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AC-3
The 5.1-channel sound system specified in the Standard for Digital-HDTV. Also known as "Dolby Digital," AC-3 delivers CD-quality digital audio and provides five full-bandwidth channels for front left, front right, center, surround left and surround right speakers, plus an LFE (low frequency effect) subwoofer, for a total of 5.1 channels.

Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC)
The ATSC is the committee responsible for developing and establishing Digital-HDTV Standards; as well as all (18) formats of Digital TV.

A/D
Analog to digital conversion (or converter). Used at transmission end of broadcast.

Addressable Resolution
The highest resolution signal that a display device (TV or monitor) can accept.

Caution: Consumers should be aware however, that although a particular device (Digital-HDTV) is able to receive the resolution, it may not be capable of displaying it.

ALiS
ALiS (Alternate Lighting of Surfaces) is a relatively new type of high-definition plasma panel design. On a conventional plasma TV, all pixels are illuminated at all times. With an ALiS plasma panel, alternate rows of pixels are illuminated so that half the panel's pixels are illuminated at any moment (somewhat similar to interlaced-scanning on a CRT-type TV). ALiS panels offer bright, clear picture quality, reduced power consumption, and extended panel life.

Amplifier
A component that increases the gain or level of an audio signal.

Analog TV
Analog TV is the NTSC Standard for traditional television broadcasts. Analog signals vary continuously, representing fluctuations in color and brightness.

Anamorphic Video
Video images that have been "squeezed" to fit a video frame when stored on DVD. These images must be expanded (un-squeezed) by the display device. An increasing number of TVs employ either a screen with 16:9 aspect ratio, or some type of "enhanced-for-widescreen" viewing mode, so that anamorphic and other widescreen material can be viewed in its proper proportions. When anamorphic video is displayed on a typical TV with 4:3 screen size, the images will appear unnaturally tall and narrow.

Artifacts
Unwanted visible effects in the picture created by disturbances in the transmission or image processing, such as 'edge crawl' or 'hanging dots' in analog pictures, or 'pixelation' in digital pictures.

Aspect Ratio
Refers to the width of a picture relative to its height. The North American NTSC television standard uses the squarish 4:3 (1.33:1) ratio. More and more direct-view and projection TVs (especially digital TVs) use the wider 16:9 ratio (1.78:1) to better display widescreen material like anamorphic DVDs and HDTV broadcasts.

ATSC
See Advanced Television Systems Committee.

ATV
"Advanced Television" is an earlier term used to describe the development and advance applications of digital television, now simply referred to as DTV.

Advanced Television Standards Committee
Formed to establish technical standards for the U.S. digital television system.

Audio/Video Inputs
Using a TV's direct A/V inputs to connect a DVD player, VCR, camcorder or other video component provides improved picture and sound quality compared to using the everything-on-one-wire RF antenna-style input. (If your TV is old enough that it only has RF-type inputs, that's reason enough to consider replacing it — DVD players don't normally have an RF output!)

Rear A/V inputs are used for components you normally leave connected to your TV. Front A/V inputs allow you to quickly and easily connect/disconnect a camcorder, second VCR, or video game console.

Audio Outputs
Stereo audio jacks that let you connect your TV to your stereo or home theater system. There are two types — fixed, and variable. If you connect a TV's fixed output to your A/V receiver, you'll be able to raise and lower the TV volume via the receiver's volume control. If you connect the TV's variable output to your receiver, you would control TV volume using the TV's remote.