Apple iTunes Movie Trailers claim 480p is "HD"

Apple iTunes Movie Trailers claim 480p is “HD”

A friend of mine tweeted out a link to a movie trailer hosted on Apple’s website earlier today and I checked it out.

After clicking the link and getting to the Apple site, I noticed some different options for viewing the movie trailer. There were various options to watch the trailer as a stream online or via downloadable video files. As I looked over the menu, a big ugly flaw stuck out at me right away.

Here’s a cropped screenshot from the iTunes Movie Trailers website.

itunes-hd

So what is the ugly flaw? It’s the “HD” (High Definition) symbol sitting alongside the 480p stream and 480p download video file.

Guess what Apple? 480p ain’t high definition, in no way, shape or form. And while Apple does offer some real HD download options (720p and 1080p video files), their glaring error of marking 480p as high definition is quite lame.

So get with the program Apple, 480p is not HD.

About Wes Novack

Wesley Novack is a Technologist working in the software industry, with extensive experience building and managing highly available applications, services, and systems in the public cloud. He has a breadth of experience in online publishing, the consumer electronics industry, and building internet communities. Wes enjoys hanging with his family, skateboarding, hiking, the vegan lifestyle, and a good cup of tea. You can find him on Twitter @WesleyTech.

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6 Comments on “Apple iTunes Movie Trailers claim 480p is "HD"”

  1. Then Microsoft would have to as well.
    The XBOX 360 also considers 480p as HD.

    What Exactly is SD defined as? I’m curious, because if I know that then I know what HD isn’t.

  2. 480p is DVD video resolution, which is standard or “enhanced” definition. The commonly accepted definition of “High Definition” is anything that is 720p resolution and above.

    The article on Wikipedia describes it well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/480p

    “480p does not qualify as high-definition television (HDTV); it is considered Enhanced-definition television (EDTV).”

  3. Many HDTV’s define 480p as “SD”, including one that I own (when displaying the current display resolution). Presumably this is because the term Enhanced Definition is relatively unknown by most consumers.

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