There is a lot of talk and confusion about the upcoming switch to digital television broadcasting and many people are concerned that they are going to be forced to buy a new television set. Since the early 1930’s, television has been broadcast in analog format and televisions were designed to accept those signals. However, just because you have an older television doesn’t mean you will be blacked out from watching television after February 9, 2009 when the digital conversion is complete.
The majority of older televisions were built with only one tuner set to receive analog signals while many built in the past couple of years have both analog and digital tuners built in. However, even the older televisions, built before March 1, 2007 will continue to work just fine if you use them with:
These devices are connected to the television and will allow you to receive programming to be viewed in the same quality in which you have become accustomed.
Digital broadcasting offers many benefits
While most television viewers are looking at the benefits of digital broadcasting including:
There are other benefits not seen by the general viewing public. By broadcasting in digital format, the signal can be sent in smaller bands, freeing up wavelengths in the air for additional broadcast channels. These channels can be used for entertainment or for emergency services and the nature of the format reduces interference from other sources of digital signal.
Many local television stations are already broadcasting in digital and if you receive your television signal through an antenna, you will need a converter box once the conversion is complete. There are many retailers that offer the converter box for sale, and the government is offering a converter box coupon available at www.dtv2009.com.
Consumer notice required on all TV sets
The federal Communications Commission requires that all televisions manufactured after March 1, 2007 have a digital tuner built in. Retailers of televisions that do not contain a digital tuner are required to disclose this to the end user. The notice will indicate the fact that additional equipment will be need for viewing digital broadcasting, but that the television should continue to work well for viewing
That is not to say that buying a digital television will produce high definition television. Programming choices from cable and satellite providers will also be needed in order to take full advantage of the high quality picture available through HDTV. Without the appropriate programming, your new high definition television will offer the same picture as your old analog television set.
There remains a lot of confusion about the difference between the high definition television as well as enhanced or standard television broadcasting but understanding the difference can help making the choice of televisions easier and less confusing. While the first digital televisions were considerably higher in price than other TVs, today’s high definition televisions are available to fit nearly every budget.
Useful Resources
- Learn the difference between digital broadcasting terms.
- Coupons for analog converter boxes are available from the government.
- Take some of the confusion out of digital television needs.
