What is HDTV and why is it better? 
Two hundred years from now, historians will describe televisions as belonging to two distinct eras: pre-HDTV and post-HDTV. The improvement in the television viewing experience since the advent of HDTV has been so vast, that it makes the prior era look quaint and horse and buggy-ish. The detail, sharpness and overall picture quality of an HDTV is so amazing and life-like, it simply makes everything before look dull and lifeless. So step out of that gray Studebaker and get behind the wheel of a red BMW. You will never look behind. 

Picture resolution and what all those numbers mean  
480i? 480p? 720p? 1080i? 1080p? We hear these numbers thrown around whenever HDTVs are described in brochures, ads, and even here on the Sound Advice website. These numbers describe the picture resolution, or sharpness. The higher the number, the more picture information is displayed on the screen. And the more information on the screen, the sharper the picture is going to appear.

480i is the old NTSC broadcast standard. If you’re watching the Beatles perform on the “Ed Sullivan Show,“ you’re watching a 480i picture. 480p is DVD picture resolution. 720p, 1080i, and 1080p are HDTV picture resolution numbers.

Now let’s talk about the letters. If there is a letter “i” after the number, the picture is interlaced. If there is a letter ”p”, the picture is progressive. All television images consist of scanning lines that run left to right across the screen. On an interlaced picture, the odd numbered lines (1, 3, 5, etc.) are displayed first, then the even lines are displayed immediately after. Because the odd and even lines alternate so quickly, your eye is tricked into believing it’s one solid picture. On a progressive picture, all of the scanning lines are displayed simultaneously. In general, a progressive picture appears more film-like and a bit more stable to the eye.

So which one should I get? 
Right now, the state-of-the-art is 1080p and that’s what we usually recommend, especially for larger televisions that serve as the home’s primary source of entertainment. A 1080p Blu-ray movie playing through one of these televisions sets is a spectacle that can’t be duplicated. Even when viewing a 720p or 1080i resolution broadcast, the picture on a 1080p television is still smoother and more film-like. 1080p is found on most of our best HDTVs and it makes a significant difference that’s worth every penny.

Want to know more?
Your Sound Advice sales consultant is your source for all things HDTV. Give us a call or click for a Free In-Home Consultation. We’ll be happy to answer all your HDTV questions and make recommendations that will bring the high-definition viewing experience into your home. The exciting new era of HDTV awaits. Give us a call.