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The difference between HD and SD is sometimes clearly visible. We explain what the two standards mean for televisions and screens
HD and SD – difference simply explained
SD and HD are terms for different video resolutions.
- The two formats differ in terms of the number of pixels.
- SD stands for “Standard Definition”. This format brings a maximum of 858 × 480 pixels to the screen.
- HD is the abbreviation for “High Definition”. In HD quality, the number of pixels is higher than in SD. 1280 × 720 pixels is called HD quality. In addition, there is also the so-called Full HD with 1920 × 1080 pixels.
- The more pixels are shown on a television or display, the higher the resolution. A higher resolution, in turn, means a sharper picture and more detail in the display.
When SD or HD makes sense
For some screens, SD quality video is perfectly adequate.
- On small screens, the difference between SD and HD is not noticeable.
- If you stream Netflix and Co. on your smartphone or tablet, it is sufficient if the video has SD quality.
- If, on the other hand, you watch videos on a TV set with a screen diagonal of 32 inches or more, films in HD are much more fun.
- In the meantime, the public broadcasters all broadcast in HD resolution. If you also want to watch the private channels in premium quality, you have to pay a little extra depending on the type of reception, for example for an HD cable module.
