What is Digital TV?
A. Digital TV is a new system using information transmitted as “data bits” — like a computer — to display movie-quality pictures and sound. It replaces the traditional TV system using magnetic waves to transmit and display TV pictures and sound. Q. What are the advantages of Digital TV? A. In addition to improved picture and sound quality, an important benefit of DTV is that it will free up parts of the broadcast spectrum for public safety as well as other valuable uses. This is possible because the modern technology of DTV is more efficient than analog TV technology. DTV allows the same number of stations to broadcast using fewer total channels (less of the broadcast spectrum) which will free up scarce and valuable spectrum for public safety and new wireless services. Q. When does the conversion to Digital TV take effect? A. Digital TV is already available. All broadcast stations are required to deliver a Digital TV signal. Congress passed a law on setting a final deadline for the D
This is archived content from Digital TV Facts. For up-to-date information on the digital TV transition, see the federal government’s site, www.DTV2009.gov. Digital TV (DTV) is a newer form of technology used for sending television broadcasts to your home. For viewers, digital TV can offer improved picture and sound, and potentially more programming options. Digital TV can also offer interactive features, such as electronic program guides. Broadcasters throughout the U.S. are making the transition to digital transmissions. Currently, local stations simultaneously transmit their broadcasts in both the digital and the older analog forms. Televised information can be sent more efficiently in digital form. Sending TV content digitally will leave more of the broadcast spectrum free for new uses once the transition is complete. In very basic technical terms, digital broadcasts are encoded streams of zeroes and ones—the same binary language used by computers. The digitized signal is sent over
Television stations have been broadcasting programs over the airwaves throughout the US since 1940. Until recently, all did so using an old analog technology defined by the National Television System Committee (NTSC). But the picture quality and size that seemed fine 60 years ago is far from the best we can do today. A few years ago, some TV stations started to broadcast programs using a new digital technology developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC). It is commonly called Digital TV (DTV) because it uses digital innovations to make more efficient and effective use of the airwaves. On February 17, 2009, Americans will enter the age of digital television — ready or not. Q: What improvements can I expect to see with Digital TV? When analog (NTSC) TV transmissions encounter signal interference, picture quality is degraded. Noise (snow), multiple images (ghosting), color variations (tinting), and audible static are all quite common. Digital ATSC transmissions can over
