After years of
development and deployment of new equipment from broadcast
stations to the home, the final transition to all digital public
broadcast has arrived. Starting June 12, 2009, the US will
finally switch off the old NTSC analog TV broadcast over-the-air
as mandatory conversion to HDTV is complete.
All local
broadcast stations will offer high-definition broadcasts on
their channels, and most will also carry multiple
standard-definition channels on their spectrum. The
differences between the two standards are clearly visible on a
newer high-definition capable TV (HDTV) example shown below.
NCAA Basketball in SDTV
NCAA Basketball in HDTV
The
source
While the transition to digital applies specifically to over-the-air
local broadcasts, many consumers are currently bombarded with offers
from all TV providers like cable and satellite with offers for
set-top-boxes. The current confusion by the public some unaware of
the implications of the change-over will present an opportunity for
television service providers to sign up new subscribers. As a
consumer and one who maybe sensitive to the cost of paying for
television viewing, know your options before the deadline to avoid a
costly mistake.
Over-the-air
with antenna is still free
If you live in a typical midsize market, most of your local stations
should already be broadcasting over-the-air (OTA) HDTV signals using
8VSB (ATSC) modulation. These stations are our national
broadcasters like ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox,
and PBS as well as a few independents. By next year, nearly every
digital TV sold will have OTA HDTV tuner built in. Free public
broadcasts are accessible simply by connecting an antenna to your TV
set as before, and eye-popping video will be the norm. Over-the-air
broadcasts are unencrypted and can be recorded and stored with ease
and played with most MPEG-2 decoders.
Cable
and Satellite
Now the most common source of HDTV. Using QAM (Quadrature
Amplitude Modulation) requiring a different modulation scheme from the
that mandated by the FCC for US over-the-air broadcasts, a cable box
or card is generally employed to receive this type of signal, although
some HDTV tuners offer clear QAM tuning for unencrypted (local
must-carry) stations generally in High-Definition. With a deployment
of recording capable DVR (Digital Video Recorder) set-tops, the
industry makes the fastest inroads into the average US home. The
DVRs are necessary for recording and storing premium pay channels that
are encrypted and cannot easily be imported to other
players.
Internet
Our duopoly of satellite service providers, DirecTV and Dish
Network, each using a third proprietary digital format not compatible with cable
nor OTA modulation, again requiring a different set-top-boxes that are leased or
purchased. The advantage of satellite service being available virtually anywhere
in the country with installation of a small dish, many pioneering
broadcasts originated from this field (Mark Cuban's HDNet
and short lived third satellite broadcaster Voom). Like cable,
DVRs are required for recording and storing premium channels in digital
format.
To locate the broadcasters in
your area providing digital content, visit TitanTV website.
To ensure
that a product delivers as advertised, we at Digital Connection make it
a mission to test and rate products sold on our site. Products that perform at the
maximum test
frequencies are labeled with 1080P-Ready symbol for the highest
compatibility.