By the middle of 2009, all television stations in the United States will broadcast exclusively in digital, rather than in analog as they have done for many years. The switch frees up a great deal of bandwidth for other purposes (such as emergency services). But consumers may be worried about whether they have everything they need to make the switch. One of three services or pieces of equipment are needed to ensure that you continue to receive your favorite programs.
Definition of Digital
Digital television signals are sent out as a binary code--essentially a series of 1s and 0s that carry the sound and image of the show. This differs from older analog broadcasts, which sent out signals analogous to the source (thus the name). Digital signals are extremely compact, which allows for much more information to be packed into the sound and picture, as well as taking up much less bandwidth.
High Definition
Keep in mind that digital TV is not the same as high definition TV. You don't need HDTV to continue receiving digital channels. When digital encoding facilitates HDTV, it can also be broadcast in standard definition (SD) and enhanced definition (ED).
Digital Tuners
The easiest method to receive digital television is simply to own a TV with a built-in digital tuner. According to federal law, all TVs sold after March 2007 must include a digital tuner, and some TVs sold before that date have them, too. To find out if yours does, look for a label or a section in its instruction manual that contains one of the following phrases: "Digital Tuner," "DTV," "HDTV," "ATSC," "Integrated Digital Tuner," "Digital Tuner Built In" or "Digital Receiver."
Cable or Satellite Service
In addition to the television itself, most cable and satellite TV services are set for the digital transition. If you receive a monthly cable or satellite package, you shouldn't experience any loss of signal during the transition.
Digital Converter Box
If you don't have a TV with a digital tuner and you don't receive cable or satellite services, you can buy a digital converter box. They cost about $50 and look like a cable box. You simply connect your rooftop antenna or rabbit ears into the back of the converter box, link a coaxial cable or set of RCA cables (included with the box) to the TV, follow the instructions onscreen and watch TV as normal.
Tags: cable satellite, cable satellite services, Digital Tuner, satellite services, satellite services digital, services digital