What is HDTV?

If you have gone shopping for a new TV in the last 10 years or so, this is no doubt a question you have asked yourself as the customer service representative tried to sell you that big, beautiful, and ultimately expensive television. I asked myself the same question the first time I saw one, and then again when I saw the price. After some serious thought, and a lot of research, I did in fact buy one. Chances are, if you’re reading this, you too are considering it. So let me give you the comparison that I was given - maybe it will help you understand what HDTV really is.

Years ago, if you wanted something to be typed out, you had to pull out the big old clunky typewriter. And for its time, it was a marvellous invention, one that revolutionized the world of writing. These days, you fire up your computer, sit down, type, and watch as the words appear on the screen. From there, you can edit without restarting the file; something you couldn’t do on a typewriter. Then you can save your file, go do something else and go back to it later, or send it directly from the printer sitting next to your computer.

HDTV is the same sort of advancement in televisions. The original televisions and the advancements of the color television were amazing, but HDTV is currently the most revolutionary technology in comparison to the original standard television. What HDTV did for entertainment is comparable to what the invention of the computer did for writing.