What is High Definition?

In the strictest sense of the term, an image is considered high definition (HD) if it has a minimum vertical resolution of either 720p or 1080i and a 16:9 aspect ratio. That’s it. If your display can meet those two requirements, it is technically an HD display.

That’s not really much of a hurdle now a days is it? So the problem now is that we have a whole bunch of relatively crappy images and displays all claiming to be “high def” and just confusing the average consumer.

I have seen HD material that runs the gamut from true HD material shot, edited and broadcast in full 1080p; to 480i standard definition source material that is upconverted and stretched and looks worse than a good quality VHS. Both of the resulting images are technically HD, but even the most untrained viewer can easily tell the difference.

Broadcasters and content providers need to be more judicious in their use of the term “HD.” As far as I’m concerned, material that was ever any form of standard definition should not be called HD just because it was upconverted and scaled to meet the HD spec. Material should be called HD only if it was acquired in HD and stays HD through the entire production and delivery process.