Digital TV

The latest buzz is digital TV, also known as DTV or HDTV (high-definition TV). DTV uses MPEG-2 encoding just like the satellite systems do, but digital TV allows a variety of new, larger screen formats.

Photo courtesy Sony Electronics Sony Wega 42" XBR Plasma TV with built-in HDTV tuner

The formats include:

• 480p - 640x480 pixels progressive
• 720p - 1280x720 pixels progressive
• 1080i - 1920x1080 pixels interlaced
• 1080p - 1920x1080 pixels progressive

A digital TV decodes the MPEG-2 signal and displays it just like a computer monitor does, giving it incredible resolution and stability. There is also a wide range of set-top boxes that can decode the digital signal and convert it to analog to display it on a normal TV. For more information, check out How Digital Television Works.