Often mistakenly used as a generic description of all digital television, HDTV specifically refers to the highest-resolution formats of the 18 original DTV formats. Although there still isn‘t 100% agreement among manufacturers, retailers, journalists, etc., only 1,080-line interlaced (1080i) or 720-line progressive (720p) broadcasts are generally considered to be true HDTV. 1,080-line progressive (1080p) is not an official HD broadcast format, but it is found on high-definition Blu-ray discs and some satellite TV movie broadcasts. And 1080p is now an established standard for HDTV screens.

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 
Liquid Crystal Display technology is one of the methods used to create flat-panel TVs, and is also used in some projectors. Light isn‘t created by the liquid crystals; a "backlight" behind the panel shines light through the display. The display consists of two polarizing transparent panels and a liquid crystal solution sandwiched in between. An electric current passed through the liquid causes the crystals to align so that light cannot pass through them. Each crystal acts like a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking the light. The pattern of transparent and dark crystals forms the image.

Plasma 
Plasma technology is one of the methods used to create flat-panel TVs. The display consists of two transparent glass panels with a thin layer of pixels sandwiched in between (somewhere between 800,000 and two million). Each pixel is composed of three gas-filled cells or sub-pixels (one each for the red, green and blue primary colors). A grid of tiny electrodes applies an electric current to the individual cells, causing the gas to ionize. This ionized gas (plasma) emits high-frequency UV rays which stimulate the cells‘ phosphors, causing them to glow, which creates the TV image.

LED (Light Emitting Diode) 
An LED is a semiconductor diode that typically emits a single wavelength of light when an electric current passes through it. Different colors can be generated based on the material used; common colors include red, green, blue, and white.

3D TV 
By adding a sense of picture depth and dimensionality, 3D TVs create a more engaging viewing experience that‘s similar to watching a 3D movie in a theater. Like 3D movies, 3D TV requires that each viewer wear special glasses to see the 3D effects.

1080p 
1080p is a high-definition video format with resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The "p" stands for progressive scan, which means that each video frame is transmitted as a whole in a single sweep. The main advantage of 1080p TVs is that they can display all high-definition video formats without downconverting, which sacrifices some picture detail.

100Hz refresh rate 
Some LCD and LED-LCD HDTVs have 100Hz refresh rates; these TVs employ sophisticated video processing to double the standard rate to 100 frames per second by inserting either additional video frames or black frames. Because each video frame appears for only half the normal amount of time, on-screen motion looks smoother and more fluid, with less smearing. It‘s especially noticeable viewing fast-action sports and video games.

HDMI™ (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) 
HDMI has become the high-def connection of choice. It can carry full 1080p video and multichannel surround sound, and is your only connection option for 3D video.