Confused by EDTV vs HDTV? We don't blame you. The number of acronyms floating about with regard to digital TV is frightening. What's even more worrying is that very often they are used by people who have little or no knowledge about what they mean. If the person selling you doesn't know the difference between EDTV vs HDTV, how are customers supposed to decide which TV or projector to go for?
In our guide below, we've tried to distill the technical info into as few words as possible and make it as straightforward to understand as we can.
To properly explain EDTV vs HDTV, we need to step back a bit. Traditional TV has 525 lines of video which are interlaced. Interlacing just means that every frame of video is split into two fields and each field is shown alternately. Although there are 525 lines in the signal, only 480 lines contain video, so it is sometimes referred to as 480i (480 lines interlaced). This is known as Standard Definition TV, or SDTV. While this has worked well enough for fifty years, as TV sets have got bigger and projectors more popular, the quality deficiencies have become increasingly apparent.
The ultimate answer to improving the quality of the image displayed on your TV is hdtv, however, as a step on the road to HDTV, the industry came up with Enhanced Definition TV, or EDTV. This system contains the same 480 lines as SDTV, but they are progressive scan. Hence EDTV is also known as 480p. Progressive scanning just means that instead of splitting the signal into two fields and showing half the lines at a time, all 480 lines of video are shown at once. This results in a noticeable improvement in the quality of video.
The bad news in relation to EDTV vs HDTV is that you need a completely new TV or projector to display both EDTV and HDTV. Most DVD players on the market today are progressive scan, meaning they output EDTV signals, however, in order to view the progressive scan picture in all its glory, you need a TV or projector capable of displaying it and that, unfortunately, means getting a new TV.
In terms of content, there is very limited TV content available in HDTV format, and there is still wrangling about the standard for HD DVDs. However, every DVD disc on the market can be displayed in EDTV right now.
Bottom line? Pretty much every HDTV projector or TV on the market today will display EDTV as well. So even if you live in a country or area where HDTV content is limited or non-existent, it is worth it to watch your DVD collection in EDTV, the difference between SDTV and EDTV really is that big.
Kenny Hemphill is the editor and publisher of hdtv - a guide to the kit, the technology and the programming on HDTV.
rental limo Atlanta .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareApache, MysQL and PHP for Windows could be a nice... Read More
Peoples' private information needs to stay private, even after it... Read More
Are you looking for an MP3 player but am not... Read More
World War II - Germany decided to attack Poland. Poland... Read More
OK, so you caught a computer virus and your system... Read More
If you have a computer for home use or for... Read More
Ad Blocking is getting to be a common sport on... Read More
For six years, my Samsung PC 13.8 inch SyncMaster conventional... Read More
Computers are available in different shapes, sizes and weights, due... Read More
Choose Not To ConformPalm pilots and pdas are constantly growing... Read More
With renting methods such as online DVD rental and pay-per-view,... Read More
When you turn on your computer, does it act like... Read More
I'm eighty-one years old and I bought my first computer... Read More
First things first, what is Firefox? Well, it's a browser.... Read More
Tip #1 -- Rebates: A rebate is not always a... Read More
This article describes the basic properties of color, what the... Read More
If you ask most people what frustrates them most about... Read More
Freezing is also known as crashing or hanging. It's frustrating.... Read More
Lost & Found for the 21st CenturyIn today's hectic world... Read More
You???ve studied hard; you???ve practiced your configurations; you???ve used your... Read More
Simone is exasperated. She has to work on her university... Read More
Passwords have a strange dual nature. The stronger and safer... Read More
Unless you place your faith in internal search engine software... Read More
A computer needs a certain amount of information to operate;... Read More
Surf the 'Net for about 10 minutes and chances rate... Read More
Bedford Park taxi to Midway ..If you ask most people what frustrates them most about... Read More
If you have a computer for home use or for... Read More
Millions have enjoyed recorded music since 1877 when Thomas Edison... Read More
I recently got an e-mail asking about virtual memory. The... Read More
Freezing is also known as crashing or hanging. It's frustrating.... Read More
I got my eyes set on a iPod mini, as... Read More
I have a p3 500MHz PC with 128MB RAM, 10.2... Read More
Occupational Therapy Made EasierMedical downloads for the pda have improved... Read More
HTTP ProtocolThe web is run on port 80. You are... Read More
If you're a computer expert, you'll probably already know about... Read More
I've worked my way from the CCNA to the CCIE,... Read More
Computers have replaced typewriters, but two-finger, hunt-and-peck typing can never... Read More
Most of the web applications have a lot of images... Read More
JPEG, GIFF/JIFF, BMP, and TIFF are the most commonly used... Read More
You will need the following:1. 1.44MB FDD (floppy)2. NVFLASH utility... Read More
World War II - Germany decided to attack Poland. Poland... Read More
Although there are many things that can affect the performance... Read More
Enhanced Definition Television ? also known as EDTV ? is... Read More
Digital cameras ratings are great tools for deciding which camera... Read More
On 21 August 2003 Symantec Security Response upgraded the W32.SOBIG.F... Read More
Plasma and LCD TVs are the latest trend in home... Read More
Are you thinking of buying an Apple iPod? Or have... Read More
Ad Blocking is getting to be a common sport on... Read More
Tip #1 -- Rebates: A rebate is not always a... Read More
Have you ever thought about building your own computer system?... Read More
Personal Technology |