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The DTV Transition and You!
Everything you need to know about the DTV TransitionThis knol is designed to inform the public about the impending DTV Transition that will soon be effective throughout the United States. It will also give some tips on how you can make the transition to digital television smoothly.
DTV Day is Coming!
Television as we know it is about to change. On February 17, 2009, nearly all television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting their analog signal and start broadcasting digitally. Since technology is constantly changing and improving, the television industry decided to follow suit and improve their signal to broadcast a better picture.
This is a very significant event that will impact the television industry as well as the lives of many Americans. There are many things you need to know about the DTV Transition including the need for the digital transition, what changes need to be made to ensure a smooth transition and what the difference is between analog, digital and high definition (HD) televisions. This Knol will cover them all.
What is Digital Television and Why is it Needed?
For months now television stations have been running scrolls during popular television shows and playing commercials about the transition to digital television. These commercials are part of a campaign to alert the public about the transition. The one thing they fail to mention, however, is why the government has decided that television stations need to make the transition to digital. This section will try to answer that question by defining what digital television is and why it is needed.
What is digital television?
Digital television signals are composed of thousands of 1s and 0s, digital binary signals, which represent the picture that is being broadcast [1]. Those digital signals are then transmitted by the television station and processed by the television set to bring high quality picture and sound to its viewers. The signals can be received through a television with a digital tuner or through a digital converter box.
The digital television signal differs from current broadcast television, which is an analog signal being sent through the airwaves as a wave format to your television. This signal is broadcast on a certain frequency, which corresponds to a channel on your television set. An analog signal can be received using a basic antenna hooked up right to a digital or analog tuner on a television [2].
Not only is the signal different between digital and analog, the quality is much different as well. Analog signals lose quality when transmitted causing static, distortion of color and can be affected by the weather. Digital television is a more condensed signal, which allows television stations to multicast, or broadcast several different signals, giving the consumer a greater variety of programming [3].
Why is digital television needed?
Although signal quality alone seems like a good reason for the transition, it is not a good enough reason for congress to mandate a change nationwide. So why do we need to switch to digital television? According to information found at The Digital TV Transition website [4], the transition will free up broadcast airwaves for emergency services and allow more wireless broadband towers into certain areas.
What Changes Need to be Made for the Transition?
Changes have been taking place over the past few years to prepare for the DTV Transition, many of which may not have even been noticed. Although most of the work has already been done to prepare for the transition, there may be a few things that you need to do to transition smoothly. This section will highlight what television stations have done to get the new signal to you as well as what you need to do to prepare for the transition.
The DTV Transition and the Television Station
Since the DTV Transition requires a new type of signal be sent out, new equipment or equipment upgrades are needed by television stations to broadcast that signal. Changes need to be made to the television towers and transmitters to send the signal out digitally instead of in analog. Also, if the television station wants to broadcast local signals in high-definition, the cameras and video editing equipment also need to be upgraded (personal communication, October 2, 2008).
To accommodate the DTV Transition, one station in Fargo, ND, spent around three million dollars to upgrade their equipment. The money spent is just to change their existing equipment, not to buy all new equipment. The station is still not broadcasting local programming in high-definition and will need to spend quite a bit more when they decide to make that change (personal communication, October 2, 2008).
Many stations, including the one in Fargo, ND, have already started broadcasting their digital signal. That means the average television consumer who will be buying a converter box before February can buy one now if they want and get a digital quality picture without having to wait until 2009. To find out if the stations in you area have converted yet, visit the National Association of Broadcasters website [5].
Although television stations have many changes to make to comply with the DTV Transition, they are not the only ones who will be affected. Television viewers may also have to make some changes to continue watching their favorite stations after February 17, 2009.
The DTV Transition and the Viewer
After talking to friends and family for the past few months about the DTV Transition, one question seems to be coming up more than any other: How will the DTV Transition affect me? The answer to the question will depend greatly on the user and the type of equipment they are already using. This section covers some different scenarios you may fall under and what you can do to be ready for the transition in February.
Scenario #1
The first scenario involves users with older television sets that are not currently receiving a signal from cable or satellite. If you have a television that is more than one or two years old, you probably do not have a digital tuner built in. In this case you would need to either purchase a new television or get a digital converter box. Since a new television will cost you several hundred dollars, the digital converter box would probably be the better choice.
A digital converter box will cost anywhere from $40 to $70, depending on the store and the brand of box [6]. The good news is the government is offering to pay up to $40 per box to help defer the cost. The $40 would come in the form of a coupon and each household can get up to two coupons. If you would like a coupon, go to https://www.dtv2009.gov/options.aspx and view your options on how to request one. There is a lot of other useful information at this site as well including the different models of boxes available and where to find the boxes in your area.
Scenario #2
Scenario two is aimed toward users who are not currently using an antenna to watch television. For people who have digital cable boxes or just plain cable hooked up to their televisions, the transition won't even be noticed. This is also true for users of satellite television services. Since their television is already coming in a digital form, cable and satellite viewers are not required to get a digital converter box or any other new piece of equipment to make the transition. The exception here is for those people who still have a television in the house not hooked up to cable or for those people whose satellite provider does not offer local channels and they are using an antenna to receive those channels in an analog form. In those instances, a digital converter box will be needed on televisions without a digital tuner as well [3].
