Basic HDTV Specifications
The specifications that comprise basic HDTV are:
720 or 1080 lines of resolution from both the channel broadcast and the HDTV monitor
(Note: A 480i DVD is not high definition, even though the image quality is considerably
higher than a standard definition TV broadcast on a standard defintion TV.)
Ability to display 16x9 aspect ratio pictures
Y Pb Pr video component connections from the cable receiver to the HDTV
Audio in the Dolby Digital (AC-3) format to support "5.1" surround sound
Lines of Resolution
High-definition TV displays pictures that contain significantly more detail, resulting in
much 'crisper' pictures. Images viewed on TV screens are made up of small picture
elements known as "pixels."
Each of these pixels is made up of three, closely spaced dots of color - red, blue and
green. The pixels in HDTV sets are square, smaller, and spaced closer together than
traditional TV, resulting in four to six times more visual detail than standard analog TV.
Standard analog TV typically displays 480 lines of resolution (480i) with 720 pixels in
each interlaced scan line. So, to determine total number of pixels displayed, multiply:
480 scan lines x 720 pixels per line = 345,600 pixels displayed by standard analog TV.
HDTV can display up to 1,080 lines of resolution (1080i) with 1,920 pixels in each
interlaced scan line. So, to determine total number of pixels displayed, multiply:
1,080 scan lines x 1,920 pixels per line = 2,073,600 pixels displayed by HDTV.
Aspect Ratio
Aspect ratio describes the relationship of a screen's width to its height. HDTV uses a
widescreen format of 16:9 - - just like in a movie theater (by comparison, the aspect ratio
on a standard TV set is 4:3). Which means your HDTV picture captures everything the
filmmakers intended.
16:9
4:3
Comparison of Widescreen (16:9) and Standard Screen (4:3) Aspect Ratios
Resolution
Television images are divided into horizontal lines of pixels. The more lines, the better
the picture quality. Regular televisions show 480 lines per frame. HDTV, on the other
hand, uses up to 1080 active, viewable lines of resolution. That's a big difference. How
those lines are redrawn on the TV screen is called scanning mode. Some HDTV systems
use interlaced scanning, others use progressive scanning.
Interlaced scanning
Interlaced scanning is indicated in resolution specifications with the letter "i", as in 1080i.
Interlaced means every other line of pixels in a frame is refreshed every 60th of a second.
Thus, the complete frame is "redrawn" every 30th of a second.
Progressive scanning
Progressive scanning is indicated in resolution specifications with the letter "p", as in
720p. Progressive means every line of pixels is refreshed with every scan. Thus the
complete frame is "redrawn" every 60th of a second.
YPbPr
YPbPr represents component video connections, where luminance (Y) is represented by a
green jack, separate from the color components blue (Pb) and red (Pr). Most high-
definition TV sets today support this format. These colors should not to be confused as
RGB output.
How will my HDTV set handle SDTV programs?
Most HDTV monitors can display an SDTV (480i) signal. If "sidebars" appear, you can
press the SETTINGS button on the remote control twice to access the HDTV settings.
Then select the 480i Stretch setting, which will stretch the 4:3 program to fill the entire
screen area.