This set of combinations result in a total of 36 formats that the ATSC standard is made of, which for clarity, are subsequently divided in three categories, SDTV, EDTV and HDTV. All 480i variants will fall into the SDTV group, while 480p variations are considered EDTV, and only the 720 and 1080 formats are considered HDTV.

Team Xbox has published a The Facts and Fiction of 1080p article that tackles the touchy subject of 1080p, who it has support for it now, who doesn't and why your new HDTV probably doesn't support it either. Here's an excerpt:

There are already a large number of 1080p HDTV sets on the market, which upconvert all incoming signals, including standard-definition TVs, DVDs, HDTVs and PCs, to their panels' native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Ironically, these 1080p televisions can not accept a 1080p signal. Yes, you read that correctly. If you already own a 1080p HDTV, it is highly probable that you won't be able to provide it with a 1080p signal from a PlayStation 3 or a Blu-ray Disc or an HD-DVD player. The good news is that the first 1080p input capable televisions are on the way and if you are planning to get a big screen HDTV, this is the perfect time to invest in a future-proof television.

Sony's claim that 1080p is "true high definition" is ridiculous when you consider the fact that their PlayStation 3 will be able to output a 1080p signal through its two HDMI outputs, yet none of their high-definition televisions, not even the KDS-R60XBR1, can actually accept such a signal. In fact, only those who acquire an HDTV in the coming years will be able to take advantage of the PlayStation 3's 1080p capabilities - which won't excel with games, but more so with the Blu-ray Disc movie playback capabilities. The back covers of the first HD-DVD titles have revealed that, at least the initial HD-DVD movie line-up, will be formatted in 1080p. Eventually, all Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD movies will come in 1080p format and even if they have a 24 frames per second display rate (due to their cinema origins), the fact that they will be in the same resolution as digital cinema truly means we'll finally enjoy the same sound and video quality of movie theatres at home.

Our advice is that if you are planning on getting a big screen HDTV, then consider one of these new DLP from HP, Samsung or Mitsubishi that can accept a 1080p signal. You'll thank us in the coming years. If you already have an HDTV, the fact that you cannot feed it with a 1080p signal is not the end of the world because it will be a few years before 1080p is widely implemented as a mainstream feature.