Aspect Ratio HDTV allows you to view programming in widescreen format. Aspect ratio is the relationship of width to height on a TV screen. For example, a traditional TV screen’s square appearance can be more technically described as having an aspect ratio of 4:3. The aspect ratio of an HDTV is referred to as widescreen (16:9) and can be likened to the screen you see in a movie theater. What this means for you, is that when you watch your favourite program the wider view allows you to see more of the action. The picture won’t be truncated on both ends or reduced in size due to letterboxing. Progressive Scan Progressive scanning provides a brighter, more vibrant picture. Progressive scan refers to the manner in which the horizontal lines of pixels are transposed onto the screen. Compared to the current standard of interlaced scanning, progressive scanning works independently from resolution to further improve the image quality. Currently, interlaced scanning scans all of the odd horizontal lines of a TV picture onto the screen first, and then goes back and fills in the even lines. Because progressive scanning scans all of the lines consecutively, all lines are illuminated at the same time. This results in a brighter image, that eliminates the possibility of any flickering. In other words, what you see is a cleaner, more vibrant picture.