Archive for the ‘Digital TV’ Category
Beginning with Luxembourg in 2006, followed then by ten other European countries, the advent of government mandated digital tv began. The United States decision to transition came soon after. The U. S. Required all television stations to move from analog to digital transmission effective June, 2006. 2011 will mark Asia's entry into the digital tv era with Japan coming on board.
The U. S. Congress' decision to mandate the switchover from analog to all-digital television was based primarily on two factors. First, the government's desire to free up precious broadcast bandwidth for those organizations concerned with public safety such as police and fire departments, and second, to provide viewers a better picture and sound experience. One other consequence of freed-up bandwidth is that some of it can be auctioned off by the government to companies which provide advanced wireless services.
To facilitate the conversion process the government addressed the need of those people who did not own a digital-ready television. It offered to those owners a coupon, worth up to forty dollars, which could be traded in for a digital converter box. Congress also stipulated that non-digital televisions could not be imported, nor could they be manufactured in the U. S. Retailers still selling analog television stock were required to prominently display at the point of sale a statement informing the customer that a converter box would be required for those sets.
The biggest difference in quality between an image generated by an analog tv signal and one generated by a digital tv signal centers around resolution. The level of detail and clarity of the picture the viewer sees is based on the number of pixels, arranged in a grid pattern, on the screen. Simply, the more pixels, or discrete points on the screen, the better the resolution will be. An analog generated grid usually tops out at 500 x 400 pixels. A digital image can create an image up to nearly ten times the number off pixels.
Multicasting is another advantage of digital television transmission. In an analog environment only one channel can be allocated to a chunk of bandwidth, whereas in a digital environment that same chunk can be divided into multiple channels. This provides television stations the opportunity to provide more programming to its viewers.
Interactive programming is another advantage of digital television. People subscribing to cable or satellite services will discover enhanced functionality. Example include movies-on-demand, text-messaging via the television's remote to live television shows, and VCR-type choices such as pause, slow motion and fast forward.
Today, consumers have four options when considering televisions. Analog TV's can still be used but require a converter box. A digital-ready set comes with its own converter but will usually lack in picture resolution. An HD-ready set may or may not include a converter which will generally offer good resolution. The most expensive option is the HDTV which will include a digital tuner and will have high resolution. Selecting which type of TV to go with is a matter of budget or other preferences.
With digital television viewers can realize new highs in picture quality and enhanced functionality. The developments of today represent only the beginning. As manufacturers seek out new technologies and competitive edges, the consumer can reasonably expect an even more compelling viewing experience.
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Types of HDTV Antennas – How to Choose
Don’t want to pay the cable subscription prices and no interest in Dish Network or Direct TV and there high prices. Most likely where you live you may get away with an HDTV antenna there are many UHF and VHF channels available. So why not!
Some areas you can get away with the indoor type if you live a rural area they will have a hard time with the signal. Then you will require the outdoor HDTV Antenna that will need to install on a mast or pole mounted to the side of your home.
There are a few things you need to know about HDTV antenna selection for the area you live. Here is a quick and fairly easy way to determine what your need. It runs off the zip code for your latitude and longitude and provides you an idea of the size to buy for the channels you would like to get.
The site is antennaweb.org and you should be able to get what you need without a problem.
The HDTV antenna you buy should receive both VHF and UHF to be able to get the largest amount of channels.
The outdoor HDTV antenna will get better quality reception than having an indoor HDTV antenna.