So let’s take a closer look at 720p, 1080i and 1080p here, and what you need to know. HD follows from standard definition (the level of detail in analogue colour TV that most of us grew up with), cramming in even more pixels in order to produce sharper, cleaner images when playing video.Ĭonfusingly there are three different types of ‘HD’ resolution out there, so it’s worth knowing a bit more when shopping around for high definition TV sets and related gear. Just because a TV set or monitor has ‘HD’ slapped on the side, it might not be exactly what you want or need. So what actually is HD? HD, or High Definition, refers to the detail level of a screen or to put it another way, the number of pixels that are packed into a display. A pixel is the smallest visible element on a display, the ‘dots’ that combine to make up the overall picture.

Even pretty much every cheap-as-chips entry-level phone that hits the shelves these days has an HD screen, so you can enjoy high-def video on the move.īut what actually is HD, how many different types of HD are there, and what’s the difference between 720p HD, 1080p Full HD, Quad HD and 4K Ultra HD? Here’s our explainer guide. Games consoles play HD games, all of the public service broadcasters (that’s the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5) have dedicated HD channels and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video play thousands of movies in HD on demand. HD – short for High Definition – is everywhere these days, but is it really a big deal and what’s the difference between 720p HD and 1080p Full HD when it comes to television displays and video content?

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