Sky HD

The TV you watch at home uses 576 lines to create your television picture. HD TV, on the other hand, uses either 720 lines or 1080 lines. That multiplies the number of pixels used by more than four times, and gives you much more detail than previously seen on TV.

Sky HD gives you amazing picture quality - better than anything that's been seen before on UK television. Images are startlingly clear, colour is vibrant and, when you hook your TV up to a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound system, sound is rich and resonant. Just imagine how that intensifies the drama and excitement of watching the latest blockbuster movie, or a Barclays Premiership football match. It's almost as if you're there.

That's right - the two HD formats are 1080i and 720p. The first, 1080i, increases the number of rows in your TV picture to 1080 and is interlaced - ie first the even rows are scanned, then the odd ones. The other, the 720p, has 720 rows but this time they are progressively scanned. This means that every row of pixels is shown in every frame.

Sky HD will support both HD formats: 720p and 1080i. Broadcasters and programme-makers will choose which format is best for their programmes and your Sky HD box will display the format that best works with your TV.

Not necessarily, because some types of programme are best suited to 720p, while others look better in 1080i. Sky HD will support both 720p and 1080i to allow programme makers to choose the best format for their programmes.

You'll need to connect your Sky HD box to a six-speaker Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound system. These are simple to install and available at most electrical retailers. Don't worry if you don't have one - you'll still experience the same amazing picture quality, but with normal stereo sound.

Watch this space! Sky HD currently offers the biggest HD channel line-up of any broadcaster in Europe. And we're working with broadcasters and programme makers to add even more channels and programmes over the coming months. There are currently 14 HD channels to choose from: Sky One HD, Sky Sports HD (2 channels), Sky Movies HD (2 screens), Sky Box Office HD (2 screens), Sky Arts HD, National Geographic HD, Discovery HD, The History Channel HD, Luxe TV HD, Channel 4 HD and BBC HD.

You'll be able to watch both HD and standard definition channels with your Sky HD box. However, only the HD channels will show programmes in high definition.

Some channels, such as Sky Movies, will be broadcast entirely in HD. Others will offer a selection of programmes in HD. These will be highlighted on your Sky TV Guide.

Easy - all channels broadcasting in high definition have 'HD' at the end of their name. Once you've got your Sky HD box you'll be able to press the red button in your on-screen TV guide to see all the HD channels together.

Yes. Once you have Sky HD, you can watch selected TV shows when you want, rather than when the schedules dictate, via Sky Anytime on TV. Choose from the pick of the week's high-definition and standard-definition entertainment – including the latest movies if you're a Sky Movies Mix subscriber.

Yes - you'll need to replace it with the Sky HD box, which has all the familiar Sky+ features, but also includes high definition capability.

The Sky HD box has all the benefits of Sky+, like recording whole series, recording two programmes at a time and even pausing live TV. It also has plenty of space for recording both HD and standard definition programmes.

NO, Sky+ functionality is free with your Sky HD box. Sky+ subscription is free if you subscribe to Sky HD and is required to use the Personal Video Recorder features of the Sky HD box.

Only if you're new to Sky. If you're a new customer you'll need to have a minidish fitted, which we'll do for you when you join us. If you currently have a Sky box (but not a Sky+ box), you'll just need to replace this with a Sky HD box and have some extra cabling installed, which we'll take care of for you. If you're a Sky+ customer, all we'll need to do is change your Sky+ box to a Sky HD box.

Sky HD is designed to work with TVs carrying the HD Ready label. So if you're thinking of buying a new TV, it's a good idea to look for one carrying this label.

HD Ready is a European standard for HD TVs agreed by the TV industry. In order to use the HD Ready label, TVs have to meet stringent standards. Sky HD is designed to work with HD ready TVs.

Your Sky HD box comes with an HDMI cable, which delivers the best possible picture quality by maintaining an all-digital connection. Most new HD ready TVs come with HDMI connectors, but if yours only has a DVI connection, you can connect it to the Sky HD box using a suitable adapter connector. Initial Sky HD boxes will also have analogue component connections to support older TVs.

The Sky HD box will have one HDMI connector.

Yes. The main TV will display an HD picture and additional TVs will display a standard definition picture.

The Sky HD box will have one HDMI connector.

Your Sky HD box comes with 160GB of storage capacity - meaning you can record and store an average of 80 hours of your favourite standard definition programmes or 30 hours of high definition, to enjoy whenever it suits you.