High-Definition television (HDTV) is just one form of digital broadcasting—but it’s the best one. The HDTV format combines several technologies to offer a bigger, higher-resolution picture and sound field.
There are several reasons HDTV is appealing to both videophiles and normal consumers. All the reasons tend to boil down to a better viewing experience, and include
Sharper picture. —True HDTV (720p or 1080i formats) delivers one million pixels or more of information. Standard TV and DVDs deliver approximately 300,000 pixels. That translates into HDTV delivering a picture more than three times as detailed as what you’re used to watching.
Less flicker. —The increased number of scan lines per frame(and, in the case of the 720p format, progressive scanning) translates into less–visible scan lines—which means you can sit closer to the screen without seeing flicker in the picture.
More accurate widescreen reproduction. —When you display a widescreen movie on a standard 4:3 television, the movie is either letterboxed (with black bars at the top and bottom of the screen) or panned and scanned so that only a portion of the movie is displayed onscreen. With HDTV’s 16:9 aspect ration, you can see more of the widescreen movie with less letterboxing.
Increased picture fidelity. —Because HDTV uses digital transmission, the original picture is faithfully reproduced on the receiving end—there’s no deterioration of the picture over long distances or with time. What you see is what was originally recorded or broadcast.
Better sound. —The HDTV format dictates the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound forat, which is much improved over the NTSC stereo standard. Dolby Digital and all that is audio is covered in Part IV, “How Audio Works.”
