MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Location: file:///C:/32CB324E/DigitalTelevision.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Digital Television

Digital Television<= /span>

 

On February 17, 2009, all commercial television broadcasts will be digital.  Actually most Televi= sion stations are already broadcasting digital signals in addition to the analog broadcast format that has been in use since the 50’s.  On February 17, 2009, analog broadcasting will cease, stop, nada, be now more period. 

 

What does this mean to you?  If you have a television set that is more than 3 years old it is probably analog and will no longer be able to pick up off the air TV broadc= asts(using an antenna).  Newer TV’s= have an NTSC as well as an ATSC tuner built in which allows you to tune digital = as well as High Definition if your TV is HiDef.  Older analog TV’s can still = be used with an aftermarket converter or on satellite or cable for a while.  How long the “for a while= 221; is undetermined, but it will not be forever.  The newer digital format is more efficient and allows the bandwidth for the High Definition broadcasts which will become standard in a few years.  The bottom line is that the old analog TV in your coach will become outdated in 2009 without an antenna converter. 

 

How do I know whether my tv is analog or digital?  If it is a newer flat screen 16x9(widescreen) and can tune off the air broadcasts like  4.1 or  5.2 , i.e. decimal designations for stations, then it has digital capability.&= nbsp; If all you get with your antenna is the old channel 4 or 5, then it = is analog and will not work with your batwing antenna after February 2009.  The cable and satellite companies = are broadcasting both digital and analog transmissions and will continue broadc= asting analog signals as long as there is customer demand, but as the viewing publ= ic gets used to digital and HiDef there will be diminishing analog broadcasts = on satellite and cable and eventually none.&n= bsp; As I said earlier when this will happens is unknown, but your old TV= is becoming a dinosaur.  We plan = on having a seminar at the Homecoming Rally in 2008 to discuss this further and try and answer questions and offer some suggestions.