AM I ABLE TO WATCH DIGITAL TELEVISION ON MY TV?
In early 2007, all televisions sold in the U.S. were required to have digital tuners capable of processing Digital Broadcast Television (DTV) or else the packaging had to state that the television was not capable of receiving DTV. Your owners manual should list "DTV" or say "Digital Broadcast" in the specifications page. Your television or VCR, (or DVR or any other device with a television tuner built in), should also say "DTV" or "Digital Broadcast" on it somewhere, usually in the back. If you want to "wing it", you can guess that you are ready for Digital Broadcast Television if your television was purchased within the last 2 years.
MY TV IS OLDER THAN 2 YEARS, DO I HAVE TO BUY A NEW ONE?
No. You have 3 options.
1. You can purchase a converter box that will receive DTV and convert it to your older TV. The Government has offered coupons to consumers for the purchase of these devices.
2. You can upgrade or purchase a VCR, or DVR, that includes a Digital Broadcast Television tuner. Check the box to make sure the built in tuner can process "DTV" or "Digital Broadcast".
3. Subscribe to a cable television service.
1. You can purchase a converter box that will receive DTV and convert it to your older TV. The Government has offered coupons to consumers for the purchase of these devices.
2. You can upgrade or purchase a VCR, or DVR, that includes a Digital Broadcast Television tuner. Check the box to make sure the built in tuner can process "DTV" or "Digital Broadcast".
3. Subscribe to a cable television service.
I'M CONFUSED ABOUT "DTV" AND "HDTV".
These are unrelated. HDTV refers to the display on your TV while DTV refers to your TV's tuner. HDTV is High Definition Television. An HDTV can display picture in much greater detail than a regular TV. Digital Broadcast Television refers to how a signal is sent to our TV's. It used to be analog, just like FM and AM radio, but now it will be broadcast over the airwaves in a digital format and require a digital tuner to receive and process that data.
WHY ARE WE SWITCHING TO DIGITAL BROADCAST TELEVISION?
The FCC has chosen now to make the switch based on 3 main reasons:
1. To free up the analog frequencies currently used by analog broadcast television. These frequencies are similar in range to those used for emergency communications, (Police, Fire, etc.). Freeing up the range of television broadcasts makes for cleaner transmissions for our first responders and increases capacity for further communications within the emergency sector as well as creating a section of these frequencies to be made available for advanced consumer communications and new consumer communications technologies.
2. Technology advancement has made the it possible to switch to digital broadcast television. The new technology enables more data for additional content which will mainly be High Definition television viewing. More specifically localized information delivery will also now be possible as well as program viewing options within a single channel, (called Mulitcasting). For example, in my market of the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul we have channel 11 (NBC) that broadcasts local news at 5PM. Currently this news program covers all of the Twins Cities area. After the switch to digital broadcast, channel 11 could offer local news heavy on the Minneapolis side and local news heavy on the St. Paul side and consumers could choose which of those they would prefere to view. It would still be channel 11 but with a choice of content stream "A" or content stream "B".
3. The FCC needed this restructuring of frequencies to better fit future capacity for not just television broadcast, but radio, cell phone, wireless communication devices, emergency, airport and other commercial frequencies.
1. To free up the analog frequencies currently used by analog broadcast television. These frequencies are similar in range to those used for emergency communications, (Police, Fire, etc.). Freeing up the range of television broadcasts makes for cleaner transmissions for our first responders and increases capacity for further communications within the emergency sector as well as creating a section of these frequencies to be made available for advanced consumer communications and new consumer communications technologies.
2. Technology advancement has made the it possible to switch to digital broadcast television. The new technology enables more data for additional content which will mainly be High Definition television viewing. More specifically localized information delivery will also now be possible as well as program viewing options within a single channel, (called Mulitcasting). For example, in my market of the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul we have channel 11 (NBC) that broadcasts local news at 5PM. Currently this news program covers all of the Twins Cities area. After the switch to digital broadcast, channel 11 could offer local news heavy on the Minneapolis side and local news heavy on the St. Paul side and consumers could choose which of those they would prefere to view. It would still be channel 11 but with a choice of content stream "A" or content stream "B".
3. The FCC needed this restructuring of frequencies to better fit future capacity for not just television broadcast, but radio, cell phone, wireless communication devices, emergency, airport and other commercial frequencies.
HOW DO I HOOK IT UP?
Digital Broadcast Television comes in through the airwaves as radio frequencies. You will need a roof antenna but rabbit ears may work as well to receive the signal. In recent tests, (February 2009), rabbit ear type antenna did not keep the signal for DTV as well as they had for analog broadcast. You will want the DTV signal to be converted before it goes to your older television.
EXAMPLE: you have an older TV and older VCR. You like to record programs on the VCR to watch at a later time. You will need to run the DTV signal IN to a converter box then OUT to the "IN" on your VCR then OUT to the input on your TV.
EXAMPLE 2: You just bought a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) to record programs to watch at a later time. The new DVR has a built in tuner than can process Digital Broadcast Television signals (DTV). Connect your antenna to the input on your DVR then run a wire from the "OUT" on your DVR to the "INPUT" on your TV.
EXAMPLE 3: Your TV is an old B&W tube type that takes 90 seconds to warm up. Your VCR is actually an old Beta-max that you bought during the Beta vs. VHS wars. Your cable box is an old Scientific Atlanta and you think it is from 1984. You lost the remote but got a new one but that was six years ago already. What do you do? Nothing. You're all set. If you have cable, (or a dish), then you're all set.
EXAMPLE: you have an older TV and older VCR. You like to record programs on the VCR to watch at a later time. You will need to run the DTV signal IN to a converter box then OUT to the "IN" on your VCR then OUT to the input on your TV.
EXAMPLE 2: You just bought a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) to record programs to watch at a later time. The new DVR has a built in tuner than can process Digital Broadcast Television signals (DTV). Connect your antenna to the input on your DVR then run a wire from the "OUT" on your DVR to the "INPUT" on your TV.
EXAMPLE 3: Your TV is an old B&W tube type that takes 90 seconds to warm up. Your VCR is actually an old Beta-max that you bought during the Beta vs. VHS wars. Your cable box is an old Scientific Atlanta and you think it is from 1984. You lost the remote but got a new one but that was six years ago already. What do you do? Nothing. You're all set. If you have cable, (or a dish), then you're all set.
For more information visit the FCC website page at : HTTP://www.dtv.gov
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