NATCHEZ — It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, only brighter, clearer and crisper. That’s right, Christmas this year will be in high definition.

High definition seems to be taking over the electronics world with televisions, DVD players and even radios offering similar technology.

But exactly what the most popular initials in electronics mean can be confusing.

HD, according to George Brown, store manager at Rex TV Appliance in Natchez, refers to an enhanced quality of picture and sound. It provides higher picture sharpness, larger pictures, more colors and digital CD quality sound.

Brown said high definition televisions are a must have for many people.

“If you do a lot of movie watching or video gaming, you really need to have an HDTV,” Brown said. “And big sports watchers — they will see the benefit too.”

But it isn’t as easy as picking out the television that will fit in the entertainment center. Brown said with constantly advancing technology consumers have a multitude of options.

“It can sometimes get confusing to someone who just comes in because they need to replace an older television,” he said.

Whether to get 720p or 1080p, 60 hertz or the new 120 hertz — those are the decisions that must be made when purchasing a new television.

The 720p and 1080p refer to the video modes for the television. The number 720 refers to the number of horizontal scan lines on the display. The letter p stands for progressive scan.

For a television touting a 1080p, there would be 1,080 progressive scan lines on the display.

Brown said that while television models with 1080p are the top of the line, customers who have a 720p version have no reason to worry.

“People who have bought a 720 are going to be fine for a while. Of course 1080 will be better but you will be ok with a 720p,” Brown said.

But there are a couple of groups that he would suggest purchasing a 1080p model.

“For home theater people or big time video gamers, that is where the difference will be,” Brown said.

According to www.thebestplasmatv.com the difference in 720p and 1080p boils down to picture quality. There are approximately 1 million pixels in a 720p frame. That number doubles for a 1080p television.

But 720 versus 1,080 aren’t the only numbers that have to be figured out.

“They have just recently come out with 120 hertz for these TVs,” Brown said.

The 120 hertz technology is one step up from the 60 hertz technology, which Brown said is standard for HDTVs.

The hertz quantity refers to the rate at which the image on the television screen refreshes. A television that displays 60 video frames each second is referred to as 60Hz. A 120Hz television refreshes at twice that rate with 120 video frames per second.

“Big time sports watchers will probably see a difference with the 120 over the 60,” Brown said.

A higher refresh rate, or higher hertz number, according to manufacturers, will result in a smoother picture — eliminating things like mo-

tion blur.

Televisions aren’t the only devise displaying the HD initials. Brown said HD radio receivers are also becoming popular. HD radio refers to the use of digital signals on AM and FM radio stations.

According to www.hdradio.com, the development of HD radio allows consumers to pick up digital reception from AM and FM radio stations who broadcast their programs digitally. The result, according to the Web site, is a crisper CD quality sound.

Brown said the receivers are relatively inexpensive but installing one doesn’t mean you will have digital radio.

“Just like everything else, you have to have the service to experience the benefits,” he said.