The Digital Transition

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On February 17, the US will go from using an analog TV signal to a digital TV signal. This doesn’t seem like a big problem, and it won’t to some, but to others it will be. Your channels will still air the same shows at the same time, and there will still be ads; not much is really changing in TV. We’re going to take a look at what this really means and how to adapt to the digital transition.

Analog vs. Digital

The big different between the two is the bandwidth they use. Analog signals transmit the images uncompressed. If you were to take a look at the signal as it got to your house, it would look pretty much the same as it does on your TV. When we switch to digital, things are going to change. When you look at the TV signal when it gets to your house after the transition, it will be 0s and 1s. This may sound like a step in the wrong direction, but those 0s and 1s take up a lot less room than a physical image.

The other factor contributing to bandwidth savings is that the images are compressed. Let’s say that there is one image with a field and the next image has a person standing in the field. An analog picture would require two separate images. A digital format would have the first image of the field, but with the next one, it keeps the field image and simply adds the person onto of it. Digital would send less than two images through your TV for the same image. So what if it takes up less room; we get the same channels as we always have and will continue to get, right?

Along with going from analog to digital, many TV stations are also going to high-definition. They are going from 480i to either 720p or 1080i for the most part. More pixels mean that there is more data to be sent, meaning that you really do need that extra bandwidth. Trying to send a high-definition signal through analog instead of digital would cause problems in bandwidth.

This doesn’t mean that you need to get a HDTV. If you have a standard definition TV, basically anything not HD, you will still get the signal, but the picture will be reduced to fit your screen. It won’t look any different than it does now. By the way, don't think that everyone is going HD. Channels have to go digital, but not HD, so they could still be broadcasting in 480i, the standard definition on which TVs have been running for a while now. Most channels are going HD, however, and they had to buy all new equipment for the digital transition; going HD probably doesn’t cost too much more.

My last tidbit of information will help you a little and hopefully stop people from going into a mass panic. Currently, when you go to a channel you don’t get, or your reception is off, you get that famous white snow effect on your TV. This is going away with the analog signal. So if you wake up and nothing is on the screen, chances are that something got moved or unplugged, and you aren’t picking up any signal. There is no "snow" with digital signals. You will either get no signal at all, or fragments and blocks of video.

Next: What this means for you >>
 

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