Digital TV: How you can get the jump on it.
By February 17th 2009, all commercial television broadcasters in the United States will be required to change the way they transmit their signals. This is being done primarily in order to make more effecient use of available radio spectrum space. Spectrum which is no longer needed by television broadcasters can then be re-allocated to other services such as police, fire departments, […]
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Written by Darrell Hagan on January 31st, 2007 with
no comments.
Read more articles on New Technologies.
By February 17th 2009, all commercial television broadcasters in the United States will be required to change the way they transmit their signals. This is being done primarily in order to make more effecient use of available radio spectrum space. Spectrum which is no longer needed by television broadcasters can then be re-allocated to other services such as police, fire departments, etc. Other benefits include vastly improved picture quality, more available channels, and interactive capabilities.
Making the switch to Digital TV (DTV) need not be complicated, painful or expensive. It is not necessary to buy a new television set in order to receive DTV signals. So-called “Set top converter” units are becoming available for use with current analog TV sets(Information here). These converter units will be easy to use, simply connecting between the TV set and the antenna lead or TV cable. Your TV set then functions as always, except that it will receive signals from the converter unit rather than direct.
If you already have cable TV, you may not need to do anything. Your cable provider might provide both Digital and Analog signals on the same cable. Your milage may vary, depending on your cable provider.
Note that if you use a converter box with your current TV set, you will not be able to realize the full picture quality of DTV, but it will certainly be watchable, and will be at least as good as current analog signals.
Another alternative is to replace your current TV set(s) with newer DTV-ready units. This is likely the thing that television manufacturers and dealers would like for you to do, because it results in higher-dollar sales for them, and they don’t have to support analog TVs any longer. The good thing about buying a new DTV-ready set is that it will allow you to take full advantage of the new picture quailities and other features offered.
For some excellent further information about Digital TV and the transition, go here: http://dtvfacts.com
For Info from the US Government about this, go here: http://www.dtv.gov
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Written by Darrell Hagan on January 31st, 2007 with
no comments.
Read more articles on New Technologies.