Why was the HDV format developed?
While the original DV format included a HD specification, it was for 1024 lines of vertical resolution rather than 1080 lines – which is increasingly popular with HD devices such as consumer plasma and LCD displays. By compressing 1080 scanning lines with MPEG2 format, the HDV format is able to support the demand for 1080 resolution while still retaining a high degree of compatibility with the DV format. In fact, the HDV format can record and play back this higher picture quality on exactly the same cassette using the same tape speed and track pitch as DV.
