High-definition (HD) video refers to any video format with a resolution higher than standard-definition (SD) video formats. Typically, standard-definition refers to digital formats with resolutions close to those of analog TV standards, such as NTSC and PAL (around 480 or 576 vertical lines, respectively). The most common HD formats have resolutions of 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080, with a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9.

HD video formats include interlaced and noninterlaced varieties. Typically, the highest-resolution formats are interlaced at the higher frame rates, because noninterlaced video at this resolution would require a prohibitively high data rate.

HD video formats are designated by their vertical resolution, scan mode, and frame or field rate (depending on the scan mode). For example, 1080i60 denotes interlaced scanning of 60 interlaced 1920 x 1080 fields per second, whereas 720p30 denotes progressive scanning of 30 noninterlaced 1280 x 720 frames per second. In both cases, the frame rate is approximately 30 frames per second. For more information on high-definition video, see www.adobe.com/go/learn_dv_primer_highdef.

Programs in Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium (Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Soundbooth, and Adobe Encore) includes presets that are designed for working with various HD formats. Some of the most common HD video formats you may encounter include the following:

DVCPRO HD

Panasonic’s high-definition variant of its DVCPRO format, which also includes DVCPRO25 and DVCPRO50. Whereas DVCPRO25 and DVCPRO50 support data rates of 25Mbits/s (megabits per second) and 50Mbit/s, respectively, DVCPRO HD supports a data rate of 100Mbit/s, from which it gets its other name, DVCPRO100.

HDCAM

Sony’s high-definition version of its Digital Betacam format. A variant called HDCAM SR uses a tape with a higher particle density to record video with greater color sampling and at higher bit rates. However, HDCAM SR is supported by decks only, and not camcorders.

HDV

Developed jointly by several companies, HDV employs a form of MPEG‑2 compression to enable high-definition video to be encoded onto standard miniDV cassette media.

H.264

Also known as MPEG‑4 part 10 and AVC (Advanced Video Coding), H.264 can deliver video over a range of bitrates more efficiently than previous standards. For example, H.264 can deliver the same quality as MPEG‑2 at half the data rate. H.264 is built into the Apple QuickTime 7 multimedia architecture, and it’s supported by both HD‑DVD and Blu‑ray Disc, two newer DVD formats.

Uncompressed HD

High-definition video in an uncompressed format. Without compression to reduce the video’s data rate, uncompressed video requires relatively fast computer processors, hard disks, and a specialized capture device.

WM9 HDTV

Microsoft’s high-definition delivery format is among numerous formats included in the Windows Media 9 (WM9) framework. By employing an aggressive compression scheme, WM9 HDTV permits high-definition video encoding and playback at relatively low data rates.