February 2004

High-Definition Television

The 1s and 0s of high-definition television, standard in U.S. home theaters by 2006.

By 5W Infographic

Even the lowest-resolution computer screens provide better images than today's best analog televisions. No wonder television broadcasting is going digital. Digital signals carry more information than analog ones, the images they provide are sharper, and they can be displayed in the wide-screen format typical in movie theaters. The U.S. Congress has set December 31, 2006, as the target date for all domestic TV broadcasts to be sent digitally. (It could be extended, though, until 85 percent of homes have TVs that can receive the signals.)