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Are you ready for the Digital Transition in February 17,2009? A lot of talk has been buzzing around. What is that Digital Television or DTV?
Digital Television (DTV) is an innovative type of broadcasting technology that will give you crystal-clear pictures and sound, and more programming choices than ever before DTV is more efficient and more flexible than the traditional way of broadcasting known as analog. For example, DTV makes it possible for stations to broadcast multiple channels of free programming all at once (called multicasting), instead of broadcasting one channel at a time. DTV technology can also be used to deliver future interactive video and data services that analog technology can't provide.
What is analog television? Analog television service is the traditional method of transmitting signals. Since the inception of television, analog transmission has been the standard broadcast technology. But analog is not as efficient as digital television. It uses up much more valuable spectrum than digital, and only allows TV stations to transmit one channel at a time. Using the same amount of spectrum, a digital signal lets stations broadcast up to four or more programs at once. Analog is also susceptible to interference and “snow,” making a picture less clear. What is the DTV transition? The DTV transition is the switchover from analog, the traditional method of transmitting television signals, to exclusively digital broadcasting of free television programming.
The transition from analog to digital television represents the most significant advancement in television technology since color TV was introduced. The DTV transition will be completed on February 17, 2009, as set by Congress.
Full-power television stations have been preparing for the transition to DTV since the late 1990s, when they began building digital facilities and airing digital channels alongside regular analog broadcasts. Today, 1,624 out of 1,762 full-power television stations nationwide offer digital programming. What do I need to do? Most of us have been subscribing to cable or satellite programming so we are not affected by this change.
It's mostly the die-hard-core-over-the-air tv owners that needs to worry about this. If you fall in this category you need to buy a digital converter that will convert the digital signal to analog IF you have those old tv that's not setup to accept digital signals. |
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Last Updated on Friday, 27 February 2009 23:40 |
