The Digital TV transition is upon us. The last day that television stations will broadcast ‘traditional’ analog signals will be June 12. On June 13, stations will only broadcast digital over-the-air signals. Many broadcasters have already begun making the transition or have completed the transition by now.
Many of us grew up with the old, floor-model analog TV. Some of us even had the smaller, slightly modernized analog TV sitting on top of the old floor model. So, with the onset of DTV what happens to your grandma’s old TV set? The good news is that she won’t have to buy a new television, but she will have to buy a digital converter. The converter is designed to allow older televisions to receive a signal — but understand — it won’t be a 100 per cent digital signal. Older sets will receive picture and sound, but it won’t be of full digital quality, and other features like channel guides and some services may not be available. Viewers can still connect video games, DVD players, VCRs, etc. to analog television sets. If you decide to go with a pay programming service such as cable or satellite, you won’t have to worry about a converter box.
Some of the benefits of DTV in terms of viewing and channel surfing include much better picture and sound quality and more programming choices available for viewers thanks to multicasting which allows multiple digital signals to be broadcast simultaneously.
In terms of what freeing up those analog signals means to the community at large — there will be more analog airwaves available for emergency and public safety services such as fire, police, and rescue teams. Unfortunately, one drawback from analog broadcasts remains — your digital signal can be affected by a few external variables such as weather conditions and even moving vehicles. In those cases, you’ll have to do the what you did with the old rabbit ears antennas; move the antenna around until you find a stronger signal.
But, whether you’re happy about the change or not, the fact is that change has come to free television. Be prepared by June 12, or experience some technical difficulties of your own. – todd williams
