OTHER TECH

aspect ratio describes the shape of a TV screen, regardless of the actual dimensions of the screen, width first and then height (for example, 4:3, 16:9).

component-video jacks A trio of RCA connectors that carry video in a high-quality analog format, consisting of a black-and-white signal (Y) and two color-difference signals (blue - Y and red - Y).

contrast ratio A measure of the range between the brightest and darkest images a TV can produce.

DCDi , or Directional Correlation Deinterlacing, is Faroudja's video-processing technology for converting standard interlaced signals into progressive-scan format. Specifically designed for programs originally shot on video rather than film, it processes motion information separately from information about stationary objects to produce smoother lines in moving images.

DVI input Digital Visual Interface, a connection scheme that keeps the video signal from an HDTV tuner, satellite receiver, or DVD player digital all the way to the TV.

enhanced-definition TV (EDTV) A marketing term for digital TVs that can show standard-definition video in progressive-scan format and accept high-definition signals but can't display full-resolution HDTV.

480i and 480p Standard-definition video formats; the first uses an interlaced display of the 480 horizontal scan lines (counted top to bottom) in each frame, while the second displays all 480 lines in sequence, yielding a smoother and cleaner picture.

HDMI input High-definition Multimedia Interface, a connection scheme that keeps both the video and audio from an HDTV tuner, satellite receiver, or DVD player digital all the way to the TV.

interlaced A video format that assigns alternating scan lines in a video frame to one of two fields, which are then displayed one after the other on either a regular TV or a 1080i-format HDTV; the opposite of progressive-scan.

progressive-scan A video format in which each horizontal scan line of a video frame is displayed in sequence on a digital TV; the opposite of interlaced.

720p and 1080i The most common HDTV formats; 720p (the "p" is for progressive-scan) uses 720 horizontal scan lines, or rows of pixels, per frame in a progressive display, while 1080i ("i" for interlaced) uses 1,080 lines displayed in two alternating fields of 540 lines each.