In the world of super video television, there’s high-definition television (HDTV) and then there’s Ultra HDTV. One is obviously better than the other, and they are both better than most current television displays. HDTV is advanced video technology that drives what amounts to a much sharper, clearer, and ultimately more colorful picture than in most traditional TV displays. HDTV is all the rage these days, as people line up to buy larger and larger televisions on which to view sports, films, and other pursuits. Many of these larger televisions have HDTV.

By and large, HDTV offers a picture of a higher resolution than traditional displays. With resolution, the larger the number, the better the picture on the screen. Traditional TVs offer resolutions from 300 up to 500 and 600 pixels per inch (PPI). The more pixels per inch, the sharper and better the picture.

HDTV can display resolutions of 720 up to 1080 PPI. These are significant upgrades to existing technology. In order to take advantage of this increase in visibility, you need to buy a bigger screen; that is one main reason that the size of TVs has grown in recent years.

Ultra HDTV takes an even greater leap forward in video resolution technology, offering an image resolution of 1920 pixels per inch. As with the jump from traditional TV to HDTV, the jump from HDTV to Ultra HDTV is huge. One can only imagine the pleasure of someone who goes from watching traditional displays to Ultra HDTV.

Plasma TVs and liquid-crystal display (LCD) flat panel TVs are very popular these days, too, and these kinds of sets are manufactured with Ultra HDTV in mind. They, too, follow the rule of the larger the set, the better the resolution and the picture. Sound is also important when considering HDTV and Ultra HDTV. Customers who buy large-screen TVs are also likely to buy surround-sound systems. In general, the better the resolution of an image, the more likely it is to occur with better sound.

Sound is where Ultra HDTV can really make a difference. Unlike today’s video standards, which typically have the capability to deliver five or six different sounds to five or six different speakers, Ultra HDTV can process 24 different sounds to 24 different speakers. That is a huge difference, much like the difference in video resolution.

Industry experts estimate that Ultra HDTV will be commonly available in the next several years. Until then, consumers will have to "make do" with HDTV. The home theater never looked or sounded so good.