Digital TV Technology Has Merits and Drawbacks

Digital TV has a lot of benefits. So many in fact thatfarther away from the transmission source of an
TV broadcasters, the consumer electronics industry,analog TV signal, the picture and sound get fuzzier
and the Federal government have allied to makebut are still understandable. As you get farther away
digital TV the sole mode of over the air TVfrom the source of a digital signal the transmission still
transmission in the United States starting on Februaryfades, but you won't notice any degradation of the
19, 2009. Of course who benefits most from thispicture quality until it suddenly becomes to weak and
conversion remains to be seen.disappears all together. This means that many people
Excluding all of the potential economic and politicalwho put up with fuzzy over the air analog TV
benefits and pitfalls, digital TV has a number ofprobably won't be able to receive a digital signal
benefits when compared to the older analog formatbroadcast from the same location and at the same
that's primarily in use right now. Digital TV usesstrength. This alone might make those big rooftop
computer equipment to convert the images andantennas of the mid-twentieth century much more
sounds of TV into digital data (a bunch of ones andpopular again.
zeros) before transmitting them to their viewers.Another major problem with digital TV is that a digital
Once the digital TV signals arrive at their destination,TV tuner is needed to watch it and this hardware
other computer equipment cleans interference out ofisn't built into older TV sets (or a lot of newer ones
the signal and reconstructs all of that computer dataeither, for that matter!). This means that in order to
into the TV programming that the viewer can watchwatch over the air TV after February 19, 2009,
on his or her TV screen. The fact that theanyone with an analog only TV set either has to buy
interference can be cleaned out means that thea new TV set or get a special set top box that
picture can be much clearer than it would ever becontains a digital tuner and can convert the digital
from an analog signal. Digital TV also allows for thesignal into an analog signal that the TV set can
use of an on screen program guide- even with overunderstand.
the air programming- and other similar features. TheAnd that's where the political and economic
fact that digital TV can also be subjected to videoadvantages and disadvantages come into play! TV
compression technology means that it can take up aelectronics manufacturers stand to make a lot of
lot less bandwidth than analog TV and that leavesmoney because of this conversion- all the more so
more frequencies available to be used for other kindsbecause they continued to sell analog only TV set
of transmissions.even after they knew the conversion was imminent.
Of course, like anything else digital TV has someUltimately the American people will benefit from the
drawbacks when compared to analog TV. Theconversion to digital TV, but in the mean time some
biggest disadvantage is that analog TV can provide aspecial interests will definitely come into play as a lot
more cohesive signal over a greater distance than anof TV viewers will probably be understandably
equivalent digital signal. In other words, as you getfrustrated and confused.