If you live in the US and watch TV in any amount, you know that we are about to make a switch from analog signals to digital signals. This means that any non-cable ready TV will need a converter box to get over the air programming as opposed to just having rabbit ears. It’s part of a general transition in that’s been happening for a while in television, a transition to hardware and software that can handle the greater amount of information digital streams carry.
If you’ve never looked at a High Definition TV (HDTV), a good example of the difference between the two comes from (in my opinion) watching a football game. If you put it next to a regular TV, the difference in quality is amazing. The individual blades of grass can almost be seen, the detail is that good . Once you start watching on an HDTV, it’s hard to go back to a regular one.
But there’s no difference in the content. You’re watching the same football game, with the same sound, happening at the same time. The difference is in HOW you see the game. You might see details on the uniform you never noticed, see colors that were faded out on the regular TV. But now, you can really appreciate the little details.
So what makes a high definition browser? It’s one of the new generation of browsers – Firefox, Safari, Opera, Webkit, Camino, etc. The HDTVs of the internet. The tools that can process that extra information that websites are bringing with them now. Rounded corners, drop shadows, gradients, HTML5, CSS3, embedded video, embedded fonts. The virtual blades of grass.
Dan Cedarholm calls this “progressive enrichment” – if your browser has the capability to process the extra information, you get the better experience. If not, you get an experience with the same basic information, just not the extra detail that makes it come alive. It only feels a little flat if you know what you COULD be getting.
So why not get yourself a free HDB – High Definition Browser? You might not have $2000 to watch that football game on a new big screen, but you can bring the internet to life without spending a dime.
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