SD and HD

What is the difference between standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) - We explain for you right here.

HD (high definition) is the highest resolution offered within the digital television category at the moment. As television programming and indeed TV sets are moving from analog to digital, it’s easier to deliver movies and programming in higher resolutions.

High definition content is also more often displayed in widescreen, which is similar to how it looks in the cinema. Between SD (standard definition) and HD there’s a range of resolutions, but the easiest way to explain the difference is that a HD images hold more information than a standard definition images. This means that HD can be up to six times clearer than what you get on DVD, which lends itself to being shown on larger screens.

Resolution on a screen itself is NOT a defining factor on how good the picture quality is. That is, just because it has a higher number, doesnt mean the quality will be better. However, in order to display an HD image (as HD) a TV must be able to display certain resolutions.

Many SD screens, if they are marked as HD TV READY will still display an image from an HD source. However, rather than showing it at the higher resolution it will be downscaled to the highest or normal resolution for the screen. In most cases this will still show as a crystal clear picture however so if you do not have any use for HD at the moment then you might want to consider a decent HD ready set instead. They are often more affordable than full HD televisions.