How do you know if Your TV is HD or HD capable?
You recently went to a friend’s house and, while watching TV together, you noticed that the images displayed on the set in front of you were much sharper and more pleasing than what you are used to seeing on your television. When you questioned your friend about this, he replied that the difference could be due to the fact that the channels displayed on his device are in HD, that is, in high definition.
Since you would also like to watch movies and programs in this quality and also because your TV is not the latest, you started to wonder if it has everything you need to allow access to high definition and here it is, then, in one of my tutorials looking for an answer to your question. If that’s really the case, I’ll be happy to help.
I’ll explain in detail how to know if your TV is HD, showing some simple and immediate tricks that you can put into practice right now to understand if your device is really in tune with the times and current visual standards (also because, as I will be able to explain to you, the standard definition channels are gradually “disappearing” both from the digital terrestrial and from the satellite platform). At this point, if you don’t have anything against it, I’d say it really is time to start. So I wish you a good read!
Before going straight to the point and explaining to you, in practice, how to know if the TV is HD, I think it is necessary to give some general information about the transition from the SD standard (Standard Definition) to the HD Standard (High Definition), which concerns both digital terrestrial and the tivùsat platform on satellite, and the benefits that the latter brings.
The HD standard is associated with the MPEG-4 coding format (used for video and audio signal compression); while SD is combined with the MPEG-2 format. MPEG-4 encoding has a more efficient compression algorithm than the MPEG-2 format. This results in savings in transmission bandwidth and particularly higher visual quality for the same bit rate (ie the number of encoded bits per second).
In current television signal transmissions, the HD standard encoded in MPEG-4 is associated with the abbreviations HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding, or H.265 ) Main10 ( 10 bits ). Ultimately, the “new” standard and the associated video and audio encoding system support the maximum resolution of 8K (8192 x 4320 pixels). As regards the digital terrestrial platform, starting in October 2021, the voluntary “shutdown” of SD channels by the main Italian television stations began.
Channels broadcast in standard definition will gradually be replaced by those in high definition and, already at the time of writing to you, several Rai and Mediaset channels (for example Rai Movie, Mediaset Italia 2, TGCOM24, and others that you can see in this page) are only available in HD.
Furthermore, the transition from SD to HD (in the context of digital terrestrial TV) must be seen in the broader perspective of the transition from the latest generation digital terrestrial signal, i.e. DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial) to the second generation, ie DVB-T2 (Second Generation Digital Video Transmission – Terrestrial).
For European: The latter became necessary following the European Commission’s decision to reserve the frequency band used by the DVB-T signal (between 694 MHz and 790 MHz) exclusively for the 5G telephone data network, which is expanding more and more to guarantee to perform better than the now established 4G network.
The shutdown (as the transition from “old” to “new” terrestrial digital is commonly defined) started on November 15, 2021 and will take place at different times in various groups of Italian regions, according to the roadmap established by MiSE, or namely, the Ministry of Economic Development (you can view it on the official website of the latter).
The transition must be completed by June 30, 2022 and, therefore, from January 2023, channels, programs and television content throughout the country will only be visible through devices (TV and/or decoders) that support the standard DVB-T2 HEVC Main10 (I’ll recommend some good ones in this chapter).
On the tivùsat platform, accessible with a satellite dish, TV and/or satellite decoder and tivùsat smartcard, the transition to the high definition standard has already begun (associated with the transition to the DVB-S2 standard, Digital Video Broadcasting – Satellite Second Generation ). in November 2020 and the process must be completed by January 2022. As of December 14th, many Rai channels (eg Rai Movie, Rai Sport, Rai Premium and others that you can see on the official tivùsat website) can only be watched in HD or 4K.
Thus, in order to continue to be able to watch the transmissions and contents of the various stations without any problems, it is necessary to have a state-of-the-art television with support for the satellite platform and a tivùsat certified CAM; or, if your television is dated, it must be combined with a tivùsat HD or 4K decoder (such as the ones I will offer in due course ).
How to know if the TV is HD: digital terrestrial
Are you worried because you fear that some particularly demanding procedure is required to verify that your TV supports high definition? No way: you can do everything in a matter of minutes. Find everything explained below.
