The primary benefits of digital televisions are superior picture quality and better sound. The analog TV signals we watch today are made up of 525 interlaced lines, which are subject to screen flickering, ghost-shadows, and blurring. Digital televisions are dramatically different in that they receive signals digitally in the form of zeros and ones, so problems with ghost-shadows and blurring are not factors. Digital signals also produce a higher quality TV picture, displaying crisp, sharp, and vivid images using up to 1080 lines instead of 525 lines. Additionally, digital television signals can deliver cinema-quality sound effects using 6-channel Dolby Digital surround sound instead of only two regular stereo channels.

Terminology:

Vertical Scan Lines - Refers to the number of horizontal lines that a television can utilize to display an image. As the number of lines increase, more information is displayed, resulting in improved picture quality. Traditional analog TVs can normally display 480 lines, while Gateway digital TVs can display up to 1080 lines.

Horizontal Pixels - Each horizontal line in a TV is made up of individual dots (pixels). The higher the number of pixels, the finer the TV picture becomes.

Aspect Ratio - Identifies the ratio of the TV screen's width over its height. A 16:9 aspect ratio refers to a wide-screen picture format, while a 4:3 refers to a standard TV format.

Scan Mode:

• Interlaced scanning - A scan method that creates a TV picture with alternating lines of information within alternating "frames" or passes. This is the display method of conventional analog television sets and is the cause for flickering.
  View Picture
• Progressive scanning - A method that creates a TV picture with consecutive lines of information within a single frame or pass. This results in flicker-free video quality. This is the common display method from a standard computer CRT monitor.
  View Picture

Frame Rate - The video on your TV is generated by a series of still pictures that changes from picture to picture at a very fast rate. This rate is measured by the number of still pictures or "frames" displayed within one second of time. The higher the frame-rate, the smoother the picture displayed.

Down-convert - A function that takes place when a digital broadcast signal exceeds the display capabilities of the digital television and the broadcast signal is reduced to match the television's limited display capabilities. For example, if a network broadcasts a digital program using 1080 lines (1080i format), but the digital television is only able to display 480 lines (480i or 480p), the 1080i signal is reduced or down-converted to only 480 lines. Down-converting results in inferior picture quality.

Up-convert - A function that takes place when a digital television's display capabilities exceed the digital broadcast signal and the broadcast signal is increased to match the TV's display program. For example, a digital program is broadcast using 480 lines (480i or 480p) and the digital television is able to display 1080 lines, the signal is increased or up-converted to match the TV. Up-converting results in hazy picture quality.