Introduction To Next-Generation Multimedia - High Definition Signals

As consumer video technology transitions from analog to digital television, a shift to high definition displays and video is also occuring. Devices ranging from HDTVs to Camcorders are being marketed as hi-def technology, and the next generation of consumer video technology takes advantage of higher resolutions for both video and audio. In order to work with existing content or create your own it's necessary to have some background in what makes a signal high definition.

This guide will give an overview of the high definition signals used in various video formats. Although the formats vary from camcorders to HDTV to Blu-ray and HD DVD, they're all designed around a standard hardware platform - the HDTV or HD ready display.

Next-Generation Multimedia

Afterdawn's Next-Generation Multimedia guides are intended to help you understand the technology behind formats including HDTV, HD DVD, Blu-ray, HDV, and HDAVC.

• High Definition Signals
• HDTV Essentials

Digital Video Fundamentals

If you're new to digital video, or just want a refresher on the basics, you may want to start with our Digital Video Fundamentals guides.

• Frames and Framerates
• Resolution and Aspect Ratio
• Color Formats
• Lossy Compression
• MPEG-2 Encoding