HDTV | HD DVD

How to navigate in the digital TV world

The ability to operate a tape measure used to be the most advanced skill required for buying a TV: How big a screen can fit against that wall?

Nowadays, it seems you need a degree in jet propulsion to understand the techno-babble that trips off the tongues of Best Buy clerks: analog, digital and HD; interlaced pictures and progressive scan; 480i, 720p, 1080i; native resolution; DVD; and Blu-ray disc.

All you want to do is watch “Oprah” and “House.”

Make no mistake: You’re going to have to know this stuff. After Feb. 17, all broadcasters are required to transmit their signals digitally. Blu-ray’s recent victory in the High-Definition (HD) format war means the days of the standard DVD are numbered. /tradingmarkets.com