Tune in HD channels
Samsung TV Auto Tuning
If the television is compatible with the HD standard, in all probability, the information is reported on the box or in the user manual of the same. Therefore, I invite you to carefully examine these elements and check, in particular, what is specified in relation to the maximum supported resolution. If you no longer have your device’s packaging and manuals, you can quickly fix it with a Google search.
In this case, type the specific phrases [TV model name and brand] or [TV model name and brand] into the search engine and check what is reported on the TV manufacturer’s official website (the first search results should take you directly to your device’s branded web portal pages).
Under Resolution, if your device supports high definition, it should be HD (720p) or Full HD (1080p/1080i). Also, if the words DVB-T2 HEVC Main10, H.265, or the labels lativù or lativù 4K are present on your TV box, you should have no problem viewing HD channels.
You can also perform a “direct test” by turning on the TV and tuning it to high definition channel frequencies. Below I propose a list of some television broadcast channels with their relative numbers from the Italian list LCN (Logical Channel Number).
Just type one of the numbers below into your remote control to check if your TV can display the assigned channel (if you can view at least one channel in high definition, your TV supports the latter standard).
channel name …..
How do you say? You entered the numbers assigned to the HD channels that I just proposed in the remote control, but your TV shows, from time to time, nothing but a black screen, and therefore you are still wondering how to understand if the TV is HD or How do I know if my TV is HD? In this case, the equipment may still support high definition; however, to verify this, it is necessary to carry out an automatic tuning of the same.
The steps to do this vary depending on your TV make and model. Anyway, to proceed, hold the remote and press the Menu key (or the Settings key or the Settings key). Once this is done, go to the Tuning item (which can also be called Channels or Broadcasting ) and finally select the wording related to Auto Tuning (which can also be referred to as Auto Search ).
To start the process, now a message about how to enter the TV PIN code may appear. If you’ve never set one up before, just press 0000 or 1111 or even 1234 on the remote and you’re good to go. Do you use a Samsung Smart TV? Then proceed as follows: press the Settings key and select the word Transmission from the proposed menu by pressing the Enter key (the one located in the center of the cross of the directional arrows ) on it.
Then press the Enter key again on the Auto Tuning item and then press the same key again on the Start and Search buttons. If asked for your PIN, enter the codes you find in the paragraph above; or, if you’ve set one up before and can’t remember it anymore, read my tutorial on how to find your Samsung TV code.
The TV should take a few minutes to automatically scan for channels. Then, try to enter again on the remote control the numbers assigned to the high definition channels according to the Italian LCN order. If you still need more help with the above procedure, feel free to check out my tutorial on how to tune a TV.
In case of problems
After having carefully examined your television’s manuals and having carried out the tests I recommended in the previous chapter, have you, unfortunately, found that the device you are using is not compatible with the high definition? If this is exactly the situation you are in, you can fix it by replacing the TV with a newer model.
In this case, the criterion to be taken into account when choosing a new television is clearly the resolution standard and the transmission standard (which must be DVB-T2 HEVC Main10 ). In addition, you can also rate other features like the device’s panel (LED, OLED, plasma, and so on), HDR support, inputs for connecting other devices, the “smart” features included, and other factors. which I told in depth in my post about the best TVs.
The other possibility available to you (the least “drastic”) is to pair a DVB-T2 HEVC Main10 decoder with the TV you currently use. In addition to ensuring the possibility of watching content in high definition, some devices allow you to record programs, play music and videos, connect to the Internet and thus take advantage of platforms such as RaiPlay and Mediaset Infinity and much more. If you’re interested in learning more about this, I recommend reading my in-depth review on which set-top box to buy.
Have you already decided which TV or decoder to buy to enjoy high definition? Then it will be useful for you to know that the Government has established two different types of concessions for the purchase of these devices. The first one, called Bonus TV – Decoder, can be used to purchase one of the devices you can find on this page (all compatible with the DVB-T2 HEVC Main10 standard). Until December 31, 2022, or until funds run out, with Bonus TV – Decoder it is possible to be entitled to a maximum discount of 50$ if you have an ISEE not exceeding 20,000$.
