1080i

These fields are displayed in rapid succession, giving the appearance of a full image to the human eye.

The interlacing technique was developed to improve the motion portrayal of images without doubling the required bandwidth.

The two fields that make up a frame are captured at slightly different times, leading to a misalignment in fast-moving parts of the image.

However, 1080i has been preferred in broadcast television due to its lower bandwidth requirements, making it more efficient for over-the-air or cable transmission.

[2] The origins of 1080i can be traced from Multiple sub-Nyquist sampling encoding, a Japanese analog high-definition television system.

The higher resolution allowed for more detail and clarity, especially in large stadium shots and fast-paced action.

However, it required more complex processing on the receiving end to deinterlace the image for display on progressive-scan screens.

While its use has diminished with the rise of 1080p and 4K resolutions, 1080i remains an important milestone in the evolution of television technology.

It offers a significant improvement over standard-definition formats, which typically have much lower pixel counts.

This makes it ideal for larger screens where higher pixel density is essential to maintain image quality.

This results in smoother motion, especially for content with moderate to fast movement, like sports broadcasts.

In areas using the PAL or SECAM standards, like Europe and parts of Asia, the frame rate is 50 Hz.

Since each field represents a slightly different moment in time, motion can appear smoother compared to lower frame rate progressive scans.

The 1080i video signals can be carried by four main digital television broadcast systems: ATSC, DVB, ISDB and DTMB.

In both ATSC and DVB systems, the 1080i signal is compressed using codecs like MPEG-2 or H.264 to reduce the bandwidth required for transmission.

Many ABC affiliates owned by Hearst Television and former Belo Corporation stations owned by Tegna, along with some individual affiliates of those three networks, air their signals in 1080i and upscale network programming for master control and transmission purposes, as most syndicated programming and advertising is produced and distributed in 1080i/p, removing a downscaling step to 720p.

This also allows local newscasts on these ABC affiliates to be produced in the higher resolution (especially for weather forecasting presentation purposes for map clarity) to match the picture quality of their 1080i competitors.