A new guide to the digital transition coming in February explains how the transition will affect current television transmissions and how you can be prepared. “DTV Transition 101: A Video Guide,” brought to you by Broadcasting & Cable, also gives an overview of digital TVs and antenna, and tutorials demonstrate how to set up your digital-to-analog converter boxes.Some of you may be unaware, or unsure how the transition will affect you. If you have television service from a cable, satellite, or phone company you will probably never know the transition happened. But if you are still using rabbit ear antennas, rooftop, or maybe no antenna at all to receive over-the-air TV broadcasts, you should really get informed.
The transition will end all analog broadcasts. That means if your television does not have built-in digital tuners, you won’t be able to receive television broadcasts anymore. There are millions of televisions out there that do not have digital tuners. So, chances are you have at least one television in your house that is analog.
Analog televisions come in all shapes and sizes including your traditional tube televisions, flat screens, and even early LCDs that were not digital. Retail stores are not allowed to sell televisions any more without the transition warning. So if you bought a television within the last couple of years from a reputable retailer, chances are your television will have a digital tuner.
According to Ben Grossman, editor of Broadcasting & Cable, “The DTV transition next February is going to be one of the most important events in the history of television.” While I think the introduction of color television in the 1940’s gives the DTV transition a run for its money, DTV will open up the bandwidths to allow multi-casting and other digital information to be transmitted simultaneously and this in itself is a major evolution in broadcasting.
