Important Information for 2009
Broadcast Channel Changes
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Congress passed a law on
February 1, 2006, setting a
final deadline for the Digital
Television (DTV) transition of
February 17, 2009. Most
television stations will
continue broadcasting both
analog and digital programming
until February 17, 2009, when
all analog broadcasting will
stop. Analog TVs receiving
over-the-air programming will
still work after that date, but
owners of these TVs will need to
buy converter boxes to change
digital broadcasts into analog
format. Converter boxes will be
available from consumer
electronic products retailers at
that time. Cable and satellite
subscribers with analog TVs
should contact their service
providers about obtaining
converter boxes for the DTV
transition. |
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The final transition is February
2009. At that point,
broadcasting the current
“analog” channels will end and
that spectrum will be put to
other uses. Until the transition
to DTV is complete, television
stations will continue
broadcasting on both their
digital and analog channels. |
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What does this mean for you, the
television viewer? |
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Your current television will
work as it does now until analog
broadcasting stops. Even after
the transition is over, your
current TV will not become
obsolete. A converter box
can be used to receive broadcast
DTV signals and change them into
the format of your current
television. In addition, if you
use your analog set with a
multichannel pay service like
cable or satellite, it will
continue to work as it always
has. Even with a converter box,
however, your current analog
television will not be capable
of displaying the full picture
quality of DTV. To enjoy the
full picture quality, you must
have a DTV set. Subscribers to
cable and DBS services should
contact their providers
regarding converter boxes for
those services. |
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Options for post February 2009
Transition: |
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- Purchase a new Digital
Television set with a
built-in digital tuner.
- Purchase a converter box
to decode digital broadcasts
send them to your analog
television set
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Additional Information:
USA
Today - TV's digital switchover
has a downside |
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What is digital television (DTV)? |
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Digital television (DTV) is a
new type of broadcasting
technology that will transform
television as we now know it. By
transmitting the information
used to make a TV picture and
sound as "data bits" (like a
computer), a digital broadcaster
can carry more information than
is currently possible with
analog broadcast technology. For
example, the technology allows
the transmission of pictures
with higher resolution for
dramatically better picture and
sound quality than currently
available – called High
Definition Television (HDTV) -
or the transmission of several
"standard definition" TV
programs at once – called
“multicasting.” "Standard
definition" digital TV pictures
would be similar in clarity and
detail to the best TV pictures
being received and displayed
today using the current analog
broadcast system and TV
receivers. DTV technology can
also be used to provide
interactive video and data
services that are not possible
with “analog” technology. |
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DTV is a more flexible and
efficient technology than the
current analog system. For
example, rather than being
limited to providing one
“analog” programming channel, a
broadcaster will be able to
provide a super sharp “high
definition” (HDTV) program or
multiple “standard definition”
DTV programs simultaneously.
Providing several program
streams on one broadcast channel
is called “multicasting.” The
number of programs a station can
send on one digital channel
depends on the level of picture
detail, also known as
“resolution,” desired in each
programming stream. DTV can
provide interactive video and
data services that are not
possible with “analog”
technology. |
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Converting to DTV will also free
up parts of the scarce and
valuable broadcast airwaves.
Those portions of the airwaves
can then be used for other
important services, such as
advanced wireless and public
safety services (for example,
police, fire departments, and
rescue squads). |
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DTV allows a number of new and
better services. With HDTV,
broadcasters can offer far
higher resolution and picture
quality than exists with Analog
technology. Or, they can offer
several different TV programs at
the same time, with pictures and
sound quality equal to or better
than is generally available
today. In addition, broadcasters
can simultaneously transmit a
variety of other information
through a data bitstream to both
enhance the TV programming and
to provide entirely new
services. |
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