Digital age of TV is already here.Byline: Susan Palmer The Register-Guard The digital video age is already upon us, but when some of us techno-phobes hear about digital TV and high definition TV and HD-ready TV, we cover our ears and run from the room. Here's all you really need to know. The old analog TV signal - the one that occasionally arrives somewhat garbled with snow or ghost images - is quickly becoming a thing of the past. While broadcasters are continuing to transmit the analog signal An analog or analogue signal is any time continuous signal where some time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity. It differs from a digital signal in that small fluctuations in the signal are meaningful. , most are also transmitting a digital signal, too. The Federal Communications Commission Federal Communications Commission (FCC), independent executive agency of the U.S. government established in 1934 to regulate interstate and foreign communications in the public interest. has pushed for this change because digital transmission is more efficient. It frees up the broadcasting airwaves, allowing the government more space for emergency transmissions by police, fire departments and other public safety services. The FCC (1) (Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC, www.fcc.gov) The U.S. government agency that regulates interstate and international communications including wire, cable, radio, TV and satellite. The FCC was created under the U.S. wants all stations broadcasting digitally by 2006, or when 85 percent of the homes in a given market are able to view digital programming. Congress may revise that plan, delaying conversion to 2009. But it will happen. Meanwhile, here in Eugene, digital TV is a reality. All but one of the local stations are broadcasting a digital signal. The switch has scared a lot of TV buyers, says Ryan Salerno, a salesman at Bradford's Home Entertainment. People get confused about whether their old TV sets or their new purchases will work, Salerno says. "It's important to stress that it's going to work no matter what you get," he says. Even people who stick with their old analog sets still will be able to watch television with a tuner that decodes the digital signal. And people don't need cable or satellite to get digital. They can pick it up over an old-style analog antenna - the proverbial "rabbit ears" a lot of us grew up with, as long as they have a digital tuner A digital tuner is a tuning device that allows a television or radio set to receive signals via airwaves, satellite, or cable and translates them into a signal the device can display. . But digital TV comes in more than one flavor and the kind you'll hear about while shopping for televisions - high-definition TV See HDTV. or HDTV (High Definition TV) A set of digital television (DTV) standards that offer the highest resolution and sharpest picture. Although some HDTV sets are available in standard (rather square) screen sizes, the overwhelming majority of sets are wide screen, which eliminates - offers viewers a higher resolution picture in a widescreen format. That means a much sharper image and better sound. Many primetime network TV shows are currently being broadcast in the HDTV format, says Dennis Hunt Dennis Perrior Hunt (born Portsmouth, 8 September 1937) is an English former football (soccer) player and manager. A defender, Hunt joined Gillingham in 1958 after being discovered whilst playing football for the army. , chief engineer at KEZI. And several cable TV broadcasters offer whole channels of high-definition programming. Curious viewers can check out HDTV programs at Comcast's Valley River Center Valley River Center is a shopping mall located in Eugene, Oregon. As the largest shopping center south of Portland and north of San Francisco, this mall comprises over 130 local and national stores and restaurants. kiosk. When shopping for a television, you'll need to decide if you want to pay more for a TV set that has a high-definition tuner built into it, or one that is simply HDTV-ready, which will mean at some point buying a special tuner or renting one from your cable company. The HDTV sets cost more and offer excellent viewing for HD programming, but the image quality drops off when these sets show regular digital or analog programs. CRT (1) (C RunTime) See runtime library. (2) (Cathode Ray Tube) A vacuum tube used as a display screen in a computer monitor or TV. The viewing end of the tube is coated with phosphors, which emit light when struck by electrons. : CATHODE RAY TUBE See CRT. (hardware) cathode ray tube - (CRT) An electrical device for displaying images by exciting phosphor dots with a scanned electron beam. CRTs are found in computer VDUs and monitors, televisions and oscilloscopes. Technology: An electron gun fires high-speed electrons at the screen, exciting a phosphor A rare earth material used to coat the inside face of a CRT. When struck by an electron beam, the phosphor emits a visible light for a few milliseconds. In color displays, red, green and blue phosphor dots are grouped as a cluster. See screen burn. that gives off red, green or blue light at a given picture element (pixel). Appropriate mixing creates the realization of full color. Size: 13 inches to 36 inches. Cost: $100 to $4,000. Key info: Reliable and good value. REAR PROJECTION CRT Technology: Three CRTs throw the image onto the back of a large screen. Viewers see it from the front. Size: 42 inches to 73 inches. Cost: $1,500 to $7,000. Key info: Heavy and 2 feet deep, but cheapest big-screen option. LCD: LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY liquid crystal display (LCD) Optoelectronic device used in displays for watches, calculators, notebook computers, and other electronic devices. Current passed through specific portions of the liquid crystal solution causes the crystals to align, blocking the passage of light. Technology: A voltage applied across a liquid crystal pixel controls the amount of light passing through it. A back light is required. The liquid crystal acts as a filter. Size: 13 inches to 40 inches. Cost: $500 to $10,000. Key info: Thin, can be wall-mounted. REAR PROJECTION LCD Technology: Light magnified through a computer chip onto the back of a screen that viewers see from the front. Size: 42 inches to 73 inches. Cost: $3,000 to $7,000. Key info: Good resolution, light bulb may need replacing. PLASMA Technology: A voltage is applied to a gas-filled pixel to create a plasma. The glow of the plasma constitutes the light emitted from the pixel. Size: 42 inches to 70 inches. Cost: $2,500 to $20,000 (or as much as $60,000). Key info: Thin, can be wall-mounted but may be challenging to install. DLP (Digital Light Processing) A data projection technology from TI that produces clear, readable images on screens in lit rooms. DLP is used in all types of projection devices, from data projectors that weigh only a few pounds to large rear-projection TVs to electronic : DIGITAL LIGHT PROCESSING, REAR PROJECTION Technology: Tiny mirrors embedded on silicon chips direct light at the screen. Size: 42 inches to 62 inches. Cost: $2,500 to $6,000. Key info: Probably less maintenance, narrow viewing angle. |
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