HD-Ready and Full-HD

"It's important to note that this new naming convention isn't always used," he says. "Some television manufacturers prefer to use the terms 'HD-Ready' or 'Full-HD'." Thankfully these two terms are easy to decipher."

Squara says that quite simply, Full-HD always denotes that a set is capable of a vertical pixel resolution of 1080. While HD-Ready could mean the same, it generally denotes that a set supports a minimum vertical pixel resolution of 720.

"So while an HD-Ready television might be capable of displaying in excess of 720 vertical lines of pixels, one can only count on it being capable of this feat and nothing more. Since manufacturers never undersell their products, nine times out of 10, HD-Ready means 720p resolution," he says.

Although the current Multichoice HD signal is broadcast in 720p, Squara says that his honest recommendation is for customers to look at purchasing a Full-HD television rather than one that's just HD-Ready.

"The only sure thing in the technology market is change and progress," he says, "and since televisions tend to be devices purchased for the long term, customers will be best served by a set that's capable of weathering revisions in technology and more importantly improvements in broadcast quality."

"I wouldn't go much above a 1080p display, however — a Full-HD set should be more than capable of servicing a household for the coming decade and in some cases, longer," he says.

"I would far rather recommend customers spend the extra money on a larger set from a reputable brand name," he says.

"This is a new market and one can never be too careful," he concludes.