what is EDTV? (1 Viewer)

[ethan_l]

being hearing this term pop up now and then
is this a new format?

 

[Patrick Sun]

It stands for Enhanced Definition TV. Typically I see it when Fox broadcasts in 480p (p = progressive). SDTV is 480i (i = interlaced). For EDTV, the lowest number of active scan lines is 480p or higher. There is no specified aspect ratio(so it could be 4:3 or 16x9).
But it's not HDTV (minimum of 720p or 1080i or higher in terms of vertical scan lines, with a specified aspect ratio of 16x9).
Here's a good link that defines some of the terms for DTV.