The most obvious is a high- defi nition television (or if your budget allows, a high-defi nition projector). While extremely expensive only a few short years ago, prices are now falling rapidly and you should be able to pick up a fair-sized machine (around 42 inches) for under £1,000. Several high-defi nition channels currently exist, but again you will need the right equipment in order to view them. Companies like Sky now offer high-defi nition boxes that will enable you to watch a variety of sports, documentary and fi lm channels in HD. If you’re interested in high-defi nition gaming then your best bet is either Sony’s PlayStation 3 (which has the benefi t of playing Blu-rays straight out of the box) or Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (a further add-on is required to watch highdefinition films).

HD ready is a term set up by the EICTA (European Information, Communications and Consumer Electronics Technology Industry Associations). A television needs to meet specifi c criteria before it can receive the logo. The display engine must be a minimum of 720 physical lines in wide aspect ratio. DVI (Digital Visual Interface) and HDMI (High-Defi nition Multimedia Interface) inputs must support the relevant copy protection – in this case HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection). HD input must be received by Analog YPbPr, DVI or HDMI. All HD-capable input must be able to accept the following video formats: 1280x720 at 50 and 60Hz progressive scan (720p) and 1920x1080 at 50 and 60Hz interlaced (1080i). It’s also important to note that while a TV will feature the HD ready logo, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be able to display the massive resolution from a high-defi nition source, mainly because not all HDTVs have enough pixels.

HDMI stands for High- Defi nition Multimedia Interface and is a licensable audio/video connector. It connects to a variety of audio/video devices that support DRM (Digital Rights Management) and is able to support a TV or PC video format. However, HDMI cables use surface-mount connectors so they are not as robust as previous display connectors.