With new High Definition Television (HDTV) cable programming bursting on the scene in the US virtually every week, cable operators are capitalising on the incredible clarity of HD video and audio to attract and keep consumers.

Scientific Atlanta has announced that its new-generation Explorer 3250HD set-top will enable cable ops to deliver a pristine video experience for consumers that is accompanied by simple installation, more audio options, as well as new stretch and zoom capabilities for HDTVs.

An official release informs that the new set-top will offer a 166 MHz processor for nearly 30 per cent faster processing than previous Scientific-Atlanta HD set-tops and 40MB of application and programme memory to manage multiple programme tasks and applications with speed and power.

Enhanced HD set-top capabilities will enable consumers to stretch and zoom video for full-screen viewing on HDTVs. The size of the on-screen picture will be controlled through an on-screen menu or through a simple key press on the set-top remote control. On wide-screen HDTVs, the consumer can stretch the sides of the video for a full horizontal image or stretch all four sides of the video with the zoom feature to fill the screen, while maintaining the original aspect ratio. Both of these features can eliminate annoying bars on the sides of the screen that can diminish the consumer’s viewing experience the release states.

Scientific Atlanta states that the new Explorer set-top is simple to install, and will convert the sound from any channel – analogue, standard definition or high definition – into digital audio for a powerful home theater sound experience. The compact set-top will be one of the company's smallest, making it easy to add HD capability into a crowded home entertainment setting, further simplifying its installation.

When consumers using the Explorer 3250HD set-top select the Scientific-Atlanta interactive programme guide (IPG) to view their cable service’s channel choices, the IPG will intelligently scale down the HD video currently being watched into a small window that enables the consumer to continue viewing a crystal clear image of their programme.

The product also simplifies the process of taping an HD broadcast with a VCR. The Explorer 3250HD set-top will simultaneously display the HD image for viewing while converting the video to SD (standard definition) format for recording by the VCR. In this manner it automates and simplifies a process that was formerly complex and often frustrating states the release.