THAT brand new high-definition (HD) TV is finally sitting in your living room.
But when you switch it on, you realise something is not quite right - the image on your new TV looks almost the same as the one on your old TV.
Some readers wrote to me recently to say that they thought they could have the same sharp HD image they saw at the showroom simply by buying that HD TV.
But what the salesmen didn't tell them was that they had to do more to truly enjoy HD viewing.
Here are four ways where you can get HD images.
StarHub HD
You need to buy its HD set-top box ($48.15 with a 12-month cable TV contract or $304.95 without contract) and also subscribe to its Digital Cable minimum of 3 Basic Groups at $25.68/month).
With that, you can receive MediaCorp's HD5 free.
Other HD channels on the cable network come at a cost though.
But if you like Mother Nature at its finest, it may be worthwhile paying for the HD Plus Group ($16.05/month) to get both the Discovery HD (Channel 302) and National Geographic Channel HD (Channel 301).
Visit www.starhub.com/cabletv, or call 1633 (subscribers) 1630 (new customers) for more information.
SingTel's mio TV
mio TV has a big collection of HD content from its partner Mega Media, one of Asia's largest HD companies.
It has a line-up of HD programming selected from VOOM HD Network's 15 HD channels and the first made-in-Singapore HD channel - Sling HD.
To watch HD programmes on mio TV, subscribers have to spend a minimum of $16.05 on content (its HD set-top boxes are free).
But to subscribe, customers need to have a SingTel fixed phone line at home. If they are not a SingNet broadband customer, they also need to buy a compatible modem at $64.20.
Go to mio.singtel.com/miotv/ or call 18005556000 for more information.
Blu-ray player
The best HD source is expensive - about $700 for the player and $49 to $59 for each Blu-ray disc.
You need a big budget to watch all your movies in Blu-ray because most rental shops have not kept up with HD titles.
But the good news is Blu-ray players can make movies from DVDs look clear and sharp too.
Just make sure your player is all-region compatible or you won't be able to watch DVDs from the United States or China.
HDMI DVD players
Unlike older players which only have the red, yellow and white TV cables, these players have flat HD multimedia interface cables that enhance your movies on HD TVs.
They are affordable - you can find a good unit for between $150 and $200. Even if you have a Blu-ray player, you may still need one of these if you value your VCDs, which cannot be used on bluray players.
This story was first published in The New Paper on 24 August 2008.
