Picture Formats

What is the Screen Resolution?

The screen resolution indicates the amount of detail that the picture displays. Resolution is identified by the number of display lines on the screen. The techniques that an HDTV uses to “paint” the picture on the screen are referred to as progressive and interlaced.

For example, a resolution of 1080i indicates that the screen shows 1080 lines in an interlaced display, and 480p means that the screen shows 480 lines in a progressive display.

Note: The screen resolution (1080i, 480p, etc.) is sometimes referred to as the scan rate. The terms are interchangeable.

With the progressive method, every pixel on the screen is refreshed simultaneously.

The interlaced method involves refreshing pixels in alternation—first the odd lines and then the even lines.

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