| Name | Resolution | HDTV | Wide-screen |
Progressive-scan |
| 1080p | 1,920x1,080 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
| 1080i | 1,920x1,080 |
Y |
Y |
N |
| 720p | 1,280x720 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
| Wide-screen 480p (DVD, EDTV) | 852x480 |
N |
Y |
Y |
| Regular TV | Up to 480 lines |
N |
N |
N |
Videophiles are quick to point out that not every HDTV can actually display all the resolution of an HDTV program. That's true; all but the most expensive sets with 9-inch CRTs, LCoS engines, or the very highest-resolution DLP and LCD panels are incapable of resolving every detail of 1080i material. Plasma, LCD, LCoS and DLP TVs have a fixed number of pixels, known as native resolution, and the higher that number, the more detail you'll see. Naturally, higher-resolution fixed-pixel displays, such as 1080p sets with 1,920x1,080 pixels, cost more money. At the end of the day, however, even the staunchest video critics will admit that a high-definition picture on any HDTV looks far superior to regular TV.