HDTV (high definition television)

HDTV is a digital TV broadcasting format where the broadcast transmits widescreen pictures with
more detail and quality than found in a standard analog television, or other digital television
formats. HDTV is a type of Digital Television (DTV) broadcast, and is considered to be the best quality
DTV format available.

HDTV (high definition television) is a television display technology that provides picture
quality similar to 35 mm. movies with sound quality similar to that of today's compact
disc. Some television stations have begun transmitting HDTV broadcasts to users on a
limited number of channels. HDTV generally uses digital rather than analog signal
transmission. However, in Japan, the first analog HDTV program was broadcast on June
3, 1989. The first image to appear was the Statue of Liberty and the New York Harbor. It
required a 20 Mhz channel, which is why analog HDTV broadcasting is not feasible in
most countries.

HDTV and standard definition television (SDTV) are the two categories of display
formats for digital television (DTV) transmissions, which are becoming the standard.
HDTV provides a higher quality display with a vertical resolution display from 720p to
1080i. The p stands for progressive scanning, which means that each scan includes
every line for a complete picture, and the i stands for interlaced scanning which means
that each scan includes alternate lines for half a picture. These rates translate into
a frame rate of up to 60 frames per second, twice that of conventional television. One of
HDTV's most prominent features is its wider aspect ratio (the width to height ratio of the
screen) of 16:9, a development based on research showing that the viewer's experience
is enhanced by screens that are wider. HDTV pixel numbers range from one to two
million, compared to SDTV's range of 300,000 to one million. New television sets will be
either HDTV-capable or SDTV-capable, with receivers that can convert the signal to their
native display format.