Home Theater Term of the Week- HDTV

HDTV stands for High Definition Television. HDTV refers to both a series of broadcast standards approved by the FCC for consumer use and the high definition television hardware needed to display HDTV images.

The two main standards used in HDTV broadcasting are:

720p is one of the HDTV standards. ABC and FOX, have committed to 720p as their HDTV broadcasting standard. 720p provides a very smooth, film-like image due to its progressive scan formula. Also, even though 720p is considered high-definition, it takes up less bandwidth than 1080i, which is covered next.

1080i is the most commonly used HDTV format, and has been adopted by PBS, NBC, CW, UPN, and CBS (as well as HDNet, Showtime, and HBO through special feeds) as their HDTV broadcast standard.

In addition, 1080p, is also in use, providing the most detailed high definition video image that is currently available.

However, since 1080p is not a part of the FCC's approved HDTV broadcast standards, it is displayed as a result of on-board video processing through an Upscaling DVD player, Blu-ray, or HD-DVD player, or video scaler, in combination with a 1080p capable TV or Video Projector.

For a more detailed look at HDTV, check out my HDTV FAQs.

For additional terms and definitions, check out my Home Theater Glossary