Term: HDTV (High-Definition TV)

The new digital TV standard that features increased horizontal and vertical resolution, a choice of progressive or interlaced scanning, and a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9 (the ratio of a screen image’s width to its height) that conforms to the widescreen visual format of modern movies (older analog TVs have a squarish-looking 4:3 aspect ratio). The most common HD formats are either 720p (720 progressively scanned lines) or 1080i (1080 interlaced scanned lines) or some variation of these. DVDs, although digital, are Standard Definition (480i), which may be displayed as 480p. Some of the latest HD video displays are capable of 1080p clarity, a slight improvement over 720p or 1080i.

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