Top 10 Questions About Digital Television
From WISC - TV 3 What is Digital Television? Digital television (DTV) is a new form of TV developed in conjunction with the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) and was approved by the Federal Communications Commission on December 24, 1996. This new technology is capable of transmitting one High Definition Television (HDTV) program or multiple Standard Definition Television (SDTV) programs. The federal government has adopted this new digital television format in order to allow the broadcast industry to deliver programs that are comparable in quality to other digitally delivered services, such as direct broadcast satellite, digital cable and digital video disk. What are the key features of High Definition Television? The first noticeable difference of High Definition Television from the current television system is that the screen is much wider. In our current television system when the width of the picture is divided by the height of the picture it will always produces a 4/3 ratio. High Definition Television, on the other hand, has a width to height ratio of 16/9, which closely approximates that of the cinema. The second key feature is that High Definition has over six times the sharpness and clarity of the current television system. The HDTV picture contains 1080 vertical picture elements (pixels) by 1920 horizontal pixels for a total of over 2.0 million pixels. The current standard definition picture contains only 480 vertical pixels by 720 pixels for a total of 345,600 pixels. Third, the color resolution of HDTV is also more than twice the current system. High Definition television also has six channels of CD-quality surround sound (left, right, center, left rear, right rear, and low frequency effects). Finally, the signal is digitally transmitted, which eliminates all of the current imperfections we have lived with for the past thirty years, which include snow (weak signal), double images (ghosting or multi-path) and picture sparkles (impulse noise). As a result, the picture is perfect whether you are one mile or fifty-five miles from the transmitter. Will this make my existing television set obsolete? No, your existing television set will still continue to receive the current analog standard definition television transmission until Feb. 17, 2009. However, you will not be able to receive the new digital high-definition transmission. If you tune to a digital high definition station with your existing set, you will see a series of black and white dots or snow. In order to receive High Definition Television, you must purchase a new DTV receiver, which are now available at most consumer electronics dealers. The new televisions will be able to receive existing analog television transmissions as well as the new High Definition transmission. CBS will be simulcasting the same program on two different channels. For example, in New York City, CBS will continue to broadcast on Channel 2, our current analog television station, and will broadcast digital High Definition Television on Channel 56. Alternately, the new digital television channel can be selected by entering 2.1. This new channel numbering system was designed to simplify tuning to the new digital channel. The WCBS-TV analog channel can still be selected by entering channel number 2.0. If CBS were broadcasting multiple standard definition programs rather than HDTV, then they would be numbered 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4. The federal government has loaned each existing broadcaster an additional television channel to permit them to transition to the new system. As part of the balanced budget amendment, the FCC will auction the existing analog television channels in September 2002. However, the existing analog broadcast channels will continue past this auction date. The FCC will review the penetration of new digital television receiver sales every two years. If penetration of HDTV is progressing as anticipated and the vast majority of the public has converted to digital television, then the analog standard definition stations are targeted to go off the air in 2006. However, CBS believes that this date will continue to be pushed back for many years. What about my existing VCR, will it be able to play back and record the new digital television? Your existing VCR will be able to play back your library of VHS tapes on the new digital television receivers. However, your VHS VCR will not be able to record the widescreen high definition signal. If you want to record and playback the digital HDTV signal, you will need to purchase a new D-VHS VCR. Will I need a new antenna to receive digital High Definition Television? If you have an existing outside aerial that is capable of receiving existing UHF stations then you will be able to receive digital High Definition Television using your same antenna. However, if you do not have an outside aerial or if you have a VHF only antenna it will be necessary to install a new outdoor antenna. Most of the new DTV channels will be on the UHF band (i.e. Channels 14-69). DTV Transition and the Coupon Program What is the digital television transition? At midnight on February 17, 2009, all full-power television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to 100% digital broadcasting. Digital broadcasting promises to provide a clearer picture and more programming options and will free up airwaves for use by emergency responders. What is the TV Converter Box Coupon Program? Congress created the TV Converter Box Coupon Program for households wishing to keep using their analog TV sets after February 17, 2009. The Program allows U.S. households to obtain up to two coupons, each worth $40, that can be applied toward the cost of eligible converter boxes. A TV connected to cable, satellite or other pay TV service does not require a TV converter box from this program. Consumers have a variety of options. Options to explore include: 1. Keep your existing analog TV and purchase a TV converter box. A converter box plugs into your TV and will keep it working after Feb. 17, 2009, or 2. Connect to cable, satellite or other pay service, or 3. Purchase a television with a digital tuner. How do I request a coupon? Between January 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009, you can request a coupon while supplies last in one of four ways: • Apply online • Call the Coupon Program 24-hour hotline 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009). • Mail a coupon application to: PO BOX 2000, Portland, OR 97208-2000. Download a Coupon Application here. • Fax a coupon application to 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632) • Deaf or hard of hearing callers may dial 1-877-530-2634 (English/TTY) or 1-866-495-1161 (Spanish/TTY). TTY Service is available from 9 AM - 9 PM Eastern Time Monday through Friday. |