What is high definition television? Digital television allows stations to broadcast programs in twice the resolution and clarity of standard television. This is called high definition television or HDTV. Viewers will be able to receive high-quality, crystal clear pictures on their televisions, which will be displayed in a wide screen format with CD-quality surround sound.
What is standard definition television? Standard Definition television or SDTV is an all-digital method of broadcasting that results in higher-quality pictures and better sound than current analog TV, but with lower resolution than HDTV.
What is multicasting? When not transmitting in HDTV, broadcasters are able to transmit four or more channels of standard definition television (SDTV) at the same time.
What is datacasting? Because DTV is digital, interview transcripts, study materials, still photographs and other data can be delivered to your television at a transmission rate 600 times that of a PC modem -- all while you're watching a program.
Will consumers be able to watch DTV on their existing sets? Only if they buy a digital converter box. DTV information will require a different kind of receiver than standard television signals. Manufacturers have developed converter boxes that will allow viewers to receive DTV programs on their regular TV sets. However, the boxes will translate a digital signal to analog; they will not give viewers high definition. To experience the full benefits of digital television, including HDTV, viewers will need new digital television sets.
When will the DTV transition happen? Originally, Congress set the year 2006 as the final date to turn off the existing analog television systems. However, that date will be delayed until more than 85 percent of the people have access to digital television signals. Until digital television is prevalent across the country, TV stations are required to broadcast both in digital and analog.
What are the benefits of DTV?
Wider Format: HDTV screens are about one-third wider than existing TV screens. They have similar dimensions to movie screens. HDTV screens closely match the peripheral vision range of the human eye, making it more natural to watch.
Higher Quality Picture and Sound: HDTV uses the same amount of bandwidth (six megahertz) as used in the current analog system, but HDTV can transmit more than six times the information as the analog system. This translates to higher quality in picture and sound.
Higher Resolution: Currently, television pictures are made up of 525 lines that are scanned horizontally. HDTV pictures are created by scanning 1,080 lines. Adding twice the amount of lines multiplies the amount of pixels (the small dots that create the picture). Current sets have about 300,000 pixels, while the HDTV screen is composed of more than 2 million pixels. Having more pixels on your screen will also improve the sharpness of your pictures, allowing you to read on your television screen small text commonly found on computers.
True Surround Sound: Complimenting the lifelike pictures are 5.1 channels of CD-quality digital audio. Current stereo TV sets offer only two channels of audio. HDTV delivers true surround sound: front speakers on the right, center and left, along with two back speakers and a sub-woofer.
Strong Signals Always: The days of static and ghosts on your TV set are over. The digital signal will also strengthen signal quality, meaning the signal will be just as brilliantly clear and sharp 65 miles away as it is at the tower. If you can receive our digital signal at all, you will always get studio-quality video and audio.
Interactive Possibilities: Thanks to digital broadcasting, we can also broadcast data (datacasting), which will revolutionize the way you communicate, entertain yourself and live your life. We will be able to marry the convenience of television with the power and freedom of the Internet. Datacasting will make truly interactive TV possible, empowering the viewer to make television-viewing an incredible experience.
More Than One Channel (Multicasting): We can also squeeze in more than one "channel" of television or data into our digital TV channel. In special circumstances, we can choose to send a channel of high-definition TV, up to two channels of standard-definition TV (SDTV) and a channel of data at the same time. In severe weather, we can send regular programming over one channel and weather information over the other channels. During sporting events, such as the NCAA Basketball Tournament, we can broadcast more than one game at the same time, giving you the choice of which game to watch.
Will my current TV set be obsolete? You will be able to watch digital TV signals on your existing TV set with a set-top digital receiver. However, you will not be able to enjoy the crisp high-definition picture. Your analog sets can always be used with your existing video equipment, like VCRs, DVD players and video games.
What about my VCR, DVD player and camcorder? Will I be able to use them with an HDTV set? HDTV sets are "backward compatible," meaning all existing analog equipment (VCRs, DVD players, camcorders, video games, etc.) will work on DigitalTV sets, but not in high-definition. Their video will be displayed in the maximum resolution that each product is capable of.