The FYI on NTSC, VGA and ATSC Monitors (page 2)

ATSC

The FCC chose the recommendations of the Advanced Television System Committee to define the parameters of digital television. ATSC uses the data compression standard known as MPEG-2, achieving a 50-to-1 data reduction which means that when the image redraws on your screen, MPEG-2 does not retransmit areas of the screen that remain the same as they did in the previous frame. The result is a clear, clean, crisp HD image.

ATSC monitors, while not as numerous as either NTSC or VGA style monitors, are perfect for digital editing and graphics composition. While "standards" are still being defined, to get the job done you can expect a native resolution of 1280 x 1024. ATSC monitors should have a standard contrast ratio of 500 to 1 with a wide viewing angle of at least 120 degrees. To find out more about ATSC monitors, please see the manufacturer's listing.

Summary

VGA, NTSC, ATSC, digital or analog, 640 or 1280; it can all be intimidating, especially when hundreds or even thousands of dollars are required for your purchase. By knowing your requirements for a new monitor and using the information provided in this article, you'll be able to narrow your scope of options and make an informed decision.

Michael Fitzer is an Emmy™ Award winning writer/ producer and a partner in Blackfish Films, LLC.

Sidebar: TV or Monitor?

So what's the difference between a TV and a monitor? Well, a monitor is essentially a TV without the tuner. A monitor will usually have other controls such as a selector for seeing all of the video information (under and overscan selector). Frequently, monitors also feature rugged design and more precise controls of contrast, color and brightness, and a greater variety and amount of inputs.