Are You Ready For Digital TV?
Steven Lancey
This is almost as big of a revolution in home entertainment since sixty years ago when television first came into Americas living rooms!
Its Digital Television or DTV. This new technology is going to change the way you watch, and interact with your TV set. Youre finally going to get movie theater quality picture and sound at home!
" Unfortunately, DTV is going to reach into your pocketbook! All U.S. broadcast stations will stop sending analog TV signals, the kind your regular TV reads, on February 17, 2009. Without a new converter box*, your TV will not work!
" All full power stations are now simulcasting a DTV signal along side their analog signal, but after 2009 theyll only transmit the DTV signal.
" This digital signal can only be properly viewed on a new Plasma, DLP or LCD TV. If you dont own one, youll need a converter box to watch digital signals dumbed down to show on your analog TV. In addition to the new Big Screen TV, you'll also need a Dolby Surround Sound amplifier and speakers to get the DTV Dolby sound.
" All new TVs sold must have a digital tuner built-in as of March 1, 2007. Your old analog TV will need a set top converter box* to receive television broadcasts after February 17, 2009.
" Your cable provider may be able to send you digital cable or digital satellite signals right now, but that doesn't mean that you can see High Definition programs on your television. If you have an old style picture tube television, a converter in your cable box can take the digital signal and dumb it down to analog so that you can see it. Youre still not seeing the super sharp DTV picture, or hearing the crystal clear digital sound.
" Digital Pictures will be free from the flicker, ghosts and snow seen on analog transmissions. More than twice as sharp as Standard TV, DTV signals allow crystal clear images with higher resolution and picture quality than is possible with old style TV.
" DTV will provide programming in wide screen "movie format . The digital picture is so sharp youll be able to read the small text from your computer hooked up to the TV screen.
" DTV allows multi-casting: broadcaster's can provide a super sharp High Definition (HDTV) program or several Standard Definition programs at the same time. Sending several program streams on one channel is called multi-casting . The number of programs a station can send on one digital channel depends on the sharpness (resolution) of each program. DTV can provide interactive video and data services that are not possible with the old analog technology.
" DTV features Dolby Surround Sound to give you that full movie theater sound in your home instead of the old, tinny TV sound you grew up with. With a Surround Sound tuner and speakers installed, youll get roaring, sparkling sound assaulting your family from all directions: front, sides and rear!
" If you dont have cable or satellite TV, youll need a Plasma or LCD TV with a DTV tuner, or a digital-to-analog converter box to see digital signals on your analog TV. Converter boxes will be available in retail stores during the transition.
" The National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce is issuing two $40.00 coupons per household that can be applied toward the purchase of digital-to-analog converter boxes*. Coupons are now being issued. Call 1-800-DTV-2009 or go online at dtvanswers.com to apply.
The switch is definitely on! If you haven't upgraded your home entertainment center to receive the new broadcast format, you will wake up on February 17, 2009 and find nothing but static on your TV.
* To purchase a digital converter box visit: http://www.hdtvultimate.com
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