Wilbur Pan @ Dec 10th 2005 6:29PM

Um, if we are going to get on our high horse about spreading misinformation, you�re also going to have to drop your �1024x768 isn�t real HDTV� campaign. Nowhere on the ATSC website nor on the federal government's DTV website is there a regulation regarding horizontal resolution in the HDTV standard. Now, for a 16:9 screen it's easy to do the math and come up with 1280x720 or 1920x1080 assuming square pixels, but, again, nowhere on the government's website can I find a reference to this. I can't find any reference to square pixels, either. The only reference I've found so far is defining vertical resolution.

The feds ONLY define HDTV by vertical lines of resolution, with 720 being the minimum. Therefore, 42" plasmas with 1024x768 resolution can be said to fit the HDTV standard, even though one could argue that a 42" screen with 1280x720 resolution might give you a superior picture.

I am not arguing as to whether higher pixel density or square pixels are advantageous for a good picture -- I've been an advocate of square pixels since the first Macintosh computer came out, and I do believe that higher pixel densities=better picture.

SMPTE does refer to resolutions of 1280x720 and 1920x1080 in their standard. However, this is not echoed in the ATSC standard. The reason this is significant is because SMPTE is a trade organization. They can set standards, but they are not legally binding. If the feds set a standard, then that is legally binding.

In fact, the ATSC standard, there is a reference to SMPTE and other trade standards that explicitly states that they are not required by the ATSC standard. In Section 9, Possible Video Inputs, it says:

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9. POSSIBLE VIDEO INPUTS
While not required by this standard, there are certain television production standards, shown in Table A1, that define video formats that relate to compression formats specified by this standard.

Table A1 Standardized Video Input Formats

Video Standard Active Lines Active Samples/ Line
SMPTE 274M 1080 1920
SMPTE 296M 720 1280
ITU-R BT.601-4 483 720

The compression formats may be derived from one or more appropriate video input formats. It may be anticipated that additional video production standards will be developed in the future that extend the number of possible input formats.
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This section acknowledges the presence of external standards that are not required by the feds at this point in time. I think this is the loophole that allows an HDTV with a resolution of 1024x768 to be sold as an HDTV. Whether you think that is an HDTV worth buying is a separate issue.