SDTV

[hu_hunter]

i have a buddy that has expresvu (a devision of bell from dishnetwork,,, and they are brodcasting preve test chanels wich are said to be SuperDefinitionTV better than HDTV,,,, whats the story???

[Vlady Dady]

HDTV uses a 1080i (interlaced) signal that is the highest resolution for today's technology of consumer product. SDTV is a Standard Definition signal at 480i (interlaced) signal that is lower and consume less bandwidth. In the year 2003 all local broadcasting station MUST be delivering Digital Signal but no mandate for the number of resolution is required. Because of bandwidth requirements only certain venues are shown in its highest resolution of 1080i for your viewing pleasure. “More resolution is good but less is cheaper” will be the approach for Media Companies. This is noticeable with large front projection screen when resolution is compromise. If you have a 19” or smaller TV set you wouldn’t notice a difference between HDTV and SDTV.
As for the future, the 720p (progressive) signal is far superior on picture detail in frame-by-frame comparison. At this time, they do not make 1080p system for consumers. The final verdict is confusing because the standard adapted for Digital TV is broad and covers multitude of formats with different scan resolution and different scan type. To a typical consumer, everything is transparent at first. You TV set will adjust accordingly to what signal your receiving because set-top box or built-in converters will do the conversion for you. Sometime in the future, the best picture quality will give way to the “Best bang for the Dollar” attitude. Right now, 280-line resolution TV broadcast still dominant most living room viewing while Satellite and DVD’s 500-line resolution technology is here.
I have a Sony VPL-W400Q capable of projecting a 1080i signal. I bought this unit 3 years ago and enjoyed watching DVD movies on a 10-foot wide screen. PPV movies on DBS signal 101 to 199 channel is good. Maybe they change compression rate, but picture quality above channel 200 is soft and marginal compared to DVD source.