9NEWS makes history with HDTV broadcast

[Gregg Lengling]

DENVER - On Saturday at 5 p.m., KUSA-TV became the first major market local TV station in the country to broadcast in high definition.


The only other station that has already had a high definition broadcast is in North Carolina.

For most viewers, the newscast looked the same. But for the people that do have high definition TV sets and cable signals, the picture was sharper, brighter and wider. The higher resolution also produces a type of clarity that viewers have never seen before.

In order to receive HDTV, you must have a high definition ready TV set and purchase upgraded service though your cable or satellite provider. You can also receive Channel 9 HDTV off the air if you have an HDTV receiver.

Currently, only about 5 percent of Denver metro area households are able to receive high definition broadcasts.

By 2006, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to have all TV broadcasts in this country digital, which is the signal that can carry high definition.

Once more than 85 percent of American households have digital service, stations will no longer be required to send out an analog signal. That means the government will be able to use that bandwidth for other services like wireless phone or emergency communications.