SDTV
Old broadcast format
SDTV stands for standard-definition television, the conventional broadcast format before high-definition became widespread.
SDTV displays images at lower resolution than HDTV—typically 480 lines in North America or 576 in Europe.
The term emerged in the 1990s to distinguish older television technology from emerging HD formats: The old shows were filmed for SDTV and look grainy on modern screens.
Interlaced video format
- interlacedWoven together crosswise
- analogComparable equivalent
- CRTVacuum tube display
- 4:3Width-to-height screen proportion
NTSC · PAL · broadcast · antenna · coaxial · resolution · pixels · phosphor
Soft and unclear
- grainyRough with particles
- low-resolutionPoor image clarity
- staticWithout motion or change
- snowFrozen crystalline precipitation
ghosting · fine-tuning · reception · interference · letterboxing · pan-and-scan · cropped · stretched
Quality from past eras
- retroEvoking recent past
- classicOf lasting excellence
- legacyWhat's passed down
- obsoleteNo longer in use
outdated · twentieth-century · nineties · eighties · VHS · hand-me-down · secondhand
Functions with prior versions
480i
Interlaced video format
- interlacedWoven together crosswise
- analogComparable equivalent
- CRTVacuum tube display
4:3 · NTSC · PAL · broadcast · antenna · coaxial · resolution · pixels · phosphor
fuzzy
Soft and unclear
- grainyRough with particles
- low-resolutionPoor image clarity
- staticWithout motion or change
snow · ghosting · fine-tuning · reception · interference · letterboxing · pan-and-scan · cropped · stretched
vintage
Quality from past eras
obsolete · outdated · twentieth-century · nineties · eighties · VHS · hand-me-down · secondhand
backward-compatible
Functions with prior versions
- Display Resolutionscreen resolution, display resolution, image resolution, HD, full HD
- AV StandardsNTSC, PAL, 1080p, 1080i, 720p
- Digital TVbroadcast, satellite TV, cable systems, set-top box, tuner