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Is High Definition Television the same as Digital Television?

Please help! I know what HDTV is... but whats the difference between them? besides HDTV being clearer, like better quality. Or am I wrong? Please help! so your saying that HDTV is a type of digital television?

Public Comments

1. Digital Television covers both Standard Definition and High Defiinition.
2. Digital television is different from high definition television. Digital television refers to the type of signal that is broadcast from the TV station tower. Whereas, high definition television refers to the quality of the television signal. If the digital television signal is of high enough quality, then it is considered high definition. High definition televisions are usually able to pick up digital signals, because they have built in digital tv tunars. However, some older TVs that are not high definition can also pick up digital signals, but you usually have to have a digital converter box to pick up the digital signal. By the way, Sullivan doesn't know what he is talking about. You can have high definition TV that is not digital. It is called component.
3. Yes, HDTV is a type of digital TV. You can have digital TV that is not high def, but (as far as we consumers are concerned) you can't have high def TV that isn't digital at some point in the path. i.e. there is no broadcast or cable source of analog, high-def TV. Direct-to-home satellite has always been digital, it's just recently been upgraded to include HD channels. Note that this does not mean you can't use component cables (which are analog) for high def. You most certainly can do that, say from a HD cable box, or HD satellite box, or BluRay player, to the TV. The "digital" part is in how the signal gets to those sources, not necessarily in the final connection to the TV. Later: Uh... Aaron... I *said* you could use component cables. See paragraph above. But I challenge you to find a high def source available in the home that did not use digital for the transmission or the signal source. HD over the air? Digital. HD over cable? Digital. HD from satellite? Digital. HD from BluRay? Digital. HD from an Xbox 360 or PS3? Digital sources again. Even if you are using component cables for the connection from "box" to TV, the source is still digital in all of these cases. The closest to your idea would be an HD camera with component out... and those do, of course, exist... but the image sensor + processor is still a digital source; the camera has to convert it to analog component. Aaron also writes: > However, some older TVs that are not high definition can > also pick up digital signals, No, just the opposite: Some older TVs that ARE high definition do not have digital (ATSC) tuners and so canNOT pick up digital signals; they must be used with some other HD source such as an HD cable box or BRP. There was never a non-HD TV made with an ATSC (digital TV) tuner.