Your High-definition-ready Set
Over the Air
Satellite
Cable
High-definition television offers a picture with unprecedented crispness and clarity. The TV broadcast industry is moving toward high definition as
the signal standard. Currently, the number of programs being broadcast in high definition is limited, but this is changing. To view high-definition programs on
your TV, you will need to connect a satellite receiver, cable box, or set-top box that can decode HD signals.
Resolution information
Image resolutions are commonly referred to by a num-
ber followed by a letter: 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i.
The number in each format refers to the number of lines
of resolution, so for example both 480i and 480p offer
480 lines of resolution. The "i" or "p" refers to whether
the signal is displayed using respectively interlaced or
progressive scan. Interlaced scan breaks each frame of
video into 2 fields, one made up of even lines and one
made up of odd lines. The image is reproduced by draw-
ing all odd lines first (1,3,5,…479) than all the even
ones (2,4,6,….,480). Progressive scan, on the other hand
reproduces an image by drawing all lines in succession
1,2,3,4,….480).
