The United States is finally ditching analog television broadcasting, and the rest of the world is doing the same. Unless you've got a converter, the government has just morphed your trusty analog boob tube into an inert piece of furniture.
Mind you, this is a good thing. Digital TV (DTV) offers better picture quality. For example, the ghost images caused by signal reflections off that high-rise office building down the block will be a thing of the past. In addition, you should sleep better knowing that DTV makes improved use of the broadcast spectrum – primarily because modern digital processing can more compactly encode the picture and sound. This will offer you increased access to other essentials of your neoteric lifestyle, such as high-def, interactive television, as well as wireless internet. DTV sounds like a winner.
But there may be losers, zillions of viewers who might not have a converter box or a digital-ready TV – namely, the aliens.
Mind you, this is a good thing. Digital TV (DTV) offers better picture quality. For example, the ghost images caused by signal reflections off that high-rise office building down the block will be a thing of the past. In addition, you should sleep better knowing that DTV makes improved use of the broadcast spectrum – primarily because modern digital processing can more compactly encode the picture and sound. This will offer you increased access to other essentials of your neoteric lifestyle, such as high-def, interactive television, as well as wireless internet. DTV sounds like a winner.
But there may be losers, zillions of viewers who might not have a converter box or a digital-ready TV – namely, the aliens.
Full story by Seth Shostak on Space.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment