When Does HDTV Not Mean High Definition?

While everyone is pretty certain what HDTV means these days, you might be surprised when you go to buy a new screen for your HD projector that labels itself as a HDTV projection screen. The truth is that there is more than one meaning when it comes to high definition, and misunderstanding the differences can affect the quality of your viewing experience. This article will help you to understand the divergent meanings of HDTV, so that you know what you are getting with your new projection screen.

Not All Projection Screens Are Created Equal

As high definition has become the norm for home theater systems, more and more projection screen companies are claiming that their screens are hi def. Unfortunately, this can be very misleading to the buyer who wants to watch their movies and TV shows in the highest quality picture possible. A person who buys a HDTV projection screen will quickly find out that they may have purchased a lesser quality screen than the name implies.

Let’s step back for a moment and cover the basics of what HDTV means to most people. Higher resolution and clearer pictures is the first thing that comes to mind when compared to standard definition signals. High definition projectors allow for these sharper images on truly large screens that surpass the 50 to 60 inches of many flat screens and take you into ranges over 100 inches along the diagonal.

Now that we have that firm foundation, it is important to understand that when an electronics representative shows you a projector screen that is supposed to be HDTV, they only mean that the screen dimensions are in 16:9 format. That’s it. There is no other special feature associated with the HD term when it comes to a projection screen. The 16:9 format has been made the standard dimensions for all HDTV products and this is all that is referenced when a screen claims to be Full HD or HD Ready.

It is important to understand that projection screens can’t truly be HD in terms of providing the perfect image clarity unless you look at aspects of the screen beyond the term HDTV. There are several factors that need to be considered when choosing the screen that will help display the contrast and clarity available from a true HD projection home theater system. The label of HDTV is simply the first element to look for before moving to the specifications that will really help your high definition content come alive.
Now that you know the difference between HDTV and the HDTV format of projection screens, you are ready to take a closer look at the features that allow the screen to show true HD images.