Understanding TV Basics

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Understanding TV Basics

Television has been around for so long that we take it for granted. But there’s a lot more to TV than meets the eye.

With a better understanding of TV basics, we can clearly see why one picture looks better or different than another. This section will offer explanations for the terminology commonly found on fact tags next to televisions in retail stores.

Did you know that our current color TV system was designed to match the color sensitivity of the human eye? That the shape of standard NTSC TV screens is based on early motion picture standards? And that high-definition television (HDTV) was originally developed in part because rooms in Japan were too small, forcing viewers to sit too close to TV screens?

Several parameters determine just how realistic a TV image will appear to our eyes. Color shades, grayscales, electronic picture scanning, picture refresh rates, aspect ratios, and even the “color” of white all play a part.

As good as television looks now, it will only get better with the move to digital TV. And the same parameters will be equally important in creating and displaying lifelike digital TV images.

In this section, you’ll learn more about these “building blocks” – what each parameter means, how it works, and why a digital TV picture is truly the sum of all its parts.

Lessons in this section (Understanding TV Basics):

  • Introduction – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3.jsp
  • Light and Color – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_1.jsp
  • Additive Color – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_2.jsp
  • Contrast and Grayscales – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_3.jsp
  • Color Gamuts – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_4.jsp
  • Pixels and Imaging – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_5.jsp
  • Resolution and Detail – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_6.jsp
  • Resolution in Digital TVs – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_7.jsp
  • Color Temperature – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_8.jsp
  • Fixed Pixel vs. Raster Scan Imaging – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_9.jsp
  • Motion – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_10.jsp
  • Converting Film to Video – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_11.jsp
  • Understanding NTSC Video – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_12.jsp
  • Video Luminance and Chrominance – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_13.jsp
  • Notch and Comb Filters – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_14.jsp
  • Component Video Formats – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_15.jsp
  • Velocity Scan Modulation – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_3_16.jsp

Other sections:

  • Introduction – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_1.jsp
  • Why Digital? – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_2.jsp
  • Understanding TV Basics – You are here.
  • Types of Digital TVs – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_4.jsp
  • Selecting the Right TV – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_5.jsp
  • The World of Connections – www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/campaign/dtvguide/module_6.jsp

Did you know?

Research and development has always been the cornerstone of Samsung Electronics. With six research centers located in Korea and nine research centers worldwide, Samsung Electronics has established a strong Global R&D Network that drives our effort to develop leading technologies in areas of digital media, telecommunication, digital appliance and semiconductor.

Source: Samsung