What is Digital Terrestrial Television?
Terrestrial digital television is the transmission of a television signal with land-based antennas. The major difference between digital and analog TV signals is that the digital signal is compressed into bytes and sent as data to a receiver, while the analog signal is carrying a recorded video feed.
The Big Switch
Television manufacturers had been planning the switch to digital television signals since the 1990s, and the date was set at February 19, 2009. This meant that the classic free transmissions that were broadcast to a receiver antenna on a home television set would stop, and the new digital signal would start. This required older TVs to be fitted with a digital receiver, since the signal could not be interpreted by an analog TV. The date has proven to be too soon, and it has been pushed back indefinitely by broadcast companies.
Types of Signals
There are several ways for a television to receive programming. The first is terrestrial analog radio waves, where a tower broadcasts a powerful signal that is interpreted by the circuitry of the TV. The second is coaxial cable, which has been popular for about 25 years as an alternative to broadcast TV. The third, satellite radio broadcasting, is the newest of the three (for commercial television) and can reach the largest audience. The main issue with satellite TV is that there is limited bandwidth on each satellite, and upgrading hardware requires shooting it into orbit. The cheapest and most effective method remains terrestrial broadcasting.
Metering Usage
A classic problem with terrestrial analog TV was that there were limited ways to find out what people were watching and what they liked. Now that the signal is migrating to digital, it will be possible to find out what someone is watching any time of the day, much like cable or satellite transmissions. The equipment logs the information and can transmit it back to the broadcaster for analysis. All interaction with the equipment can be tracked and recorded.
Phasing Out Free TV
One of the main assumptions about television is that you can watch it free, provided that you buy a television set. In exchange, you must endure several breaks in programming to sit through commercials. In recent years, cable TV has begun to show more and more commercials, which it originally claimed not to do as it requires payment upfront to watch. This has also happened to satellite TV, as well as online television show content websites. The notion of "free TV" is becoming extinct with the advent of digital signals, as these digital signals will no doubt become charged services in the near future.
The Future of TV
As TV becomes homogenized with all types of video "media," the digital terrestrial television signal must change with technology and broadcast in a format that is compatible. The digital signal is more easily captured and edited, and then uploaded, than the analog type. As the limits of the old television signal were tested, so will the limits of the new digital service in the future.
Tags: digital signal, television signal, digital signals, digital television, Digital Terrestrial Television
