, isn't brilliant, so it might be better to get a separate surround-sound amplifier for movies and games. If you watch a lot of Freeview, this set is the best choice with its good standard-def picture quality.

14 February 2007, 12:51

Can camcorders take great stills?

Digital Living These are generally recognised as frames from the video, and so the lower quality is acceptable for this purpose. Camcorders that give good colour and low noise can provide scaled-down stills that have comparable image quality to a higher...

Tags: megapixel, colour, noise, frame

21 November 2007, 14:15

What's lossless audio and do I need it?

Digital Living The main reason to use lossless audio is if you use a high-quality hi-fi speaker system at home, or if you use very expensive earphones. I've heard that using lossless audio compression gives hugely improved sound quality over MP3.

18 July 2007, 11:55

How do I connect my laptop to my television?

Digital Living To avoid this problem, get yourself a high-quality scan convertor, as these can help clean up the images, but don't expect miracles. Let's not forget that the very reason computer monitors were invented is because standard-def TVs can't display...

25 October 2006, 15:26