As far as digital TVs are concerned, there are three subtypes name: High definition, standard definition and also a third category called enhanced definition.
For those of you who are wondering what the difference between High definition and standard definition is, the answer is Resolution.
Resolution is an important factor that makes a lot of difference to TV viewing.
In this guide, we shall discuss factors which affect the resolution in standard and high definition TVs.
Why should resolution differ in the two technologies? The pixels in newer TV likes LCD and Plasmas have square/rectangular pixels.
The technologies have the same number of picture elements in all directions.
This determines the image sharpness and also the fact whether the TV will produce a true High def image or a standard one.
Simply put, the larger number of pixels in high def TVs, make the image more life-like and sharper.
Let us understand pixels in detail.
A pixel or picture element is a tiny square which is either blue, red or green.
Smaller pixels mean better image resolution.
HDTVs have better resolution because of better vertical and horizontal distribution of pixels across the face of the screen.
Let us now come to the point of native resolution.
Everyone looking to buy a digital TV should understand this term.
The native resolution of a TV means its single fixed resolution.
It also implies the maximum degree of clarity that the aforementioned digital TV formats are capable of displaying.
For standard def TV the native resolution is 704 x 480.
This means the aspect ratio of SDTVs is 4:3.
This, in still simpler terms, means there are 480 pixels from top to bottom.
Viewers interested in buying digital TVs should note that technical jargon aside, the HDTVs give a finer display compared to Standard def TVs.
This can be attributed to the smaller pixel size of small screens.
The display in a standard def appears more pixilated due to the fact that it has to maintain the same number of pixels despite the display size.
A HDTV provides a native resolution of 720x1080.
Compared to the 480p of the SDTV, the display in a HDTV can be 1.
5 times bigger while maintaining the pixel size.
Along with a HDTV, viewers also need channels that broadcast High def signals for getting the true HD experience.
If you try viewing HD signal on SDTV, the picture will be compressed to fit in the display.
Similarly your SD signal will stretch to fit on HDTV.
All said and done, HD is becoming popular and more TV channels are broadcasting it today.
Thus, not only is it a good idea to invest in a HDTV for better picture, but also to prepare for the fact that all channels will eventually broadcast in this mode only.
To summarize the differences between HDTV and SDTV, the main difference lies in the larger number of pixels in HD.
Viewers also get better image quality in HDTVs compared to standard definition TVs.
HDTVs are very likely to be the future in TVs.