High-definition television in the United States
High-definition television in the United States was introduced in 1998 and has since become increasingly popular. Dozens of HD channels are available in millions of homes and businesses both terrestrially and via subscription services such as satellite, cable and IPTV. In June 2011, Nielsen Media Research reported that 75.5 million American homes (two-thirds of all homes) contain at least one HDTV.[1]
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High definition versus standard or enhanced definition[edit]
It is not clear whether broadcasting HDTV or multiple standard definition (SD) channels during non-primetime hours will become common. Many Public Broadcasting Service member stations are now carrying SD multicasts when not broadcasting in HDTV; but unlike many commercial stations, most of these multicasts are suspended while HDTV programs are being broadcast.
The prevailing expectation is that native HDTV (i.e., programming recorded with a digital HDTV camera) during primetime will predominate. The great majority of primetime television shows in the United States are available in HDTV at the network level. It is up to the affiliates, not all of which have HDTV broadcast capability, to retransmit these shows at HDTV resolutions. A number of non-primetime shows, including morning news shows and some soap operas, are also available in HDTV.
From proposals to introduction[edit]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began soliciting proposals for a new television standard for the U.S. in the late 1980s and later decided to ask companies competing to create the standard to pool their resources and work together, forming what was known as the Grand Alliance in 1993.
On July 23, 1996, WRAL-TV (the CBS affiliate in Raleigh, North Carolina) became the first television station in the United States to broadcast a digital television signal.[2]
HDTV sets became available in the U.S. in 1998 and broadcasts began around November 1998. The first public HDTV broadcast was of the launch of the space shuttle Discovery and John Glenn's return to space; that broadcast was made possible in part by Harris Corporation.[3] The first commercial broadcast of a local sporting event in HD was during Major League Baseball's Opening Day on March 31, 1998, the Texas Rangers against the Chicago White Sox from The Ballpark in Arlington in Arlington, TX. The telecast was produced by LIN productions and broadcast locally on Fort Worth, Texas NBC affiliate KXAS channel 5. This telecast was also the first commercial HD broadcast in the state of Texas.[4] The first major sporting event broadcast nation wide in HD was Super Bowl XXXIV on January 30, 2000.
Satellite and cable[edit]
Satellite television companies in the United States, such as Dish Network and DirecTV, started to carry HD programming in 2002. Satellite transmissions in the U.S. use various forms of PSK modulation. A separate tuner is required to receive HD satellite broadcasts.
Cable television companies in the U.S. generally prefer to use 256-QAM to transmit HDTV. Many of the newer HDTVs with integrated digital tuners include support for decoding 256-QAM in addition to 8VSB for OTA digital. Cable television companies started carrying HDTV in 2003. Currently, HD programming is carried by all major television networks in most DMAs, including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS, The CW, MyNetworkTV and Telemundo; and on some independent stations.
List of current high-definition channels[edit]
| Name | HD Format | Category | Type | HD Only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A&EHD | 720p | Entertainment | Cable | |
| ABCHD | 720p | Broadcast | Broadcast | |
| ABC FamilyHD | 720p | Family & Kids | Cable | |
| AMCHD | 1080i | Movies | Cable | |
| Animal PlanetHD | 1080i | Documentary & Educational | Cable | |
| Audience NetworkHD | 720p | Entertainment | Cable | |
| AXS TV | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | Yes |
| BBC AmericaHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| BBC World NewsHD | 1080i | News & Information | Cable | |
| BioHD | 720p | Documentary & Educational | Cable | |
