'HD Nation' Actually in HD, Levels Up Your Gear

Now that the switch has finally been thrown, marking the end of analogue television and the beginning of the all-digital era, HDTVs are flying off the shelves. But which equipment should you buy? And what content should you enjoy on it? HD Nation might be the perfect show for answering that question.

HD Nation is the latest web series from San Francisco-based internet TV network, Revision3 (the good people that bring you Diggnation, Tekzilla, Film Riot), and even though the show itself is only available online, its mission statement is to be a guide to the best in HD content, no matter where it comes from: over-the-air, online, Blu-Ray. Allow me to pitch a potential tag: “If it’s in HD, it’s on HD Nation.” (Call my agent if you like it.)

The hosting duties are filled by Robert Heron and Tekzilla host Patrick Norton , both former anchors of tech news/reviews show DL.TV . Heron and Norton pull of the tricky task of being both informative and entertaining. They are capable of lightheartedly poking fun at each other’s movie tastes when reviewing the Matrix and Lord of the Rings box sets just released on Blu-Ray, but can just as easily slip into Tech Guru mode when explaining the difference between 240Hz refresh rates and 120Hz rates in new HDTV models.

In addition to covering the latest in HD news, home theatre hardware, and HD title releases, HD Nation also allows it’s viewers to write in with their own specific questions that Heron and Norton might just answer on the show. When one viewer asked where he could buy a calibration disc to tune up his new HDTV, they actually saved the guy a few bucks by mentioning that several Blu-Ray titles already come with a THX optimizer as part of the set-up features (Star Wars and Pixar films to be specific)

Perhaps the most fitting aspect of HD Nation is that it’s actually available to watch in true high definition on Revision3’s new flash player. In fact, all the company’s content is. In my experience, the picture was beautiful although the buffer time took a little long on my not-so-speedy connection, so I downshifted to a lower resolution. You folks out there with faster service should have little problem watching “The Web’s Only Show About HD in HD” (Seriously, call my agent)

HD Nation makes me wish I had a sparkling new HDTV instead of my crappy old Samsung tube. And when my bank account allows that wish to become a reality, this is one show I’ll make sure to watch before heading out to make that big purchase.