Whats the difference between analog and digital TVS.?

Question

how do i find out which TV i have

Answer 1

TVs have been digitally CONTROLLED for decades. Nowadays TV signals can be transmitted and processed digitally (ones and zeroes at extremely high speeds representing analog signals). This affords better quality pictures because there is no signal degradation over distance. You either get digital perfectly, or you don't get it at all. Analog can be snowy, subject to noise, etc.

Your TV IS digital, to some extent. Whether it will process digital signals is another story. One easy way is, if it has an HDMI input on the back, it's digital. If it doesn't, it still could be, but it's less likely. Another way would be to read the manual and find out.

Answer 2

I wish everyone stop over-analyzing his question.

Generally speaking, tube TV's are analog and LCD, plasma and DLP TVs are digital. There are many ways to look at it.

By definition, the difference between analog and digital TVs is that analog TVs have an analog TV tuner, where digital TVs have digital tuners. In the past year, there are tube TVs with digital tuners, which make it capable of receiving a digital tuner. Thinking of it this way will only confuse yourself.

Easiest way to think about it is look at the connectors in the back of your TV. Coax, composite RCA, s-video and component are all analog connectors. DVI and HDMI are digital connectors. This is the simpliest way to find out whether you have an analog or digital TV because a true digital TV should be a TV that accepts digital and displays digital without any conversion.

If you have an analog TV, then you can purchase an analog-digital converter and still receive digital signals. For those who are preparing for 2009.

To respond to the guy who said TVs have been digital for decades is full of it. Analog signals are modulated frequencies, like radio signals, carrier waves. Digital signals are 1's and 0's. Tube TVs do not think in 1's and 0's.

Answer 3

Basically is all about the signal it can receive.
An analog TV can only generally receive analog channels(NTSC) without a box (cable or sat.). So if you live in the middle of no where and use an antenna your TV will only get analog channels. Those are the basic local channels.
Also if your house has cable but you have TVs hooked up directly to the cable with no box that is an analog connection.
A digital TV can receive and decode digital signals(ATSC)generally over the air. So again if you have your TV hooked to an antenna that's what you get.

Digital TV is going to be the only TV available come Feb 2009. The fed has set this as a date for the switch to all digital. Also most cable companies will stop broadcasting in analog. So all the TVs that connect without a box will then need one if they are not Digital and if the cable co. scrambles all there channels.

AS of right now i can connect my TV directly to the cable line and receive the digital channels that the cable company broadcasts.

Also as of a few weeks ago all TVs produced for sale in the US are digital even the small ones.

Answer 4

Analog TV's use the cable line to the TV. Digital TV's will have a box. Usually the first 13 channels.......well here anyway are analog. The rest are digital stream through the box.

Answer 5

I was not going to answer this question because most have answered reasonably so far. However techman2 is worse than the ones he is berating ! So I will state again as I have before. I will use capitals to emphasise the point....
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A DIGITAL TUNER !
Now if anyone wants to challenge that please explain what parameters denote a digital tuner as apposed to an analogue and I mean a technical explanation and not pure waffle . Cheers Pete
The statement that there is no such thing as a digital tuner still stands ! if you go add an if amplifier etc in the one unit ( integrated ) then it is no longer a tuner but a receiver . I say again.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A DIGITAL TUNER !!
A analog tuner will receive a digital trasmission provided its frequency falls within the tuners frequency band !!!
Cheers Pete

Answer 6

It's not the TV which would be analog or digital, it would actually be the signal. Cable companies offer digital service and satellite service is digital. You may have analog service with an older cable system or if you have an antenna for reception.

Answer 7

A digital TELEVISION contains a digital tuner or receiver and receives video content (i.e. picture and sound information) in the form of a digital signal. A digital MONITOR contains no digital tuner and is capable of receiving video content (i.e. picture information only) in the form of a digital signal as well as an analog signal in many cases.

Within North America if your display or television is equipped with an integrated, internal ATSC (or “DTV”) receiver (i.e. ATSC or “DTV” tuner) it is classified as a “digital television” or DTV. A DTV monitor is similar to a DTV television, i.e., it complies with the ATSC's DTV specification by supporting the DTV display formats but does not include an integrated, internal ATSC (or “DTV”) receiver or tuner. Check your owner's manual, specifically the specifications, to determine if your display or television includes an integrated ATSC (or “DTV”) receiver or tuner.

Digital television and video uses digital technology to encode, transmit, decode and store picture and sound information. For broadcast and DVD applications the video information is not only digitized (through quantization of an analog signal*) but also subjected to digital data compression and is often encrypted. This dramatically increases efficiency by allowing much greater amounts of picture and sound information to be stored or transmitted than is currently possible using analog technology. (Up to six digital standard-definition television (SDTV) programs, or one digital high-definition television (HDTV) program, can now be transmitted within the bandwidth that was previously required for a single analog channel.) Not unlike analog video, digital video data is transmitted by using various methods of modulating (digital) video data onto analog RF carrier signals. For broadcasting purposes a digital receiver/tuner is required to receive and decode digital ATSC, DVB, and ISDB video signals.

One of the more obvious indicators that a display may be a DTV television or monitor is that DTV displays almost always utilize a 16:9 aspect ratio screen. In other words if the display uses a 16:9 aspect ratio screen then it is likely a DTV or DTV monitor.

An analog TELEVISION contains an analog tuner and receives video content (i.e. picture and sound information) in the form of an analog signal. An analog MONITOR (not unlike the ubiquitous VGA computer monitor) contains no analog tuner and also receives video content (i.e. picture information only) in the form of an analog signal.

There are four primary analog television systems - three are standard definition and one is high-definition; all are in the process of being discontinued. North America, South Korea, and the Philippines use a 525-line, interlaced, 29.97 Hz refresh, analog television system known as NTSC. In Europe and other parts of the globe they are using one of two, 625-line, 25 Hz refresh, analog systems - one is known as PAL the other SECAM. In Japan they are using a high-definition, 1125-line, interlaced, 60 Hz refresh, analog television system known as MUSE.

Encoded analog video signals, containing both picture and sound information, are transmitted by separately modulating (AM and FM respectively) the picture and sound information onto RF analog carrier signals. For broadcasting purposes an analog tuner is required to receive and decode the analog NTSC, PAL, SECAM, and MUSE video signals.

*(Note: video content may originate as a digital signal from digital cameras, digital video workstations and computers.)