What is HDTV ?

 HDTV from DISH Network provides high resolution widescreen High Definition programming, integrated with Dolby Digital ® 5.1 channel surround sound that makes your television viewing experience come to life. Live life in high definition.

• With all-digital HD broadcasts, DISH Network transmits as many as 10 times more pixels, or picture frames, than you are used to seeing on a standard broadcast television, resulting in sharper, more lifelike colors and richer sounds.
   
• DISH Network broadcasts all HD programs in widescreen (16:9) format. Unlike standard (4:3) format, which causes some images to appear squeezed in the middle or cut off along the sides of the screen, widescreen HD broadcasts reproduce screen images as they were originally meant to be seen.
   
• HDTV's use a method of scanning called "progressive" scan to produce a flicker-free image, making text easier to read and fast-motion video appear smoother than televisions that use interlaced scanning. Interlaced scanning refreshes pixels in alternations - first the odd lines, then the even lines - showing only 1/2 of the screens picture elements at any given moment. Progressive scan means that all 1 million pixels on the screen are refreshed simultaneously.

Glossary of HDTV Terms

Aspect Ratio
Aspect ratio is the difference between the width and height of the picture as it is displayed on the television screen. Television screens are available in both standard (4:3) and widescreen (16:9) formats. The standard format causes some images to appear squeezed in the middle or cut off along the sides of the screen. High Definition programs are broadcast in widescreen format, which allows the images to be projected as they were originally meant to be seen.

Resolution Resolution is the number of pixels (individual points of color) that are displayed on a monitor or screen. The sharpness of the image on a display depends on the resolution and the size of the monitor Ð the greater the resolution (more pixels) the better the picture!

Pixels
Pixels, or picture elements, are the individual points of color that make up a television screen image. HDTV represents the richest pixel format available, with more than 1 million active pixels displayed on the television screen at any one time.