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Introduction to Digital TV
A Guide to Digital TV
What is Digital Television?
Digital television (DTV) is a new way of transmitting high quality video and audio to your TV set. Using DTV, broadcasters can digitally transmit high-
definition and standard-definition TV (HDTV and SDTV) images, digital audio, and new services such as multicasting (transmitting more than one program
on the same TV channel) and datacasting (providing electronic program guides). Several of these services can be combined into a single digital broadcast.
Digital Television Formats
DTV programs are transmitted in two different formats:
SDTV program formats include 480-line interlaced (480i) and 480-line progressive (480p) video. 480i programs are essentially a digital version of our
current analog TV programs, while the 480p format offers improved image detail over 480i. Some 480p programs are broadcast in widescreen (16:9)
and are comparable to progressive-scan DVD movies in image quality.
HDTV program formats include 1080-line interlaced (1080i) and 720-line progressive (720p). Both HDTV formats are always broadcast in widescreen,
and both offer much higher picture quality than SDTV.
Digital Audio
DTV broadcasts can include a variety of digital audio formats. Many HDTV programs are now broadcast with Dolby Digital* 5.1 soundtracks.
Datacasting
DTV can transmit additional information along with the program signal, including program guide information, which lets you choose programs from a
detailed program guide or get more information about a specific program (if available).
DTV-Ready Monitors/TVs vs. Analog TV Sets
You can connect your HDTV Tuner to a DTV-ready television/monitor (an HD monitor, for example) or to a regular analog TV set. If you already own a
DTV-ready TV with DVI-HDTV, RGB or component video inputs, you can use any one of these inputs to connect your HDTV Tuner.
DTV connections typically provide the highest quality video and audio. You can also use an analog TV with your HDTV Tuner to view DTV broadcasts by
connecting the HDTV Tuner to your composite (yellow RCA jack) or S-video (black circular jack) input, as well as connecting stereo audio inputs. While
the picture quality won't be as good as you'd see on a DTV-ready TV set, it should be as good or slightly better than analog TV broadcasts.
Digital TV FAQs
1. Is the antenna I use for existing TV reception good enough for DTV?
Over-the-air (OTA) digital TV broadcasting uses the same channels as analog TV and works well with many existing TV antennas. However, DTV
broadcast channel assignments are different than analog channels. You should find out whether your local DTV broadcasts are on VHF (channels 2-
13) or UHF (channels 14-69) to see if you need a different antenna. If your DTV channels are on UHF and you already get good UHF reception, your
present antenna may work fine. The same is true for VHF DTV reception. Note that in some markets, both VHF and UHF channels are used for DTV
broadcasts. Please check your local listings for the latest DTV channel assignments in your area, or visit your local broadcasters' web sites for more
information.
2. How difficult is it to receive DTV signals indoors?
This depends on several factors:
• how close you are to the transmission tower sending the broadcast signal
• whether the station is broadcasting at full-strength
• how large your antenna is
• how high you've mounted your antenna
Once the DTV signal level exceeds a certain threshold at the receiver, the digital video and audio data is decoded at the same quality it was originally
encoded for broadcast. This is a big advantage for DTV over analog TV - there is no noise, video ghosting, video static, or scratchy audio.
* Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. "Dolby" and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
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