Digital TV (DTV): Television delivered and displayed using
computer code (digital technology).
Analog TV: Today's TV system using magnetic waves to transmit
and display pictures and sound.
Standard Definition TV (SDTV): Basic digital television
transmission that may be displayed with fewer than 480p lines in 16
x 9 or 4 x 3 format.
Enhanced Definition TV (EDTV): Better digital television
transmission with at least 480p, in a 16 x 9 or 4 x 3 display and
Dolby digital surround sound.
High-Definition Television (HDTV): The best
digitaltelevision, widescreen (16 x 9) display with at least 720
progressive (p) scanning lines or 1080 interlaced (i) lines and
Dolby digital surround sound.
Interlace (i) Scan: A way to scan vertical lines onto a TV
picture by scanning all the odd lines first, then filling in the
even lines (this happens in the blink of an eye).
Progressive (p) Scan: A way to scan vertical lines onto a TV
picture by scanning all the lines consecutively (progressively).
4 X 3: Traditional TV "aspect ratio", that is, the
screen's width as compared to its height.
16 X 9: "Widescreen" TV screen format that is
closer to a movie screen than traditional TV.
Receiver (also decoder, tuner, set-top box): A standalone
device capable of receiving and outputting HDTV signals.
Integrated HDTV: An HDTV that has the receiver built into the
set. It does not need a separate receiver (set-top box.)
High resolution: The image on a television is composed of
small picture elements called pixels. The pixels in HDTV are
closely packed together to provide a high resolution image, meaning
a highly detailed picture.
Surround sound: playing back multiple channels of information
through multiple speakers to re-create the original theatrical
"ambiance". The better the recreation of surround sound,
the more enveloping the experience with the film or program.
Six-channel 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound: Up to six
discrete channels of information. Five of the channels are full
frequency (20 Hz - 20kHz) and one channel is dedicated to
reproducing low-frequency effects (LFE). Six-channel Dolby Digital
is often designated as 5.1, symbolizing the five full-frequency and
one LFE channels.
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Glossary
