High Definition Tv Resolutions The Basics

High Definition TV Resolutions: The Basics

Summary: What makes High Definition TV so great? Most HDTV watchers would tell you that it's simple: higher resolution. That's what sets HDTV apart from regular TV.

Regular television, or "standard definition" as it's also called, shows up to pixels per line. It looks good if you've never experienced HDTV's higher resolution. With HDTV, the resolution depends on the source. There are two main source resolutions used in HDTV: i and p.

i

i has a resolution of...

hdtv

Article Body: What makes High Definition TV so great? Most HDTV watchers would tell you that it's simple: higher resolution. That's what sets HDTV apart from regular TV.

Regular television, or "standard definition" as it's also called, shows up to pixels per line. It looks good if you've never experienced HDTV's higher resolution. With HDTV, the resolution depends on the source. There are two main source resolutions used in HDTV: i and p.

i

i has a resolution of , by , pixels. This is a major improvement over standard definition television. CBS, NBC, Discovery Channel's HD broadcasts, PBS and the Xbox all use this resolution. Of course, you can watch these stations on a lower resolution TV set, but if you have a i set, you'll get the better resolution.

Also, i is in a widescreen format. This is another great feature of HDTV.

p

p has a lower resolution. It's , by pixels. Even though it has a lower resolution than i, the difference is not as noticeable as the difference between either one and a standard definition TV. p also has the widescreen format. ABC, Fox and ESPN's HD broadcasts all use this resolution.

p's resolution is lower, but it has a feature called "progressive scan" that i doesn't. Progressive scan makes the movement on screen more fluid and realistic. Progressive scan makes the image move more smoothly.

p

There is also a p format, which Fox uses for its digital broadcasts, but it's technically not HDTV, although it can be viewed on HDTV's. It's by pixels, widescreen and has progressive scan. Fox is the only network that uses this resolution, but some DVD players use it because of the smoother movement of progressive scan.

p

There is a newer format called p which has the high resolution of the i with the progressive scan of the p, but no network uses it yet. It's mostly a resolution format that some HDTV's are made in. According to reviews, p isn't very much different than i. Unless you have a large TV, like something over inches, there's no noticeable difference.

The p might be good for serious HDTV nuts. It does enable manufacturers to add special features, like increased contrast or better color. Unless you have a really good eye, you might not notice these differences, though. And, the p sets usually cost quite a bit more than the others. In the next few years, there will probably be more reasonably priced p sets. It's expected that more networks will begin taking advantage of p's resolution and possibilities and begin broadcasting in p. If this happens, p sets may become a better buy.