EICTA announces Europe "HD Ready" labels

The European Information & Communications Technology Industry Association has announced a standard for HD Ready labelling of TVs, plasma screens and other HD displays.

"The “HD ready" label is fully supported by Europe’s national broadcasters, the Members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and will be supported by Sky. The EICTA “Conditions for HD Labelling of Display Devices" offers a well balanced approach which responds to viewers’ and broadcasters’ needs for certainty regarding interoperability with future HD receiver products," said Daniel Sauvet-Goichon, Chairman of the EBU Technical Committee.

Ferdinand Kayser, President and CEO of SES ASTRA, added: “The “HD ready" label
provides consumers with the guarantee that displays from different anufacturers are genuinely future -proof and fully compliant with commonly agreed technical standards for state-of-the-art High Definition broadcasts. In combination with ASTRA’s unique 24 hour HD promo channel which is available for live demonstrations on HD displays at points of sales all across Europe, it provides a powerful marketing tool to educate millions of end-consumers about the single most important technological development in broadcasting since the introduction of color TV: HDTV!"

HD reception and presentation
The following figure illustrates the HD reception and presentation chain consisting of a HD set top box (HD STB) and a HD display device, or of an integrated HDTV television (HDTV) combining both parts within one device. The label “HD ready" only addresses the HD display device part.




Requirements for the label “HD ready"
A display device has to cover the following requirements to be awarded the label “HD ready":

1. Display, display engine

· The minimum native resolution of the display (e.g. LCD, PDP) or display
engine (e.g. DLP) is 720 physical lines in wide aspect ratio.

2. Video Interfaces

· The display device accepts HD input via:
o Analogue YPbPr*, and
o DVI or HDMI

· HD capable inputs accept the following HD video formats:
o 1280x720 @ 50 and 60Hz progressive (“720p"), and
o 1920x1080 @ 50 and 60Hz interlaced (“1080i")

· The DVI or HDMI input supports content protection (HDCP)

* “HD ready" display devices support analogue YPbPr (component) as a HD input format to allow full compatibility with today's HD video sources in the market. Support of the YPbPr signal should be through common industry standard connectors directly on the “HD ready" display device or through an adaptor easily accessible to the consumer.