HDTV and digital TV

High-definition televisions or HDTV as we know the term today have been around for the last decade. Although it is already been adopted worldwide, there are still some consumers who do not understand terms such as “HD ready”, “DTV-ready” or “Full HD”. This has led to some frustration as consumers have been let down when they found that there was a need for additional electronics and accessories to receive HD content on their “HD Ready” television display. So how High Definition should be defined?


DTV actually means “Digital Television” and is not an HD ready platform but merely a switch over to digital broadcasting. There are instances where DTV may mean the 720p HD broadcasting standard but they are rare. An HDTV is TV that can support and display high-definition images and content in one of three formats, HD 720p, Full HD 1080p or 1080i.

In Europe and other countries, broadcasters began making the digital switchover in 2009 while most US & Japan based broadcasters had already completed the digital switch the same year. The big question and debate is around how High definition should be defined because there are two major image scanning technologies and several picture formats that are used by different companies. For DVD/Blu-Ray platforms, HD is defined as 720p (or 720 lines of progressive scanning) or the Full HD 1080p. When it comes to broadcasting, there is 720p HD, 1080i (1080 lines of interlaced scanning) and 1080p Full HD (although this format is rarely used). 1080i is the most common especially in the US although some say is not actually full HD despite using the same 1080 lines, the argument has been that because the images are interlaced and based on a previous analogue system and not the progressive system that was introduced on computers and the DVD player, 1080i is not full HD.

Although 1080i fills the entire screen, for a user to face 1080i, their HDTV will need to support the format which most HD ready Televisions claim to support.

In selecting a new HDTV, it is important that the HD television can support all 3 formats to avoid disappointment and confusion. Although it is not clear when the HD format ‘war’ will end, the best insurance any consumer can take when purchasing HD televisions is to make sure it can support the 3 broadcasting and media formats, 720p, 1080i and Full HD1080p.