High Definition TV Terms Explained

HD Beat has a great post giving the definitions of the common terms used when talking about high definition TV. So read up before the next time you go into Best Buy and make sure you know the difference between EDTV and HDTV resolution. Here’s a sample of terms defined:

480p: Four-eighty-p is an EDTV resolution. It means that there are 480 horizontal display lines and they are shown in a progressive format. 480p is not an HDTV format.

720p: Seven-twenty-p is an HDTV resolution. It means that there are 720 horizontal display lines and they are shown in a progressive format. This is the format currently used by ABC, Fox and ESPN-HD.

1080i: Ten-eighty-i is an HDTV resolution. It means that there are 1,080 horizontal lines of resolution and they are shown in an interlaced format. This is the format currently used by CBS, NBC, UPN, WB, HDNet, Discovery-HD, TNT-HD, Showtime-HD, and HBO-HD.

1080p: Ten-eighty-p is an HDTV resolution. Like 1080i, there are 1,080 horizontal lines of resolution, but they are show in a progressive format. There currently is no 1080p programming, however a 1080p set will likely look better than a 1080i set (all things being equal) for faster motion and smoother video.