No discussion on latest televisions and companies manufacturing them is complete today without talking about standard definition and high definition (SD and HD). Many people who talk about SD and HD videos do not have a basic understanding of the concept. This article attempts to describe in easy terms difference between standard definition and high definition for the readers to let them choose their new TV with confidence.
It is natural for us not to detect the image on TV our computer monitors very closely. In case of TV programs, 30 frames per second pass in front of our eyes and we cannot tell that that they are stills as we perceive motion because of the speed with which these stills pass through our eyes. However, if you get up-close to the TV monitor, you can make out very small squares of red, green and blue colors called pixels. These pixels make up the images you see on TV and the greater their number on the screen, the finer the image you see on TV. So if there are more pixels horizontally and vertically on the screen, you can hope to see much more details on the screen. It is this pixel count that decides whether you are buying a standard definition or a high definition TV.
In a standard definition display, you will find 704 pixels across 480 horizontal lines which is described as 704×480 pixels. In comparison, any HDTV has a native resolution of 1280×720 pixels. It means that there are 720 lines scanned instead of 480 in a SD TV. Even higher resolutions of 1920×1080 pixels are today possible in which you get to see 1080 horizontal lines making up the image. These are the only two formats that are being used by broadcasters to beam their programs. Some like ABC and Fox broadcast in 720p whereas CBS and NBC broadcast in 1080p. 720p has a smoother finish than 1080p which produces more details of images. However, for sports programs or other motion videos, it is 720p that is better while for programs such as reality shows and talk shows, 1080 produces better results.
Now that you know all about standard definition and high definition, make a decision based upon your knowledge to choose the TV that is suited to your requirements so that you enjoy shows in a better way on your new TV.
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In brief: Standard Definition (SD) vs High Definition (HD) • For decades we watched TV programs in SD but today there are latest HD TV’s available in the market. • The basic difference between SD and HD lies in the number of pixels on the monitor that produces higher resolution with increasing number of pixels. • In HDTV, there are two different formats called 720p and 1080p that are being made available to buyers whereas in SD, one got to see 480p only.
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