Introduction to How HDTV WorksWhen the first high-definition television (HDTV) sets hit the market in 1998, movie buffs, sports fans and tech aficionados got pretty excited, and for good reason.
Analog, Digital and HDTVFor years, watching TV has involved analog signals and cathode ray tube (CRT) sets. The signal is made of continually varying radio waves that the TV translates into a picture and sound. An analog signal can reach a person's TV over the air, through a cable or via satellite. Digital signals, like the ones from DVD players, are converted to analog when played on traditional TVs
DTV vs. HDTVThe Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC) has set voluntary standards for digital television. These standards include how sound and video are encoded and transmitted. They also provide guidelines for different levels of quality. All of the digital standards are better in quality than analog signals. HDTV standards are the top tier of all the digital signals.
Buying an HDTVAs you're shopping, you'll probably see some enhanced definition TV (EDTV) sets. EDTV isn't one of the digital broadcast formats -- it's a description of the level of picture quality the set can produce. An EDTV set can produce better quality than SDTV, but it's not an HDTV set.
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Equipment and SignalWhen you've found an HDTV with a screen size, aspect ratio and native resolution you want, you'll need to make sure the equipment you already own will work with it.