The world of display is abundant with new technologies. Each advancement makes the older one a thing of the past. With every new technology, a new name is added to the list.
HD, HDX, and UHD are among many of these advancements. While we use the terms interchangeably, there is a strict difference between each of them. Also, HDX and HD are not the same, although their name seems.
HDX vs HD
The main difference between HDX and HD is that HDX offers the minimum resolution of 1080 pixels and best audio and video quality, whereas HD offers a minimum resolution of 720 pixels and a better quality than SD.
HDX stands for High Definition Extra. It includes many technologies working simultaneously, to provide a high-level user experience. It provides a minimum of 720 horizontal line display. HD stands for High Definition. It gives a minimum resolution of 720 pixels. The minimum horizontal line display is 480.
Comparison Table Between HDX and HD (in Tabular Form)
| Parameter Of Comparison | HDX | HD |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | HDX stands for High Definition Extra. It is a display enhancement technology for display panels. | HD stands for High Definition. It is the successor of the SD display. |
| Horizontal Lines | More than 720 horizontal lines. | More than 480 horizontal lines. |
| Resolution Offered | Offers a resolution of 1080 pixels. | Offers a resolution of 720 pixels. |
| Visual and Audio Quality | It offers the best video and audio quality. | It offers better video and audio quality than the SD. |
| Memory Size | Memory size is more than 1 Gigabyte. | Memory size is more than 1 Terabyte. |
What is HDX?
HDX is a modern display technology developed by Vudu. It offers great audio and video streaming services. It is basically an enhancement of the HD technology. It stands for High Definition Extra. It offers 720 horizontal lines’ display.
It offers a resolution of about 1080 pixels and more than 1 GB memory. It encodes the video at twice the bit rate of that of HD.
Also, it has the capability of varying bit rates according to video scenes. It preserves the video streaming rate at 24 frames per second. HDX display uses the HDX protocol. There are servers, preloaded with programs, that communicate with the users. This communication is based on Adaptive Technology.
Adaptive technology uses a compression algorithm for enhanced visual display. Also, its touch-free feature offers a seamless experience to LAN and even WAN clients over large distances.
However, HDX also has some disadvantages. It takes more time to download a video than to stream it. Further, it is not device-independent. It cannot offer a good resolution on a device that doesn’t support it.
What is HD?
HD stands for High Definition. It is a display technology that has eclipsed the primary SD. It was conceived in 1936. However, at that time, the resolution was only 30 lines. The High Definition TV service in Britain began in November 1936.
The NHK Broadcasting Corporation of Japan began its research on HD technology in 1964. It created a new system called NHK color in 1972.
The Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers became the standard authority for HD technology in the world. At its inception, it was headed by Charles Ginsburg. Most of the HD systems of 1970 have become SD systems of today. Initially, analog systems were used for HD transmission. However, it was later replaced by Digital Compression techniques.
The compression techniques were used because the uncompressed video used a lot of bandwidth. A video with HD quality downloads faster.
The special feature of HD display is that it doesn’t depend on the size of the screen. As long as the pixel measurement is 1280 × 720, the display would be called HD.
The full HD or FHD is an enhancement of HD display technology. It has the pixel measurement of 1920 × 1080 pixels. Full HD has many advantages. These are ease of loading, better picture quality, and less strain on eyes. However, it faces the same problem as the HDX display. One cannot enjoy its visual effects on a non-compatible device.
Main Differences Between HDX and HD
The HDX and HD are both display technologies. They enhance the visual and auditory effect of a video.
The main differences between the two are :
- HDX stands for High Definition on Extra, whereas HD stands for High Definition display.
- The HDX display has more than 720 horizontal lines, whereas the HD display has more than 480 horizontal lines.
- The HDX display offers a resolution of 1080 pixels, whereas the HD display offers a resolution of 720 pixels.
- The HDX display offers the best audio and video quality, whereas the HD display has a better quality than the SD display.
- The HDX display occupies more than 1 Gigabyte of memory, whereas the HD display occupies more than 1 Terabyte of memory.
Conclusion
Our television screens, computer monitors, and smartphones are examples of display devices. They are called so because they present information in a visual form.
HDX and HD are display techniques that power display devices. While HDX offers the best visual quality, the HD offers immense advancements over the SD displays.
HDX has a resolution of 1080 pixels as opposed to the 720 pixels of HD. Also, HDX display has more than 720 horizontal lines while HD has more than 480.
However, it should be kept in mind that at one point of time, the SD technology was also referred to as HD. Over the time, display technologies have evolved. So, we do not only have SD and HD as options.
It is a known fact that a better screen display causes less strain on the eyes. The HD+ provides this very feature.
In 2018, about 31% of Americans had a HDTV at home. This proves that HD has transformed from a luxury to a common household essential.
References
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1016/j.jasms.2008.11.019
- https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2616183