DTV vs. EDTV vs. HDTV

by hdreport on November 30, 2007

I’M SO CONFUSED! For those of you who may be confused, or not completely clear on different broadcast standards, here is a good explanation, direct from the dtv.gov website.

• Standard Definition TV (SDTV) -
  SDTV is the basic level of quality display and resolution for both
  analog and digital. Transmission of SDTV may be in either the
  traditional (4:3) or widescreen (16:9) format.

• Enhanced Definition TV (EDTV) -
  EDTV is a step up from Analog Television. EDTV comes in 480p widescreen
  (16:9) or traditional (4:3) format and provides better picture quality
  than SDTV, but not as high as HDTV.

• High Definition TV (HDTV) -
  HDTV in widescreen format (16:9) provides the highest resolution and
  picture quality of all digital broadcast formats. Combined with
  digitally enhanced sound technology, HDTV sets new standards for sound
  and picture quality in television. (Note: HDTV and digital TV are not
  the same thing — HDTV is one format of digital TV.)

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