720p — Mediated Wiki

thumb|This chart shows the most common display resolutions, 720p being one of the 16:9 formats shown in blue.

'''720p''' (720 lines progressive) is a progressive HD signal format with 720 horizontal lines/1280 columns and an aspect ratio (AR) of 16:9, normally known as widescreen HD (1.78:1). All major HD broadcasting standards (such as SMPTE 292M) include a 720p format, which has a resolution of 1280×720.

The number ''720'' stands for the 720 horizontal scan lines of image display resolution (also known as 720 pixels of vertical resolution).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.afterdawn.com/glossary/term.cfm/720p |title=720p – AfterDawn: Glossary of technology terms & acronyms}}</ref> The ''p'' stands for progressive scan, i.e. non-interlaced. When broadcast at 60{{refn|It is, however, more commonly broadcast at (60/1.001), or precisely 59.{{overline|94005994}}, matching the NTSC SDTV field rate; this and the 50.00 Hz of PAL are still the second and third highest standard framerates.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tvtechnology.com/.amp/opinions/will-the-end-of-ntsc-be-the-end-of-5994 |title=Will the End of NTSC Be the End of 59.94? |publisher=TVTechnology |date=2008-01-09 |access-date=2010-10-08 |first=Randy |last=Hoffner}}</ref>|group=note}} frames per second, 720p features the highest temporal resolution possible under the ATSC and DVB standards. The term assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, thus implying a resolution of 1280×720 px (0.9 megapixels).

720i (720 lines interlaced) is an erroneous term found in numerous sources and publications. Typically, it is a typographical error in which the author is referring to the 720p HDTV format. However, in some cases it is incorrectly presented as an actual alternative format to 720p.<ref>{{cite book |title=HDTV for Dummies |last=Briere |first=Daniel |author2=Patrick Hurley |year=2006 |page=13 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jb62Hkrj0oYC&q=hdtv+for+dummies |publisher=For Dummies |isbn=9780470096734}}</ref> No proposed or existing broadcast standard permits 720 ''interlaced'' lines in a video frame at any frame rate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atsc.org/cms/standards/a72/a_72_part_1.pdf |title=ATSC Standard: Video System Characteristics of AVC in the ATSC Digital Television System |date=2008-07-29 |access-date=2011-07-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004122811/http://www.atsc.org/cms/standards/a72/a_72_part_1.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-04}}</ref>

== Comparison with interlace scanning == Progressive scanning reduces the need to prevent flicker by anti-aliasing single high contrast horizontal lines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afterdawn.com/glossary/term.cfm/720p |title=720p |publisher=AfterDawn |date=2010-08-10 |access-date=2010-10-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6029_7-6301006-1.html |title=720p |publisher=CNET Glossary |access-date=2010-10-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100930062950/http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6029_7-6301006-1.html |archive-date=2010-09-30}}</ref> It is also easier to perform high-quality 50 to 60 Hz conversion and slow-motion clips with progressive video.

== Resolutions == {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! Standard ! Resolution ! Aspect ratio |- | HD | 960×720p | {{ratio|4:3}} |- | HD | 720×960p | {{ratio|3:4}} |- | HD | 1280×720p | {{ratio|16:9}} |- | HD | 720×1280p | {{ratio|9:16}} |}

== Notes == {{reflist|group=note}}

== See also == {{Portal|Television}}

{{div col|colwidth=30em}} * 1440p, 4K, Ultra-high-definition television, 1080i, 1080p. * High-definition television (HDTV) * Image resolution * List of common display resolutions {{div col end}}

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * [http://tech.ebu.ch/docs/techreports/tr005.pdf EBU Technical paper on HDTV formats]

Category:Television terminology Category:Video formats