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Basics
After February 17, 2009, standard analog televisions that get their programming from an over-the-air antenna will go dark. If you rely on an over-the-air signal, you will have to take action if you still want to watch television! For most viewers that means you’ll get a converter box so you can keep watching on your older TV set, you’ll subscribe to cable or satellite, or you’ll buy a digital television.
Hold on there, partner. Analog? Digital? You lost me!
If you haven’t bought a television recently, chances are you’ve got an analog TV. An analog television transmits images by “painting” lines on the screen via the TV’s internal electron gun. But in the process of transmission, the signal degrades, which means details can be lost. A digital television, in contrast, sends information in bit streams (that would be lines of data made up of ones and zeroes.) These signals don’t degrade and you can see the difference in a clearer picture.
Check out the links below for answers to the most common questions about the switch to all-digital.
Digital is a new format for television broadcasting which has clearer images and better sound. A digital television is one that can receive and display the new format. The best way to describe the picture quality difference between digital and analog (older format) televisions is that of DVD compared to VCR.
