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HDTV
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Diagram showing a cross section of a flat-panel plasma display, with a zoomed-in view illustrating how each pixel is made of red, green, and blue subpixels. The close-up labels parts including addressable electrodes, phosphors, and glass layers, demonstrating how plasma discharges create visible light for high-definition color television. Side-by-side comparison of standard-definition TV (SDTV) and high-definition TV (HDTV) aspect ratios using an image of an airplane. The SDTV screen is 4 units wide by 3 units tall, while the HDTV screen is 16 units wide by 9 units tall. Both screens show dashed rectangles indicating the safe action area (90 percent) and safe title area (80 percent) within the frame.
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HDTV

broadcasting
Also known as: high-definition television
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
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‱History

HDTV, a digital broadcasting standard that offers picture and audio superior to that of traditional standard-definition television (SDTV). By the early 1990s, long-running international development efforts aimed at creating a higher-quality television signal had converged on digital transmission in place of traditional analog radio waves. In 1998 John Glenn, a former astronaut and then U.S. senator, went on a spaceflight with the launch broadcast live in high definition to specially equipped museums, electronics stores, and...

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