Digital TV broadcasts will be received and decoded by your DTV’s ATSC compliant built-in tuner or set top box. Set manufacturers will design their TV’s so that they will either up-convert or down-convert the broadcast signal to their TV’s “native” display format, the format of the screen. As an example, Brand A may have decided that their set will display HD broadcasts in 1080i-30. Therefore the set will include circuitry that will convert any of the other 5 HD broadcast formats, (such as 720p-60) into the set’s “native” display of 1080i-30p. Similarly, that same set manufacturer may have selected 480p-60 as the “native” display for all 12 Standard Definition broadcasts, and will use circuitry to up or down convert all SD broadcasts to that display. 

Remember, as you select your HDTV, that there are 2 different, but related sets of terminology. DTV broadcasts will fall under 2 classifications: High Definition (with 6 formats of transmission), and Standard Definition, with 12 different broadcast formats. DTV reception and display criteria have the same 6 formats for High Definition, and separate the other 12 formats into 2 subsets: Enhanced Definition for 480p,and Standard Definition at 480i. Your HDTV will be able to display all digital TV broadcasts, converted to the sets native display format, as designed by the manufacturer, with the use of it’s ATSC tuner or set top box.