Make Your Mark: The Insignia™ Blog

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Chances are that if you’re like the average savvy shopper, you know what you’re supposed to look for in an HDTV, even if you’re not quite sure what it means. For example, you know an Insignia 46” 1080p, 120HZ LED LCD HDTV is a quality television based on its stats, even if you’re not exactly sure why.

Well the good folks over at CNet.com were nice enough to define some basics terms and specs for HDTVs in their HDTV World subsite. Here are definitions of some of the rudimentary terms and concepts from their glossary:

1080p 
An HDTV standard that specifies a progressive-scan resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels. It is the standard resolution offered by Blu-ray movies and the highest resolution widely available on HDTVs.

720p 
One of three currently used formats designated as high-definition television in the ATSC DTV standard, this technology comprises 720 vertical pixels and 1,280 horizontal pixels.

Hertz 
A specification referring to a display that refreshes its picture 60, 120, 240 or 600 times per second. The higher the hertz, the more reduction in motion blur in fast-moving images.

Aspect Ratio 
The ratio of width to height in a video picture or other graphic image. Standard U.S. TV broadcasts and computer monitors feature a 4:3 aspect ratio; HDTV has a much wider 16:9 ratio.

Black Level 
The intensity of black in the television picture, frequently referred to as brightness; adjusted to compensate for ambient room light. Black level is set with a TV's brightness control using a PLUGE test pattern. Setting black level correctly is critical to overall picture quality, particularly the ability to see detail in dimly lit scenes of a movie. The term also refers to the ability of a display to produce an inky, deep black, which is often a problem in fixed-pixel displays.

Contrast Ratio 
The difference in light intensity between the brightest white and the darkest black that a display device can produce. A high contrast ratio is better than a lower ratio.

Energy Star 3.0 
The latest energy consumption standard for televisions. TVs must meet particular specifications to carry the Energy Star logo, an indication of a certain level of power consumption. Launched on November 1, 2008, the standard revised energy specifications for TVs to require sets to be tested when powered on as opposed to just in standby mode.

HDMI 
High-Definition Multimedia Interface. USB-like digital video connectivity standard designed as a successor to DVI; can transmit both digital audio and video signals; incorporates HDCP digital copy protection.

LCD TV 
A television that employs a liquid-crystal display screen rather than a CRT; used in small, personal TVs, portable video equipment, front projectors, and larger flat-panel displays. An LCD projector uses a lamp to shine light through liquid-crystal panels, then through mirrors and lenses to the screen.

LED, Local Dimming 
A type of backlighting used in LCD TVs where LED light sources are arranged in groups behind the screen and can be dimmed or turned off to achieve deeper black levels and higher contrast ratios than traditional LCD sets.

Plasma Display Panel 
An emissive flat-screen technology in which ionized gas is sandwiched between panels of glass that are embedded with wire. The wires meet at right angles, creating pixels. Images are created by sending an electrical current through selected intersections, causing the gas to break down at those points and produce plasma discharges that excite nearby phosphors and cause them to glow. These displays are slim (about 4 inches deep) and can be created in sizes as large as 60 inches diagonally; they are generally used in flat-panel TVs.

Progressive Scan 
Represented by the “p” in 1080p or 720p, a method of displaying images on a CRT monitor or a high-definition TV in which all the lines of a picture are drawn in one quick burst, from left to right and from top to bottom. Compare this to interlacing, in which every other line is displayed in two successive swoops to form a complete picture.

Resolution 
A measure used to describe the quality of what a monitor can display. A monitor's resolution refers to the number of pixels in the entire screen. For example, a resolution of 1,280x1,024 means that 1,024 lines are drawn from the top to the bottom of the screen, and each of these lines is made up of 1,280 separate pixels.

Upconvert 
In DTV, the conversion from a lower-resolution input signal to a TV capable of displaying higher resolutions, such as from an SDTV 480p signal to an HDTV 1080i native display.

What did we miss? Are there any other important terms to know when looking to buy an HDTV? Let us know below!