To understand why High Definition televisions are superior to standard television sets, you must first understand the three differences that set them apart: ASPECT RATIO, RESOLUTION & SIGNAL PROCESSING.

ASPECT RATIO is the first difference you will immediately notice upon comparing the two TVs. High Definition TVs generally have a display that is wide like a movie theater screen. This panoramic view fits more naturally with how the human eye sees the world. This is commonly referred to as a "16 by 9" aspect ratio. The screen measures 16 units wide and 9 units high. Standard TVs have a screen with a "4 by 3" aspect ratio. The Standard TV image looks more square than panoramic.

Plasma Window™ DVDs are shot using an HDTV camera that captures the images in beautiful "16 by 9" aspect ratio. Our DVDs are specifically designed for High Definition TVs but they will work on standard "4 by 3" television sets.

RESOLUTION is the amount of detail in a television image. Most standard TVs have maximum of 480 vertical INTERLACED lines of resolution. This means that the picture is made up of 480 lines of information in each frame. There are 30 frames per second. In each frame, there are two FIELDS. Standard TVs display two FIELDS in every frame. One field displays the 240 positive scan lines and one field displays the 240 negative scan lines in every frame. This process is called INTERLACING and is responsible for the "flicker" you see on normal televisions.

High Definition TVs generally have between 720 and 1080 lines of resolution. They are capable of displaying a DE-INTERLACED image called PROGRESSIVE SCANNING. Progressive scan images display ALL of the scan lines in every frame and do not alternate from positive to negative like interlaced TVs do. This provides a smoother more life-like image. If you have a progressive scan DVD player, it is capable of playing the 480p (progressive scan) image. This is considered an Enhanced Definition image.

All Plasma Window™ DVDs are shot in High Definition (720-1080 lines of resolution) using the progressive scan technology. Our DVDs are digitally converted to the 480 progressive scan format so that they can be played in any standard DVD player or Blu-Ray player.

SIGNAL PROCESSING is the third reason HDTV sets are superior. Most non-HD sets use what are called COMPOSITE video inputs. These are your standard coaxial video inputs where the color and luminance (black and white) signals are combined into one analog stream. Because of this blending of signals, the image becomes degraded as it reaches your screen. Most EDTV and HDTV sets use COMPONENT video inputs or digital DVI/HDMI inputs. Component video means that the color signals and luminance signal (red, green, blue, black & white) are each carried via a separate cable to the display. DVI/HDMI inputs receive the picture signal digitally and is thus the superior method of connecting a DVD or Blu-Ray player to an HDTV.

It is recommended that you use the component video output from your DVD player or the HDMI output from your Blu-Ray player to experience the true quality of the Plasma Window™ DVDs.

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