High Definition
High-definition television (HDTV) is a selling point for flat-panel plasma and LCD screens. HDTV makes sports, movies, and the Weather Channel look amazing if those shows are broadcast in HD. Most people have at least a vague idea of what high definition delivers for television: a beautiful, sharp picture with more vibrant colors than lower-definition displays.
Monitor Resolution and Evolving Video Standards
Standards have become clearer on what HD means compared to what it meant in the past. The following are the standard definitions for HD monitor resolutions and express the number of pixels in the display horizontally by vertically:
1280x720 (also called 720p)1920x1080 (also called 1080i)1920x1080 progressive (also called 1080p)2560x1440 (often found in monitors for gaming)
The next step up from HD is Ultra High Definition or UHD (4K quality) in both TVs and monitors. Technically, 4K and UHD are different. Still, when it comes to what is available on the market, the two are interchangeable and refer to the same type of product. This monitor resolution is around 3840x2160, and these are sometimes called 4K UHD monitors. A small step up from 4K UHD is called 5K. Monitors in this category have resolutions around 5120×2880. 5K displays are usually computer monitors. The level beyond 4K UHD is known as 8K UHD. The technical standards and the names can differ. As this video definition becomes more prevalent, it might be assigned other marketing names. The resolution for an 8K UHD monitor is 7680x4320.
Progressive vs. Interlaced Scanning
The “i” and “p” denote interlaced and progressive scanning, respectively. Interlaced scanning is the older technology of the two. A PC monitor that uses interlaced scanning refreshes half of the horizontal pixel rows in one cycle and takes another cycle to refresh the other half while alternating rows. The upshot is that two scans are necessary to display each line, resulting in a slow and blurry display with flickering. Progressive scanning scans one complete row at a time, in sequence from top to bottom. The resulting display is smooth and detailed, especially for text, a common element on screens used with PCs.
