How is hdtv better

Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Robert Silva. Robert Silva has extensive experience in consumer electronics and home theater product sales and sales supervision; he has written about audio, video, and home theater topics since Robert has articles published on HBO. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn. Updated on July 21, Tweet Share Email. In This Article. HDTV vs.

Where i Fits In. What About p? More to Come: 4K and 8K. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Tell us why! More from Lifewire. However, even though a digital signal is better quality than an analog signal, it isn't necessarily high definition. First, the station has to be broadcasting a high-definition signal. Second, you have to have the right equipment to receive and view it.

We'll look at how to get an HDTV set and signal next. MPEG-2 compression reduces the size of the data by a factor of about , and it discards a lot of the visual information the human eye would not notice was missing. In , NTSC standards changed to allow color television, and in , they changed to allow stereo sound. Those changes were different from the DTV switch because they were backwards compatible -- you could watch the new signal on your trusty old TV.

With DTV, you'll need some new gear, and the gear you choose will affect whether you can receive and view high-definition video. For this reason, HDTVs have one or two native resolutions. When the TV receives a signal, it will scale the signal to match its native resolution and de-interlace the signal if necessary.

A good rule of thumb is to choose a set that has a native resolution matching the signals you plan to use most often.

Film fans will generally want displays with the highest possible resolution. Sports fans will generally want displays with the highest possible progressive frame rate. If you receive a signal that has a significantly lower resolution than your screen can display, all the extra pixels won't help it look better.

This is why some people who have bought HDTVs have been dismayed at the quality of the picture - the existing analog signal just doesn't have enough detail to look good on a high-definition set.

As broadcasters change to a digital signal, this problem will improve substantially. In the next section, we'll look at the options for getting a signal to your TV as well as the compatibility of your existing home entertainment equipment.

EDTV isn't one of the digital broadcast formats -- it's a description of the level of picture quality the set can produce. When you've found an HDTV with a screen size, aspect ratio and native resolution you want, you'll need to make sure the equipment you already own will work with it. In some cases, you can use adapters to make your equipment compatible with your set.

Once you've picked up your set and installed it in your home, you'll need to get a signal. To get a signal, you can use:. Sets marked "digital cable ready" or "plug-and-play" are equipped to use a. It encrypts and decrypts cable signals and may reduce cable theft. Your cable company will install the card, and you'll pay a small monthly rental fee, which can cost less than a cable box rental.

You'll also have one less remote control to deal with. If you choose to use one, you will not be able to access interactive menus or buy video-on-demand or Pay-per-View programming. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar.

Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. See more HDTV pictures. Analog TVs like this one can't use digital signals without a set-top converter. To manage your email preferences, click here. Immediate Media Company Limited publishers of radiotimes. We may also send occasional updates from our editorial team. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how we hold your personal data, please see our privacy policy. Your eyes are unlikely to notice the difference in resolution with any smaller sets.

HD television has definitely had its day — but 4K will be the standard TV resolution for the next decade or so. Before you buy your next TV, think in the long term.

Choose wisely!