Since Kenya migrated to the digital platform last year, I thought by now a good portion of the channels would be broadcasting in High Definition format. But that is not the case even for our neighbours in Uganda and Tanzania.
Most people who have discovered the true capabilities of HD Televisions only watch local channels for local news. They get entertainment elsewhere and sometimes it’s usually in HD. Here are the 5 ways you can use to watch HD content.
MP4 HD movies and videos
There is nothing that says you have been under utilising your TV than when you first play a HD movie straight from a USB stick. The picture quality seems very perfect in every way. Do you remember this post on the same issue. You can buy or download online MP4 HD movies and music videos in a Hard Disk Drive or Flash disk. In order to do this you will have to download the best quality and watch it directly on your TV not DVD player. But if you have a Blu Ray player it will work well but make sure it’s connected to the TV using a HDMI cable.
Here’s a legitimate site where you can download HD music videos, Vocal Texnix on Vimeo. That’s where I download my mixes every week. Vocal Texnix is a DJ on Trace Urban music channel on dstv.
HD content uses alot of data and so you will need a big capacity HDD. Whatever other sites you discover either legit sites or torrent sites make sure you download your movies in 1080 or 720 format.
Watch YouTube HD videos
If you have stable fibre connection then you can enjoy HD web episodes on YouTube and other similar websites. You must have a Smart TV or other streaming dongle for this.
Install Satellite TV
Whether it’s free to air or pay TV, there are some cool HD channels on satellite TV.
At the moment dstv has about 7 HD channels most of which are sports channels. It’s very easy for live sporting action to be in HD because they use the latest cameras. As for other channels which still air movies shot in the 1980s its impossible to offer the same picture quality as HD live broadcasts.
Get a BluRay player
Blu Ray players are in simple terms DVD players and Home Theaters that can play HD content on Blu Ray discs. Ordinary 4.7GB DVD discs cannot carry HD movies so you have to buy Blu Ray discs. Some Home Theaters can even play 3D movies if connected to a 3DTV.
Stream HD Channels/Movies
And finally streaming HD content is very easy if you have unlimited internet at your disposal. Nowadays Netflix and Showmax are the leading online content providers in Kenya. They cost less then Ksh1200 for a whole month of unlimited streaming.
There is also good news because smart televisions are becoming cheaper by the month.
This will require you to have a smart TV or a streaming stick like Roku or Google Chrome cast. Its actually cheaper to pay dstv premium than to stream HDTV. This is if you are using metered connection. But that does not mean guys don’t do it. Folks with stable internet connection usually stream football matches in HD instead of paying for dstv.