Rhode Island PBS neither promotes nor discourages purchase of a high-definition television set. This information is presented to help you sort through the different terms.
"DTV and HDTV - You Mean They're Not The Same?"
No! HDTV and digital TV are not the same thing. High-Definition Television (HDTV) is the classification applied only to the highest-quality formats defined under the DTV standard.
Digital
Television Quality Levels
The most common quality levels of digital
television programming are:
Standard Definition TV (SDTV) - SDTV is the basic level of quality display and resolution for digital. Transmission of SDTV may be in either the traditional (4:3) or widescreen (16:9) format. This is the standard to which the digital converter box coupon applies.
Enhanced Definition TV (EDTV) - EDTV comes in 480p widescreen (16:9) or traditional (4:3) format and provides better picture quality than standard-definition (SDTV), but not as good as high-definition (HDTV).
High Definition TV (HDTV) - HDTV in widescreen format (16:9) provides the highest resolution and picture quality of all digital broadcast formats. Combined with digitally enhanced sound technology, HDTV sets new standards for sound and picture quality in television.
The HDTV picture is up to six times sharper, with greater detail, and more accurate colors. An HDTV image is also 33% wider, relative to its height, providing a sweeping, more cinematic viewing experience. Sound is dramatically improved as well; HDTV programming is broadcast in up to 5.1-channel Dolby Digital audio.
Not all digitally broadcast television signals are high-definition — and more importantly, not all digital TVs can display HDTV signals. You may see a program promoted on television as "high definition" or HD, but unless your television is an HD set, and you subscribe to HD programming through cable or satellite or have an HD set-top box, you are not watching the program in high-definition. To accommodate viewers who do not have high-definition televisions, many networks choose to simultaneously broadcast their programs in BOTH standard- and high-definition. Make no mistake, what you are watching on your regular digital television set is the SD version of the program.