What is the difference between STV, ETV, and HDTV?

Standard Definition TV (SDTV)

SDTV is the basic level of quality display and resolution for both analog and digital. Transmission of SDTV may be in either the traditional (4:3) or widescreen (16:9) format. Digital SDTV provides pictures and sounds comparable to the best available analog TV.

Enhanced Definition TV (EDTV)

EDTV is a step up from Analog Television. EDTV comes in a 480p widescreen (16:9) or traditional (4:3) format and provides better picture quality than SDTV, but not as high as HDTV. EDTV picture quality has been compared to the DVD format, and for some viewers, the perceived quality is nearly comparable to HDTV.

EDTV models are generally priced lower than HDTVs, and many consumers were content to sacrifice image quality when it meant saving a thousand bucks. But HDTV prices have now dropped so much that EDTV may not seem like much of a value.

High Definition TV (HDTV)

HDTV in widescreen format (16:9) has the greatest picture quality of all digital broadcast formats. Combined with digitally enhanced sound technology, HDTV sets new standards for sound and picture quality in television. There are 4 formats that can be viewed on a High Definition TV; they are 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080p. The higher the number, the higher the resolution. Although HDTVs can play all 4 formats, most experts refer to High Definition TV broadcasts as having either 720p or 1080p resolution.

High-quality image resolution is the main selling point for HDTVs. All HDTV signals are digital signals; no longer does your TV rely on analog signals for broadcasts. Most HDTVs are able to process either HDTV format (720p and 1080p).