Whats the difference between normal definition & High Definition (HD)?

Question

It pretty much looks the same to me, my family, and my friends...What's the difference?

Answer 1

Think of it this way.  Imagine your computer monitor is a TV screen.  Okay now imagine 480 horizontal lines (or blocks) stacked on top of each other till you have 480 total.  Each block carries a small amount of the picture.  With 480 all ontop of each other you have the full picture.  This is regular TV.

Now imagine the same size TV screen using 720 stacked blocks or 1080 stacked blocks in the same screen.  Since the blocks are more in numbers and "thinner" you are getting a far sharper picture.

Now the "i" and "p" after the number means the image is "interlaced" or "progressively" scanned.  Which means each block is scanned one time per millisecond from left to right, to create the image.  With progressive the image is scanned two times per millisecond.  Twice is better because it's like taking two pictures of the same image and overlay them one on top of the other, to get a better image.

So because images are made of pixels, the pixels that make up a "block" are larger with 480i/p, when you go up to 720p the pixels are even smaller, and better still are 1080i/p size pixels for they are the smallest.

So for best picture you want 1080p TV, but there's a caveat, the human eye cannot distinguish between 720p and 1080i/p at a certain size or distance.  So if the image is less than 55" it doesnt really matter if you get 720p or 1080i/p  anything larger and the pixels become more prelevant and having a 1080p set is recommended for larger images.

But if you, your family or friends cannot tell the difference, then it is doubtful you were looking at an HD image that was properly set up.  If you ever see a True HD image you will be able to tell the difference immediatly.

Answer 2

the difference is quality picture that u will get. the highest resolution is 1080 p, with this resolution u will get the best picture u ever have.  1080 p(progressive) u will get better resolution, better picture, better detail on screen........

Answer 3

The numbers relate to how many lines of resolution the TV has per inch, so a 1080 is better than a 720.  Not sure what the "i" stands for, but the "p" stands for progressive scan, and my tech-savvy friends tell me you want a progressive scan TV.

To give you an idea:  Standard DVD resolution is 480 lines per inch.  Blu-ray is 1080 lines per inch.  So if you ever plan to get a Blu-Ray or you want to get the most out of HD cable or satellite, get a 1080p.