Are Digital TV and HDTV the same? No.

Think of it this way. You go to the cafeteria, and look down the line. You see the entrees, the vegetables, and the desserts. It's all food. Dessert is a food, but not all food is dessert, right? So -- in the digital TV cafe, all of this "new TV" is digital TV. HDTV is just the dessert. It's the best part of new TV, but it's only a part.

Some channels will be in HD, others won't. Even on the HD channels, some shows will be in HD, others won't. Some shows ought to be in HDTV, some really don't need to be. Nature, Nova, and Masterpiece Theatre need to be. Some sports, such as football and ice hockey, will benefit greatly by being in HD. Maybe others, such as your local newscast, not so much.

Take ETV as an example. ETV has a second channel, called the South Carolina Channel. It has live coverage of the South Carolina legislature as well as historical and cultural programs about the South. The South Carolina Channel is digital, but not HD. It runs side by side with the ETV channel. Also running side by side with these channels is ETV's HD channel, which plays either HD or widescreen programs 24/7. Which shows are and aren't HD will be determined in the years to come on a show-by-show basis. The good news is, the new digital TV sets automatically know what they're receiving and adjust accordingly.

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For more information about ETV's Digital Television Services, contact:
Hap Griffin, Vice President, ETV Engineering
E-mail: Hap Griffin (hgriffin@scetv.org)
Office: (803) 737-3500