HDTV, HDMI, 1080p, WHAT IS THIS??

Question

SOme one please tell me what these things are, and please give me some more info on prices. I don't understand half of what this stuff means.

Answer 1

HDTV: High Definition Television

HDMI: High Definition Multimedia Interface. It's a connector on the back of the television and other television components (cable box, DVD, etc.) that carries both HDTV video signals and audio signals in the same cable.

1080p: Means that the HDTV signal is carrying 1080 lines of vertical resolution. The current / old standard, Standard Definition, contains 525 lines of vertical resolution. The more lines, the greater the detail.

Other HDTV standards are 720p and 1080i.

The "p" stands for "progressive".

Progressive is a concept that's a little harder to get across:

Television is broadcast at 30 frames per second. Each frame consists of 2 interlaced fields (60 fields per second). Field 1 is half of the 525 lines (the odd lines) and Field 2 is the second half of the 525 lines (the even lines). Field A and B "fit together" in an interlaced manner. That's the "i" you see whenever you see 1080i.

The "p" stands for progressive and that means that instead of an interlaced frame of two fields every 30th of a second (that is, 1 field every 60th of a second, you'll have a full frame every 30th of a second.

There's an incredible amount to know and I don't know that I've explained it very well.

Here's are some good places to get started.

Answer 2

High
Definition
Tele-
Vision

Here's a link to help you understand HDTV a little better: http://www.whydoesmyhometheatersuck.com/hdtv.html

High
Definition
Multimedia
Interface

And here's a link to help you understand HDMI better: http://www.whydoesmyhometheatersuck.com/hdmi.html

And "1080p" is a type of HDTV signal...It's like different grades of GASOLINE at the pump..."720p" would be the cheapest..."1080i" would be the "mid-grade"...And the "1080p" would be the super-expensive "premium"...Here's a link that explains this, too: http://www.whydoesmyhometheatersuck.com/scanlines.html

Answer 3

There are some very good articles on home theater (free) on www.crutchfield.com. It will explain all of that. They have good prices and excellent service.