DirecTV H20 manual About High-Definition, Types of TV Broadcasts

About High-Definition

What is HD, and how does it differ from regular TV? To learn more, here’s some helpful information

about high-defi nition and your DIRECTV HD Receiver.

Types of TV Broadcasts

Analog TV is the type of TV broadcast you may be most familiar with. If you get your broadcasts via

a standard off-air antenna, it’s the type you receive, and most broadcasts from local cable companies

are analog as well.

Digital TV is a newer system for broadcasting TV signals delivering higher quality audio and video.

“Digital TV” refers to a television that can receive and display digital images. Following are terms you

might see used regarding Digital TV broadcasts. Although your DIRECTV HD Receiver is a “true” HD receiver, the type of TV or monitor you plug it into (SD, ED, or HD) can affect the resolution of

the TV picture you see. See “Resolutions and Interlacing” on page 75, for an explanation of display

resolutions.

4SD (standard definition) is digital TV that offers a picture quality that is better than older analog televisions. SDTV displays images at a resolution of 480i.

4ED (enhanced definition) is digital TV that can display a higher resolution picture than SDTV. An EDTV can display at 480i or 480p.

4HD (high definition) is digital TV that can provide the highest quality picture, at resolutions

741080i, 720p, 480p, or 480i.

To get the best-quality TV picture, you need an HD TV to go with your

DIRECTV HD Receiver.