Digital TV (DTV) Standards Explained

By RF Wireless Expert Team

Last Updated: August 25, 2026

This page provides a basic tutorial on Digital TV standards. The FCC has defined approximately 14 different formats/standards for DTV (Digital TV). Most variations fall under the basic standards outlined in the table below. These DTV standards include 480p, 480i/p, 720p, and 1080i.

DTV Standard	Aspect Ratio	Pixels per Horizontal Line	Vertical Pixels	Scan Rate in Hz
480p	4:3	640	480	24, 30, 60
480i/p	4:3 OR 16:9	704	480	24, 30, 60
720p	16:9	1280	720	24, 30, 60
1080i	16:9	1920	1080	24 OR 30 Hz

In 480i/p, “p” stands for “progressive scanning,” and “i” stands for “interlaced scanning.”

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