If I use an HDMI to DVD adaptor will I be able to watch Sky HD in HD?

Dave , , UK

You may be confusing a couple of things Dave.

The Sky HD box is the same sort of thing we've just had released here in Australia as Foxtel HD+ IQ.

The standard Sky and Foxtel boxes output analogue video signals in standard definition (SD).

The new HD box can also output HD signals and for this the best way is via a digital signal. This is the HDMI output. And yes, if your TV or monitor has a DVI input then you can use an HDMI to DVD adaptor or cable which should be available from electronics stores in the high street in the UK. The only difference is that you'll also need to connect up the audio leads as unlike HDMI,. DVI doesn't carry the audio in the same connector as the video.

The reason I said MAYBE is that it all depends on your TV/monitor. It it's capable of displaying 720 or 1080 signals then yes, these are considered HD and that's what you'll get. But if (as was the case in Australia for a while) you bought the screen and it said "HD ready" it may be nothing of the sort. A lot of these were simply SD sets with fancy names. Look at the handbook for the screen and make sure it handles 720 and preferably 1080 video, as this is truly HD in today's world.

See this Wikipedia entry to help demystify the HD video standards.

Paul Zucker