Monitor Outlet - Gamers Zone

HDTV

HDTV, whats it all about?

Most people are watching TV with an analog set and the majority of TV broadcasts are still transmitted in analog. So what makes HDTV that much better? Let's look at the numbers:

HD has 2.1 million or more pixels and analog only has 210,000 pixels. That is a lot more picture information and that is what makes HDTV so crisp and detailed.

HD has an aspect ratio of 16:9 versus the 4:3 aspect ratio of analog. You get one-third more image area and it's that much easier to watch movies in their original format. The 16:9 aspect ratio actually more closely matches the viewing angle of the human eye, making for a more immersive entertainment experience.

HD images are made up of from 720 to 1080 horizontal scan lines, whereas analog only has 480. Again, a lot more detail is possible with that much more visual information on the screen.

And finally, HDTV can provide 5.1 channel Dolby Digital sound, equal to what you hear in a movie theater. Plug in a home theater audio system and you can hear the distinctions between sound effects, dialogue and music. Analog can't offer anything close to that!

With so much more visual information (more pixels and more scan lines), HDTV provides amazing detail. In fact, many people are startled by the amount of detail they see And the multi-channel sound and widescreen format make the experience even more rewarding.

HDTVs come in two types of sets:

HD-capable TVs (sometimes called an HD-monitor) have resolutions that enable it to display an HDTV signal, but they require an additional external HDTV receiver/decoder (a.k.a ATSC tuner) to fully interpret the High Definition broadcasts. You'll need to buy an HDTV receiver to get the signal to your TV.

HD-ready TVs (also referred to as HD-integrated) have an HDTV receiver/decoder built right in.