So you have heard all the latest television buzz words such as DTV, HDTV and analog signal.  If you're like many people out there you are probably wondering "what the heck does it all mean?"

Digital Television (DTV)

Digital technologies are quickly entering nearly every aspect of our lives, including television.

Quite simply, " digital" is the breaking down of information into very small parts allowing the information to be compressed, stored, and transferred much easier than ever before. Thanks to digital technology, entire encyclopedias can now fit on a couple of Compact Discs (CDs) read on a home computer. Television is using the same technology to revolutionize what viewers can receive through their television. The digital signal might be broadcast over the air, by a cable or satellite system right into your home.

By converting a traditional analog signal into a digital signal, broadcasters now have a lot of extra room to provide additional services. Imagine that a television signal is a water pipe. In the past the entire pipe was full by carrying only one analog program. Thanks to digital technology, that original signal only fills some of the pipe. Broadcasters now can use that extra space to provide a number of other services like High-Definition (HDTV), and additional program choices through multicasting. And some day, Interactive Television will be reality.

High-Definition Television (HDTV)

High-Definition Television (HDTV) provides pictures and sound in stunning unsurpassed quality.

The video on a high-definition signal has several advantages over a traditional analog signal. Most noticeably, an analog picture is presented in a 4:3 ratio (a square), while HDTV programs are presented in widescreen in a 16:9 ratio (a rectangle). This new format also allows viewers at home to watch movies initially made for theaters without losing a portion of the image or having the “black bars” on the top and bottom of their screen.

Not only is an HDTV screen wider, but the quality of the image is greatly improved as well. An analog TV image is made up of about 210,000 pixels, an HDTV picture is made up of nearly two-million! This higher quality creates a more detailed, brighter, and lifelike image.

An HDTV signal is also capable of providing a deeper and higher quality sound , like in a movie theater, using “Dolby Digital Surround Sound” if you have a surround sound system available at your local department or electronics store.

Multicasting

Not only does a digital signal leave enough room to improve video and audio quality, it also gives broadcasters an opportunity to provide up to 4 programs simultaneously on the same channel, a concept called multicasting.

Using multicasting, a viewer tuning into WNED’s digital spectrum will have a choice of high-quality programs. WNED has already harnessed this technology to launch ThinkBright TV, a digital channel dedicated to lifelong learning and educational programming. For example, while WNED is airing a Frontline special on its standard channel, digital television viewers may instead have the option of watching one of PBS’ award winning children’s programs.

Interactive Television  

The final tier of services possible through digital television is called “interactive television”. Using this technology, a viewer will be able to customize the way they watch television and have access to a wealth of additional content previously not available.

For example, a viewer may be watching Ken Burns’ PBS documentary on the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. During a segment on Fallingwater, an icon may appear in the bottom of the screen inviting a viewer to learn more. By simply pressing a button on their remote, the viewer has access to a wealth of additional content. This extra content may include additional video footage, interviews, and even lesson plans for teachers. After the viewer has finished looking at this information, they can easily return back to the documentary right where they left off.