I've been hearing that next year or something they will switch to digital tuner. I don't get this? What's this digital thing?
2007-10-26 12:03:58 · 0 answers · asked by lildan2003 3 in Consumer Electronics ➔ TVs
What's the difference between them both? Analog and digital?
2007-10-26 12:23:41 · update #1
Older TV's will need a digital signal converter box to receive the new digital signals (analog signals will be gone) starting in Feb 2009.
The federal government is offering $40 rebates on these tuners (only 2 per household though).
2007-10-26 12:22:50 · answer #1 · answered by mkondo92@sbcglobal.net 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
(This answer assumes you are in the US)
The US is in the process of changing the way TV is broadcast over the air from analog to digital.
Digital tuners allow a TV to receive digital TV signals. On new TV's they are built into the set, on older TV's you will need to get a converter box. A converter box is just an external digital TV tuner.
You can tell if your TV has a digital tuner in the following ways:
Can you tune in to digital channels? These have an extra digit at the end. For example analog channel 7 becomes digital channel 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 etc.
Do the specs for your TV say it has an ATSC (digital OTA) tuner?
If you post the make & model of your TV, someone could look it up for you.
Digital channels work pretty much like the old analog channels. If you get them through an antenna, they are still free. If you get good reception on analog ch 14-69 (UHF), you should be able to get them with the same antenna. If your UHF reception isn't very good, you will probably need a better antenna.
If you get your TV with an antenna (OTA), you will need to buy a converter box for old TVs that do not have a digital tuner built in to them. These hook up between your antenna and your TV. Starting in Jan 2008 the government will be giving out coupons that will let you buy a couple of them for about $20 each.
After 2/17/2009, almost all analog (OTA) broadcasts will end. Cable & satellite customers will still be able to get analog signals.
The picture quality that you get through the converter should be about the same as you get through a DVD player.
The channel numbers of the digital stations are just the old analog numbers with another number added on to the end.
For example channel 7 would become 7-1, 7-2, 7-3....
Each station can actually send out two or three programs. The extra number is for each individual program.
If you buy an HDTV, you will find that the digital programs come in various resolutions or picture quality levels. "480i" is the quality you get from a DVD player, 720p & 1080i are defined as "HD" and have a sharper image. If you are using a $20 converter this doesn't matter, it will convert all of them to 480i which is the best the old analog TVs can display.
>What's the difference between them both?
Analog TV signals are basically a very speeded up version of AM radio. This system is based on 1930's technology.
Digital TV signals are a stream of computer like data. It's based on 1990's technology.
Cheat Sheet
--------------------------------------...
Old type OTA TV signals = NTSC = "Analog TV"
New type OTA TV signals = ATSC = "Digital TV" = DTV
Digital signals used on some cable systems = QAM
OTA = "Over the Air" = stuff you get through your TV antenna
"CECB" = government speak for TV converter boxes that qualify for their coupon program. Stands for "Coupon-Eligible Converter Box"
2007-10-26 13:11:32 · answer #2 · answered by Stephen P 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can get any Over-the-Air (OTA) channels in digital quality (and HD) for free if you have the right equipment and location. You would need a digital TV (DTV) tuner and an antennae. To view HD quality DTV, you must have a good video card capable of outputing via component cables, DVI or HDMI, and also a television capable of displaying HD resolution (HDTV). You cannot feed the the Digital feed from your set-top box to the pc. You can split the cable before the box and feed the analog signal to the pc, and still have the Digital feed to your set-top box. The size and placement of the antennae varies based on your location. Iam currently running this setup.
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2016-09-19 13:45:03 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-04-03 06:14:44 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