Dish Network HDTV

Dish Network HDTV

What is HDTV?

HDTV from DISH Network provides high resolution widescreen High Definition programming, integrated with Dolby Digital ® 5.1 channel surround sound that makes your television viewing experience come to life. Live life in high definition.

High Definition television, or HDTV, gives viewers crystal-clear pictures integrated with Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround sound - the entertainment experience that has been imagined but was never possible on standard analog televisions. HDTV reproduces theater-quality sights and sound by digitizing TV programming, allowing it to be transmitted and received the same way that a DVD player can reproduce movies with big-screen quality effects.

With DISH Network, the leader in HD satellite TV, it's easier than ever to upgrade to HDTV. All you need to receive lifelike HD programming from DISH Network is:

An antenna pointed at DISH Network's HD satellite
An HD satellite receiver
An HD compatible television

With all-digital HD broadcasts, DISH Network transmits as many as 10 times more pixels, or picture frames, than you are used to seeing on a standard broadcast television, resulting in sharper, more lifelike colors and richer sounds.

DISH Network broadcasts all HD programs in widescreen (16:9) format. Unlike standard (4:3) format, which causes some images to appear squeezed in the middle or cut off along the sides of the screen, widescreen HD broadcasts reproduce screen images as they were originally meant to be seen.

HDTV's use a method of scanning called "progressive" scan to produce a flicker-free image, making text easier to read and fast-motion video appear smoother than televisions that use interlaced scanning. Interlaced scanning refreshes pixels in alternations - first the odd lines, then the even lines - showing only 1/2 of the screens picture elements at any given moment. Progressive scan means that all 1 million pixels on the screen are refreshed simultaneously.

Glossary of HDTV Terms

Aspect Ratio
Aspect ratio is the difference between the width and height of the picture as it is displayed on the television screen. Television screens are available in both standard (4:3) and widescreen (16:9) formats. The standard format causes some images to appear squeezed in the middle or cut off along the sides of the screen. High Definition programs are broadcast in widescreen format, which allows the images to be projected as they were originally meant to be seen.

Resolution
Resolution is the number of pixels (individual points of color) that are displayed on a monitor or screen. The sharpness of the image on a display depends on the resolution and the size of the monitor Ð the greater the resolution (more pixels) the better the picture!

Pixels
Pixels, or picture elements, are the individual points of color that make up a television screen image. HDTV represents the richest pixel format available, with more than 1 million active pixels displayed on the television screen at any one time.

8VSB
The signal modulation system used for over-the-air digital television broadcasts

Scanning (Interlaced and Progressive)
HDTV's use a method of scanning called "progressive" scan to produce a flicker-free image, making text easier to read and fast-motion video appear smoother. Progressive scan means that all 1 million pixels on the screen are refreshed simultaneously, unlike analog TVs with "interlaced" scan. Interlaced scanning refreshes pixels in alternations - first the odd lines, then the even lines. As a result, only half the pixels on screen are showing at any given moment.