What is Digital TV?
Digital Television (DTV) has different meanings depending on whether you're discussing production and post-production or distribution and transmission. For production and post-production it means using digital production tools such as cameras, VTRs, switchers, disk recorders, CGs, etc. In distribution and transmission, it means sending the audio and video digitally to its destination.
Digital Television in the United States has meant direct broadcast satellite (DBS) with DirecTV (which bought USSB and Primestar) and EchoStar's DISH network. But that has changed. Both broadcasters and cable headends are starting to send their signals to viewers digitally.
In 1998, stations across the United States began transmitting free over-the-air digital pictures and sound, while retailers began selling "digital television" and "digital television ready" TV sets and VCRs (known as D-VHS).
In 1999, the network affiliates (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) in the nations 10 largest cities were scheduled to go on-air in May and 30 largest cities scheduled to go on-air in November (some made it and some didn't). This year, more stations will be going on-air, and the links below will assist you in finding out when stations in your area will be going on-air.
- To find out which digital television channels you can receive now,
when other channels are scheduled to go on-air, what content they
are airing as well as what antenna you will need, go to the TitanTV.com
website run by the Decisionmark corporation.
- For more help in choosing the correct antenna to receive all your
local stations (primarily analog at this point), go to AntennaWeb.org,
a service of the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association--the old CEMA).
- For more consumer related information, you can go to DTV.com, also run by the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association--the old CEMA).