720p
Definition:
The "720" part of 720p describes the number of vertical lines that make up a television or video signal. Most television or video signals are rated at 480, 720 or 1080. The more vertical lines that make up the picture, the crisper or higher definition the picture. The "p" following 720 indicates that the video display is constructed using a progressive scan method.
720p is considered a middle-of-the-road high definition format and many television stations have begun digitally broadcasting in 720p as an initial high definition offering.
Here's a word you may not know...
digital zoom
Digital zoom refers to using your digital camera to zoom in on, or magnify, your subject. The amount you are allowed to zoom is usually indicated by a number followed by an x such as "4x digital zoom". Digital zoom does not use any part of the camera lens to perform the zoom. Rather, it uses the digital camera's processor to crop a smaller portion of what the camera lens sees and then expands that part of the image to the original size of the picture. This can easily result in a grainy or blurry picture. For better zoom results, rely only your digital camera's optical zoom.
It should also be noted that many digital camera manufacturers list their zoom capability by multiplying the optical zoom by the digital zoom. For example, a camera with a 3x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom may be listed as 12x total zoom. Smart consumers will pay attention only to the optical zoom setting on their digital camera.