Scenario #3
This scenario is for users who have a newer television with a digital tuner built into it and are using an antenna to receive analog and digital signals. Since these television sets already have a built in digital tuner, they do not require a digital converter box to pick up digital channels. After the DTV Transition, an antenna is still needed to pick up the signal and generally a larger roof top antenna will provide the best possible picture [7].
Most television consumers will fit into one of these categories and should follow the above suggestions to ensure a smooth transition. These scenarios should answer any questions about what you need to do to receive a digital signal in February. However, it is still important to understand what the difference is between a digital television and an analog one, and also where HDTV fits in to the picture.
Digital Versus Analog Television
With all the hype of the impending DTV transition, many people are left wondering, "How do I know what kind of TV I have?" There are several ways to determine the difference between an analog and a digital television set, both on the inside and out. This section will focus on those differences.
Analog Television
Aside from the type of signal the television can receive, an analog television set, from the inside, usually looks a lot like the one below.
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| The inside of an analog television set. Photo courtesy of HowStuffWorks [8]. |
As you can see from the picture, the inside of a television is quite complex. Someplace among the wires above is an analog processor, which converts the frequency waves into usable information. Once the analog signal is received and processed, the cathode ray tube (located at the back of the set) a beam of electrons onto the screen. Right in the middle of the picture above, there are a big bundle of copper wires. These wires create a magnetic field that moves the electron light beam all over the screen. Once the electrons hit the screen, which is made of phosphor, the screen begins to glow and broadcast the picture to the viewer. Although this is an older type of television and most analog televisions look like this, there may be some cathode ray tube televisions on the market today that actually have digital processors in them [8].
Digital Television
In a digital television, the signal is received as a small packet of information rather than in a frequency wave. Because of the type of signal being received, a different type of processor is needed to broadcast the information on the screen. Nearly all of the televisions being sold today already have those processors in them, but for some of the older models, which may have been bought only a year or so ago, still only have the analog processor in them [8].
Also, most of the digital televisions today come with a LCD or plasma screen because they produce a better quality picture to broadcast the digital signal. These televisions are normally lighter and flatter because they don't have to include tube and copper wire design as shown above in the cathode ray tube picture. If you are going out to buy one of these types of televisions, do some homework first to the different types and what they offer before making a purchase to ensure you are getting the best television for your money [8].
If you are not sure if you have digital or analog television or if your television has a digital tuner or not, there are a couple of ways to find out. All televisions manufactured or sold in the United States after March 1, 2007, are required to contain a digital tuner [4]. That means if you bought your current television new after that date, it more than likely has a digital tuner built in. You could also refer to your instruction manual or do a television channel scan to see if it registers any digital channels. You could also find out when a local television station will be running a test to see if you still have a picture when they shut off the analog signal.
Now that you know the difference between digital and analog television sets, I will explain what a high-definition television (HTDV) is and if one is needed for the DTV Transition.
Are DTV and HDTV the Same?
One of the topics that confuses most people about the DTV Transition is high-definition television (HDTV). Many people think that HDTV is something you have to have in order to make the DTV Transition. In actuality, HDTV is a form of digital television that offers at least 720 lines of resolution as opposed to the 330 lines of resolution on a standard definition analog television. The picture quality on a HDTV is sharp and clear, and the sound rivals the quality you would get on any audio CD.
People, who currently have a standard definition television that will be needing a digital converter box in February, do NOT have to buy a new HDTV to make the transition. However, if you were in the market for a new television, a HDTV would not be a bad way to go. When shopping for a HDTV there are many things to consider. Consumer reports [9] suggests you take these things into consideration before heading to the store:
- How much you are willing to spend
- LCD or Plasma
- Screen size
- 720p or 1080p
- What type of service you will be using
The good news is once you have found your new HDTV, you no longer have to worry about getting a digital converter box as new HDTV's being sold already have built in digital tuners. However, if you do not want to pay for cable or satellite service, you will still need an antenna to pick up a signal.
Getting a good digital signal is much harder to do than receiving the current analog signal. This is equally as important if you are trying to pick up an HD signal too. You need a special antenna designed to receive HD signals and without it the new HDTV you just got will not be living up to its potential. If you do not want to buy a new antenna, the following video provides a cheap and easy way to make your own HD antenna out of everyday household objects.
Again I cannot stress enough, buying an HDTV is NOT necessary to make the DTV transition. If you do decide to purchase a new television, be an informed shopper and choose the best television for your needs.
The Future of Broadcast Television
As DTV Transition day draws near, one thing people may be forgetting is what the transition means to the future of broadcast regulation television.
Since its inception, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has regulated television as a way to preserve the limited resource of analog television signals that are available [10]. Because of the switch to a digital signal, the limited analog signal would no longer be a limited resource. That means many more channels could be added to the line up, either through stations able to multicast or through new stations being formed.
Another question to ponder is the legality behind federally regulated programming. If the purpose of the FCC is to regulate the programming we watch on the limited resource analog airwaves, then how can they regulate what we watch on the nearly unlimited spectrum of digital signals available? Currently, cable and satellite only programming is not controlled by the FCC for that very reason [10]. It will be interesting to see what legal issues arise from the DTV Transition in the future.
As We Wait for DTV Transition Day to Approach
As you can see from the countdown clock at the top of the page there is not much time left until DTV Transition day. That means you need to prepare yourselves now to beat the last minute scramble for converter boxes and long telephone waits for answers to your questions. If you still have questions about the transition after reading this Knol, check the frequently asked questions sections of DTVTransition.org or DTV.gov, or call 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322).
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