| Bloomberg TVHD | 1080i | Business | Cable | |
| BETHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| BravoHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| Cartoon Network/Adult SwimHD | 1080i | Family & Kids | Cable | |
| CBSHD | 1080i | Broadcast | Broadcast | |
| CBS Sports NetworkHD | 1080i | Sports | Cable | |
| CinemaxHD (MoreMax, ActionMax, ThillerMax, 5starMax, MovieMax, OuterMax, MaxLatino) | 1080i | Movies | Premium | |
| CNBCHD | 1080i | Business | Cable | |
| CNNHD | 1080i | News & Information | Cable | |
| CMTHD | 1080i | Music & Entertainment | Cable | |
| Comedy CentralHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| Cooking ChannelHD | 1080i | Lifestyle & Home | Cable | |
| Crime & Investigation NetworkHD | 720p | Documentary & Educational | Cable | |
| The CWHD | 1080i | Broadcast | Broadcast | |
| C-SPANHD (C-SPAN2HD, C-SPAN3HD) | 1080i | News & Information | Cable | |
| Destination AmericaHD | 1080i | Lifestyle & Home | Cable | |
| Discovery ChannelHD | 1080i | Documentary & Educational | Cable | |
| Disney ChannelHD | 720p | Family & Kids | Cable | |
| Disney JuniorHD | 720p | Family & Kids | Cable | |
| Disney XDHD | 720p | Family & Kids | Cable | |
| DIYHD | 1080i | Lifestyle & Home | Cable | |
| EncoreHD (Encore ActionHD, Encore DramaHD) | 1080i | Movies | Premium | |
| EpixHD (Epix 2HD) | 1080i | Movies | Premium | |
| ESPNHD | 720p | Sports | Cable | |
| ESPN2HD | 720p | Sports | Cable | |
| ESPNewsHD | 720p | Sports | Cable | |
| ESPNUHD | 720p | Sports - College | Cable | |
| EWTNHD | 1080i | Religious | Cable | |
| E!HD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| FEARnetHD | 1080i | Movies | Cable | |
| FlixHD | 1080i | Movies | Premium | |
| Food NetworkHD | 1080i | Lifestyle & Home | Cable | |
| FoxHD | 720p | Broadcast | Broadcast | |
| Fox Business NetworkHD | 720p | Business | Cable | |
| Fox News ChannelHD | 720p | News & Information | Cable | |
| Fox SoccerHD (Fox Soccer PlusHD) | 720p | Sports | Cable | |
| Fox Sports Networks HD (All 19 Regional Sports Networks) | 720p | Sports - Regional | Cable | |
| Fuel TVHD | 720p | Sports | Cable | |
| fuseHD | 1080i | Music & Entertainment | Cable | |
| FXHD | 720p | Entertainment | Cable | |
| FX Movie ChannelHD | 720p | Movies | Cable | |
| Gol TVHD | 1080i | Sports | Cable | |
| Golf ChannelHD | 1080i | Sports | Cable | |
| GSNHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| G4HD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| Hallmark ChannelHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| Hallmark Movie ChannelHD | 1080i | Movies | Cable | |
| Halogen TVHD | 1080i | Religious | Cable | |
| HBOHD (HBO2, HBO Signature, HBO Comedy, HBO Family, HBO Zone, HBO Latino) | 1080i | Movies | Premium | |
| HDNet Movies | 1080i | Movies | Cable | |
| HGTVHD | 1080i | Lifestyle & Home | Cable | |
| HistoryHD | 720p | Documentary & Educational | Cable | |
| HSNHD | 1080i | Shopping | Cable | |
| HLNHD | 1080i | News & Information | Cable | |
| The HubHD | 1080i | Family & Kids | Cable | |
| H2HD | 720p | Documentary & Educational | Cable | |
| IFCHD | 1080i | Movies | Cable | |
| Investigation DiscoveryHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| IonHD | 720p | Broadcast | Broadcast | |
| Jewelry TelevisionHD | 1080i | Shopping | Cable | |
| LifetimeHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| LMNHD | 1080i | Movies | Cable | |
| MASNHD (MASN2HD) | 1080i | Sports - Regional | Cable | |
| MavTVHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| Mega TVHD | 1080i | Broadcast - Spanish | Cable | |
| MGM HD | 1080i | Movies | Premium | Yes |
| MLB NetworkHD | 720p | Sports | Cable | |
| MLB StrikeZoneHD | 720p | Sports | Cable | |
| The Movie ChannelHD (The Movie Channel XtraHD) | 1080i | Movies | Premium | |
| MoviePlexHD (IndiePlexHD, RetroPlexHD) | 1080i | Movies | Premium | |
| MSGHD (MSG PlusHD) | 1080i | Sports - Regional | Cable | |
| MSNBCHD | 1080i | News & Information | Cable | |
| MTVHD | 1080i | Music & Entertainment | Cable | |
| MTV2HD | 1080i | Music & Entertainment | Cable | |
| MyNetworkTVHD | 720p | Broadcast | Broadcast | |
| Nat GeoHD | 720p | Documentary & Educational | Cable | |
| Nat Geo WildHD | 720p | Documentary & Educational | Cable | |
