Progressive video

Usage in TVs, video projectors, and monitors

Progressive scan is used for all LCD computer monitors and most HDTVs. Most cathode-ray tube (CRT) computer monitors and CRT-type displays, such as SDTVs, needed to use interlace to achieve full vertical resolution, but could display progressive video at the cost of halving the vertical resolution. Before HDTV became common, some televisions and video projectors were produced with one or more full-resolution progressive-scan inputs, allowing these displays to take advantage of formats like PALPlus, progressive scan DVD players, and certain video game consoles. Early HDTVs supported the progressively-scanned resolutions of 480p and 720p with 1080p displays available at higher cost. At the debut of UHD, TVs had emerged on the consumer market in the 2010s, also using progressive resolutions, but usually sold with prohibitive prices (4K HDTVs) or were still in prototype stage (8K HDTVs). Prices for consumer-grade 4K HDTVs have since lowered and become more affordable, which has increased their prevalence amongst consumers. Computer monitors can use even greater display resolutions.