The discount is intended for family groups and can only be used once per family. On this page of the MiSE website you can search (by typing in the postal code, county and province fields) the resellers who adhere to this initiative; to take advantage of the bonus, the TV or decoder must be purchased with them and the appropriate application form must also be completed in full.
The other type of facilitation provided by the Government is known as a TV Scrap Bonus and is also valid until December 31, 2022 (or until funds run out). As its name suggests, the bonus can only be used when purchasing a TV (the same ones you can find on the page linked above) and is intended for all Italian residents up to date with the payment of the Rai license fee, without ISEE. In this case, the maximum applicable discount is 20%, up to a maximum of 100$.
Also in this case, the purchase must be made at the dealers that you can find on the page I proposed above. Also, to access the bonus I’m talking about, a television purchased before December 22, 2018 must be discarded. The device can be delivered directly to the store where you purchased the new television (by also providing proof of purchase for the “old” device).
Or, there is the possibility of getting rid of the television on an accredited ecological island. in this case, the WEEE operator will have to sign the self-declaration which he must then present to the retailer from whom he purchased the replacement television. For all other details in this regard, I refer you to the MiSE website and my tutorial on how to get the TV Bonus.
How to know if the TV is HD: TV Sat
You use a television that supports the satellite platform and you are wondering how you can check if it is compatible with the high definition standard or not. As you will soon see, the tricks to carry out this verification do not differ from those I told you earlier in the case of terrestrial digital. Here are all the details.
Tune in to HD channels
If the television (or the decoder combined with it) is compatible with the new satellite signal standard, to which the HD format is also associated, the DVB-S2 sticker or the DVB lativù stickers will be present on the box and in the manuals. -S2 or lativù 4K DVB-S2 .
I also invite you to carefully check the TV user manual, looking for what is informed in the Resolution item. If your device supports HD, this entry will say HD (720p) or Full HD (1080p/1080i) . You can also use the Google search engine, typing the specific terms [TV model name and brand] or [TV model name and brand] resolution, and then check what is said about the resolution on the official website of the appliance manufacturer.
Below I will list some television channels from the main broadcasters with the relative numbers from the Italian LCN list. To be sure that your television supports high definition, just be able to view at least one of these channels by typing the associated number on the remote control (you can find the complete list of channels on the official tivùsat website).
Can’t see these channels? Then try to tune them automatically, first checking that the coaxial cable from the satellite dish is connected to the TV or the corresponding set-top box. In addition, also check that a tivùsat HD (or 4K) CAM is present on the TV’s CI or PCMCIA input.
To automatically tune the TV, just follow the steps I listed in a similar chapter on digital terrestrial television. This time, however, as an automatic search method, you will have to select the antenna or satellite option. To perform this operation on a Samsung TV, hold the remote control, press the Settings button, and access the menu Broadcasting > Auto Tuning > Broadcasting > Satellite Selection > Search > Start.
in case of problems
Although you have carried out the research and tests that I indicated above, you have not been able to view any HD channels and therefore you are sure that your device is not compatible with this standard.
In this case, you will necessarily have to consider purchasing a state-of-the-art television compatible with the DVB-S2 standard and a tivùsat HD or 4K CAM module (including the tivùsat smartcard, essential for accessing the satellite platform). By inserting the latter (it includes the tivùsat smartcard essential to access the platform) in a state-of-the-art television, you will be able to watch all the platform’s channels in HD without any problems.
Alternatively, you can combine your old TV with an HD or 4K tivùsat decoder. Some of these devices are compatible not only with the DVB-S2 standard but also with the DVB-T2 standard and therefore allow access to both television platforms. In addition, some of these devices also allow you to record programs, play multimedia content, watch Internet TV ( IPTV ), and much more. I have provided all the necessary information in my guide on which HD satellite decoder to buy.
Before saying goodbye, I would also like to point out that the discounts for the Bonus TV – Decoder and the Bonus TV Scrapping also apply to televisions and decoders that support the DVB-S2 standard. I refer you, therefore, to the chapter in which I gave you some details about these concessions and how to access them. Finally, for more information, I refer to my tutorial on the new digital TV.