| NBA TVHD | 1080i | Sports | Cable | |
| NBCHD | 1080i | Broadcast | Broadcast | |
| NBC Sports NetworkHD | 1080i | Sports | Cable | |
| NESNHD | 1080i | Sports - Regional | Cable | |
| NFL NetworkHD | 1080i | Sports | Cable | |
| NFL RedZoneHD | 1080i | Sports | Cable | |
| NHL NetworkHD | 1080i | Sports | Cable | |
| Nickelodeon/Nick at NiteHD | 1080i | Family & Kids | Cable | |
| Outdoor ChannelHD | 1080i | Sports | Cable | |
| OvationHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| QVCHD | 1080i | Shopping | Cable | |
| Oprah Winfrey NetworkHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| OxygenHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| Pac-12 NetworkHD | 1080i | Sports - College | Cable | |
| Pac-12 Regional NetworksHD (Los Angeles, Washington, Oregon, Bay Area, Arizona, Mountain) | 1080i | Sports - College | Cable | |
| Palladia | 1080i | Music & Entertainment | Cable | Yes |
| PBSHD | 1080i | Broadcast | Broadcast | |
| ReelzChannelHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| RFD TVHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| Root Sports HD (Northwest, Pittsburgh, Rocky Mountain, Utah) | 720p | Sports - Regional | Cable | |
| ScienceHD | 1080i | Documentary & Educational | Cable | |
| Shorts | 1080i | Movies | Cable | |
| ShowtimeHD (Showtime 2, Showcase, Showtime Extreme, Showtime Beyond, Showtime Next, Showtime Women) | 1080i | Movies | Premium | |
| Smithsonian ChannelHD | 1080i | Documentary & Educational | Cable | |
| SNYHD | 1080i | Sports - Regional | Cable | |
| Sony Movie Channel | 1080i | Movies | Cable | Yes |
| SpeedHD | 720p | Sports | Cable | |
| SpikeHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| Sportsman ChannelHD | 1080i | Sports | Cable | |
| STOHD | 1080i | Sports - Regional | Cable | |
| StarzHD (Starz Comedy, Starz Edge, Starz Kids and Family, Starz InBlack, Starz Cinema) | 1080i | Movies | Premium | |
| StyleHD | 1080i | Lifestyle & Home | Cable | |
| SyfyHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| TBNHD | 1080i | Religious | Cable | |
| TBSHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| TCMHD | 1080i | Movies | Cable | |
| TelemundoHD | 1080i | Broadcast - Spanish | Broadcast | |
| Tennis ChannelHD | 1080i | Sports | Cable | |
| TLCHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| TNTHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| Travel ChannelHD | 1080i | Lifestyle & Home | Cable | |
| TruTVHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| TVGNHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| TV LandHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| TV OneHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| UniMásHD | 1080i | Broadcast - Spanish | Broadcast | |
| UPHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| Universal HD | 1080i | Movies | Cable | Yes |
| Universal SportsHD | 1080i | Sports | Cable | |
| UnivisionHD | 1080i | Broadcast - Spanish | Broadcast | |
| USA NetworkHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| Velocity | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | Yes |
| VH1HD | 1080i | Music & Entertainment | Cable | |
| We TVHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| WealthTVHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| The Weather ChannelHD | 1080i | News & Information | Cable | |
| WGN AmericaHD | 1080i | Entertainment | Cable | |
| YESHD | 1080i | Sports - Regional | Cable | |
| 4SDHD | 1080i | Sports - Regional | Cable |
Scheduled HD channel launches[edit]
- EsquireHD - September 23, 2013 (replacing G4TV)
- Fox Sports 1HD - August 17, 2013 (replacing Speed)
- Fox Sports 2HD - August 17, 2013 (replacing Fuel TV)
- FXXHD - September 2, 2013 (replacing Fox Soccer)
- RLTVHD - 2013
- TVG NetworkHD - 2013
- WWE NetworkHD - Unknown
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Nielsen: Two Thirds of All TV Homes Now Have An HD Set Multichannel News June 15, 2011
- ^ History of WRAL Digital
- ^ "HDTV: Launched and Counting.". Broadcasting and Cable (BNET). 1998-11-02. Retrieved 2008-10-24.[dead link]
- ^ KXAS Texas Rangers vs Chicago White Sox introduction - March 31, 1998
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