What is DTV?

DTV is short for digital television and is very similar to the regular older analog television with the exception that DTV receivers receive digital broadcast ATSC signals rather than the old analog NTSC broadcasts, both transmitted via UHF and VHF radio waves. DTV should not be confused with HDTV (high-definition television) which is also receives digital signals. More information about HDTV can be found on our HDTV page.

All televisions produced for sale in the United States have been digital since March 1^st 2007. If you have an older TV and are worried about the

digital transition or DTV then most likely you are worrying for nothing. If you currently have a television and you can watch television shows on it via cable, satellite, or over the air antenna then you are fine since the transition to digital television has already taken place. If you currently do not receive television service or are planning on ending your existing service then you may need an over-the-air digital set-top box if your TV was manufactured before March 1^st 2007. The boxes can be purchased on-line, through brick-and-mortar electronic stores (such as Best Buy or Fry’s) and often even bought or leased through your cable or satellite provider. However, if you are only planning on getting digital cable, satellite television or FiOS (which is Verizon’s television over Fiber Optics Service) AND NOT local over-the-air broadcasts then you will not need a digital set-top converter box or a new TV. In almost every every case you will ONLY need a digital converter box or new digital TV if you plan on receiving over-the-air (OTA) local broadcasts.

In addition to a receiver (set-top box or one built-in to the television) you will most likely also need an antenna to receive OTA broadcast signals. The older style “rabbit-ears” will work as well as the old school giant antennas. In order to get the best reception a big roof-top antenna would probably receive the best signal depending on your location and surroundings; however, the antenna can be huge and very ugly and may not be an option due to their size and looks. One of the easiest types of antennas to use and install may be an indoor antenna, however, the drawback to this type of antenna is that reception is usually not as good because the signal has to travel through from the TV station to the antenna and must also pass through and the walls of the house and through or around any furniture and/or people. Another option for some would be an antenna which is mounted in the attic. Mounting the antenna in the attic usually means that you can have a pretty big antenna mounted and pointing towards the TV stations and not have to look at it. The problem with this type of antenna is that the wood and asphalt shingles cause a 25 to 50 percent loss in signal reception. For more information on antennas, check out our antennas page.

The transition to digital television in America was set by U.S. Congress in order to free up bandwidth for public safety communications (for police, fire, and medical and rescue departments) as well as to auction off some of the spectrum to companies that will provide customers with advanced wireless services (such as wireless broadband). The transition was originally scheduled for February 17, 2009, but was pushed back to June 11, 2009 due to the DTV Delay Act because approximately 6.5 millions Americans were not prepared for the switch partially due to a shortage of converter box coupons.

Benefits of this digital push can be seen through multiplexing (also called mux or virtual sub-channel), which is basically multiple TV channels mixed together and broadcasted over one digital TV channel. The channels are digitally split-up in to different sub-channels by the cable company or broadcast station and then sent out to the customer’s house where the signal is then received by the television set or digital set-top-box which displays the single selected signal on the screen. With this digital format cable companies can now compress multiple programming channels into one broadcast signal while still occupying the same amount of bandwidth as one analog channel. Through the use of video compression and multiplexing the signal can be compressed so that up to three high-definition channels or fifteen standard-definition channels or 120 mono radio channels (or a combination of the three) can be broadcasted through one physical digital radio frequency channel to be viewed or listened to using a digital-set-top box or digital television, while still maintaining high level of quality and using approximately the same amount of bandwidth as one analogue broadcast.