|
What is HDTV? How can I get it? Do I need it now? Is my regular TV going to stop working?
I'm sure that you have either heard or read the statement that HDTV is the biggest breakthrough in television since color. It truly is. If you have never seen HDTV, you are in for a treat. HDTV is simply incredible. It is the most life-like picture you can get with the sole exception of looking out a window. HDTV offers wider pictures with greater detail and the clarity of motion pictures. Compared to standard television (NTSC), the true HDTV image has twice the luminance definition - vertically and horizontally - and is twenty-five percent wider. Standard television aspect ratio is 4:3 - the HDTV aspect ratio is 16:9. The 16:9 ratio is much closer to the average widescreen image shown in movie theaters. However, the biggest difference between NTSC and HDTV is its clarity. True HDTV pictures are composed of 1080 active lines (1125 total) whereas current standard television pictures are composed of only 480 active lines (525 total). The lines that make up standard television pictures are clearly visible, but HDTV lines are not at all noticeable. The fine-grained HD picture contains five times more information than does the standard television picture and is accompanied by multi-channel, Dolby Digital audio.
The U.S. Congress has mandated a change from the current NTSC (analog) television broadcasting standard to DTV (digital) broadcasting. The Federal Communications Commission has established a schedule for the introduction of DTV. Most Americans are scheduled to have access to DTV by 1999 and everyone in this country is scheduled to have DTV access by the year 2002. At the end of the transition period -- which is now scheduled for December 31, 2006 -- broadcasters will be required to surrender their analog channels to the federal government. This will be the end of standard NTSC broadcasts.
F.A.Q. |
What Is HD?
I'm sure that you have either heard or read the statement that HDTV is the biggest breakthrough in television since color. It truly is. If you have never seen HDTV, you are in for a treat. HDTV is simply incredible. It is the most life-like picture you can get with the sole exception of looking out a window. HDTV offers wider pictures with greater detail and the clarity of motion pictures. Compared to standard television (NTSC), the true HDTV image has twice the luminance definition - vertically and horizontally - and is twenty-five percent wider. Standard television aspect ratio is 4:3 - the HDTV aspect ratio is 16:9. The 16:9 ratio is much closer to the average widescreen image shown in movie theaters. However, the biggest difference between NTSC and HDTV is its clarity. True HDTV pictures are composed of 1080 active lines (1125 total) whereas current standard television pictures are composed of only 480 active lines (525 total). The lines that make up standard television pictures are clearly visible, but HDTV lines are not at all noticeable. The fine-grained HD picture contains five times more information than does the standard television picture and is accompanied by multi-channel, Dolby Digital audio.
The U.S. Congress has mandated a change from the current NTSC (analog) television broadcasting standard to DTV (digital) broadcasting. The Federal Communications Commission has established a schedule for the introduction of DTV. Most Americans are scheduled to have access to DTV by 1999 and everyone in this country is scheduled to have DTV access by the year 2002. At the end of the transition period -- which is now scheduled for December 31, 2006 -- broadcasters will be required to surrender their analog channels to the federal government. This will be the end of standard NTSC broadcasts.
B.A.
Affiliate Links
RSS Newsroom
Home Services
|
