Let viewers know programming is in HD, advises HD guru
Aug 21, 2007 9:29 AM
HD Technology Update: Do you think that message should play into the education
effort the broadcast industry is about to begin?
Joe Kane: I think the broadcasters should encourage anyone who is interested in
looking at the best quality to try off the air versus any other means that they have
for getting the broadcast signal. But I do think broadcasters should at least let
people know that there is the potential for a really good picture off the air. In doing
that, they are going to have to be careful not to step on the toes of the cable
systems, saying, “We’re better than the cable systems.”
I recognize that they are going to have a lot of difficulty in trying to do that, but by the same token, I think they should be encouraging consumers to look at off-air signals and make judgments for themselves about what’s better for them, the cable system or off air.
HD Technology Update: What are the basic HDTV video-related essentials most consumers are unaware of that prevent them from getting the most from their sets? How do the six essential calibration test patterns on your disc relate?
Joe Kane: The basic test patterns on the disc are there to make sure the fundamental adjustments — the user controls — are set as close as they can be to the proper setting.
The tutorial in “Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics” goes to great lengths to explain what broadcasters go through to deliver a good picture, and explains that if a consumer is going to get that quality at home, there has to be an effort at home.
The first is to identify if the set can actually do HD. Among the test signals we are providing are guidelines to answer, “Does your set actually do high definition?” It’s a yes-or-no situation. Then, it will guide them through some basic user controls for setting things up. It also makes them aware that there are other things that can be done to the set like grayscale calibration, positioning of pictures that may be really important and where they may actually need to consult someone else to come in and help them get the best picture they can possibly obtain.
On a side note, “HD Basics” will have the most accessible menu system of any Digital Video Essentials program to date. We spent a lot of time thinking about the average consumer and how to balance our desire to educate them, while allowing them to access the information they want, when they want it.
HD Technology Update: The disc also includes advanced video test patterns. Could you address those?
Joe Kane: Part of the reason for including advanced test signals is that I fully anticipate someone needing them to make all of the adjustments to see the kind of quality from the set that it’s capable of producing.
There are basic things I expect consumers to establish if they have a good set, if they have something that is really HD capable. Once that’s there, I want the professional to be able to use the same program and to come in and make the final adjustments on the set that would be required to get everything out of it that it is capable of doing.
HD Technology Update: What are they unaware of when it comes to 5.1 surround and implementing it properly?
Joe Kane: That’s a tough question for me to answer. The majority of homes I’ve been into that have purchased an HD set are using the internal speakers in the system to get the audio, and so much is missed in audio quality by using an internal system.
It’s difficult for a set manufacturer to build in an audio capability in the set that even remotely approaches the capability of an external 5.1 audio system. It is my position that if people actually want to get the full experience, they are going to need an external audio system to go along with the video. It is nearly impossible for a manufacturer to build the kind of audio quality into a set that will reproduce what’s being broadcast.
HD Technology Update: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Joe Kane: The most important thing for me about HD is that every person to whom I show true high-quality HD looks at me and tells me, “Gee, you’ve been holding out.” They had no idea that HD was that good.
Everybody who’s sat down and watched my system and seen the video quality has said, “Wow, this is so worth it.” It is so valuable that it’s a completely new experience. I believe consumers need to find out what HD really is, and once they find out what it really is, they will be excited about having it.
HD Technology Update: Is that where we are now, given the pace at which HDTVs are being purchased?
Joe Kane: I honestly think that what’s being delivered right now is style over function. When I walk into people’s homes who think it’s HD and look at what they actually have, it’s style and it is not real HD. That’s part of what the “HD Basics” program is all about — to help consumers identify what real HD is as opposed to style masking itself as HD.
For more information, visit www.videoessentials.com.
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