Digital television

From TeeVeePedia, the Internet TV Encyclopedia.

Digital Television is a revolutionary new way of broadcasting television programs invented by the FCC early in the 21st Century. Digital Television was invented primarily as a way of implementing the requirements of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act which was passed by Congress in 1998.

Advantages of Digital Television

Digital television replaces the Stone Age technology of analog television, which was invented by Philo T. Farnsworth back sometime in the 19th century. Analog television sent a simple signal from a television station via an antenna to a television set, technology which was complicated in its day but nowadays wouldn't be sufficient to operate a simple wristwatch or calculator. Digital television increases the complexity of television transmission greatly, requiring a TV set to act much more like a computer (even to the extent of requiring its own computer operating system to make the thing work). Instead of a set lasting 20 or more years with no modification like before, digital TV sets will need upgrading every six months and replacement after a few years, as well as anti-viral and anti-spam software updates to protect them from pirates.

Analog to Digital Conversion

To help speed up the transition to the new technology, the FCC has required that all television stations convert to digital by February 2009, with full conversion of TV sets by March 2009. After this time, older TV sets (for example, those manufactured in January 2009) will no longer be able to receive television signals at all. To make an older set work with the new technology, viewers will need to purchase conversion devices at their local electronics boutique and perform a simple installation. To assist consumers with the transition, the FCC is issuing $5 coupons toward the purchase of digital-to-analog converter boxes, which are currently in the process of being invented over at Microsoft.

Advertisements For Digital Television

Thanks to a generous grant from the Ad Council, proponents of digital television have been able to purchase tons of commercial time on almost every network, from giants such as ABC, NBC and CBS to the most obscure cable television outlet. Thanks to the saturation bombardment of commercial spots, even the most casual viewer knows that February 17, 2009 is the big conversion date. Of course, nobody is quite sure why the conversion is taking place, which is just how the FCC likes it.