High Definition Video
In the late 1990s, HD video formats were standardized in the United States by the
Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC). These HD video formats are the next
generation of broadcast and recording video formats. Unlike SD formats, which are
restricted to fixed frame rates and numbers of lines per frame, HD video provides
several options per format. While the increased flexibility is convenient, it also makes
format interchange more complicated. Simply saying “HD video” is not enough; you
need to define the frame size, frame rate, and scanning method of your HD format.
There are an increasing number of HD tape and file-based formats available. Most HD
formats support only a subset of the options shown in the table above, and most
camcorders and video decks do not support every combination.