Most of the 6 million people who have bought HDTV over the first 5 years of transition (98-03) has not considered HD, but to enjoy DVD playback in widescreen 480p. Even today, in 2008 after Hi-Def DVD has already been introduced in early 2006, regular DVDs are still preferred content for digital television because they show that indeed very progressive 480p or enlarged to 720p or 1080i / p for native resolution of all digital (DVD player or television). The same DVD played on an analog TV only show the image as a 480th interlaced scanning.

In addition, an HDTV is able to show DVDs in anamorphic widescreen view of all the original resolution vertical stored on disk, while the 4×3 analogue TV sets show the same DVD letterboxing the image of the largest top bar background / al order to maintain the wider aspect ratio of the film, and with less vertical resolution for the image itself.

In 2002, the FCC issued a “mandatory” plan to gradually integrate digital tuners on television screens and other digital approach, such as HD DVR. The plan has already been implemented in 2007 for all sets over 13 “, and all digital televisions sold today are charged to access the digital terrestrial tuner (except for some / industrial professional models). In most cases, but also a cable – the tuner to the award for the non-clear channel clear, or even include a CableCARD tuner for premium channels and services.

As mentioned above, are unidirectional CableCARD tuners only, and not the features bi-directional Video-On-Demand, Impulse Pay-per-view and cable company provided guidance to the program, for which a set-top separate box from the cable companies would still be necessary until the integrated TVs are designed to be bi-directional on their ability to integrated CableCARD tuners.

Industry analysts said for years that the economies of scale that lower the price of digital tuners tuners now very cheap in NTSC analog TV, but the reality is that the decoder for ATSC terrestrial or cable, satellite, digital recorders ETC. (Non-Government to convert coupon decoder) always have a high price, since relatively large HDTV down from $ 5,000 – $ 10,000 on 98/99 at more affordable prices to less than $ 1,000.

Satellite / cable TV, and the transition to digital HDTV

If you already have satellite subscribers the satellite STB you need for their digital SD / HD services. Also, most satellite boxes also have an ATSC terrestrial tuner, if you want to get free local channels using an antenna VHF / UHF. However, DirecTV has introduced a new model in late 2007 without antenna input, the local channels should rather be considered as the satellite feed, a service that they have for most major cities.

If you subscribe to cable when the cable company decides to turn off the analog feed to your house, and provide only the digital stream, you need a digital-analog cable STB to view digital channels in each analog TV in your home , similar to the setup program good for broadcasting digital TV above, but would have to rent or buy the cable STB, not good.

The cable companies have been authorized by the FCC in late 2007 to continue their analog feed service for 5 years (until 2012), if you prefer, but are not obliged to do. Cable Decoders are not digital terrestrial DTV tuner so that you can not use their decoder connected to a UHF antenna, VHF / receive free local channels.

The cable companies face at least two alternatives for the transition analog to digital between 2007 and 2012:

a) If their subscriber base is digital, a cable company may be tempted to make a large initial investment to acquire enough digital decoders to convert all subscribers as soon as other similar services digital level, which was to contract lease of a block for each digital analog television. That would free the bandwidth occupied by channels of analog cable feed, which could be used for additional digital channels and receive a higher income if they are premium VOD, PPV, services, etc. paid.

b) If the subscriber base is mostly analog, a cable company may prefer that the resolution of current analog and digital decoders, analog and maintain the level as long as necessary until 2012. Since the power cable bandwidth allocation for the analog channels should continue with this alternative, the company would postpone the potential growth of digital channels and services, but there will need to face important investment for digital decoders more expensive, not There is no forced conversion. This option is economic for the company and the customer, because a subscriber is not forced to rent a digital decoder for all analog TV that can be connected to the wall coax without STB, how many non-primary TV is in most families.

While investment in the face of a large number of digital decoders could be expensive for a cable company, could be partially offset by the potential revenues from pay additional digital services such as VOD, PPV or premium channels. In addition, the number of digital decoders required for full digital conversion of the power cord could be further reduced if one considers the growing number of HDTVs with CableCARD tuner will increase in 2008 and 2009.

However, since the HDTV tuner built-in CableCARD are unidirectional, there might still be a basic cable subscriber, that would still require the ability to bi-directional cable box for HD-VOD, PPV, and cable guide budget planning. Every cable company would have a balance between these factors until 2012.

When digital television is fully implemented in February 17, 2009, we would be compatible with your current analog equipment, but there is a catch, so you can watch digital terrestrial TV channels on your current digital analog TV you need a digital over-the-air STB tuner connected to it. Your current analog TV should show an analog interlaced 480th version of the digital image.

There is no need to rush to replace analog televisions, which could be in good working condition if you want to continue watching television-like quality, but you must purchase a digital tuner decoder for digital television broadcasting.

This is also true for your analogue video recorder, DVD recorder, TiVo, etc., if you send tuning independence. Some years ago, DTV STB tuners were relatively expensive in the price range of $ 400 $ 1000 – Imagine buying a $ 400 digital tuner for $ 30 VCRs, but they are gradually decreasing.

The United States government has approved a voucher program of grants to help people to buy digital TV tuner for analog to digital transition easy so existing analog television sets can still be used for digital transmission of digital television .

To that end, Congress approved a fund of 1.5 billion dollars, with an initial budget of 990 million to subsidize up to two $ 40 coupons per household. The coupons are available from January 2008 and may be requested by consumers until March 2009 to be used for the purchase of two DTV tuners.

Both coupons can not be used to purchase a single DTV tuner, can not be used to purchase another type of OTA tuner / DVR, set top boxes, satellite decoders with DTT tuners in their broadcast decoders via wire.

The tuner offers from this program should cost between $ 50 – $ 70 each, the consumer must pay the difference after applying the coupon of $ 40. Under the plan, the tuners would be available from mid February 2008 from national chains Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.

Although subsidies tuners are designed to tune digital channels SD and HD, which can not transmit the signal to listen to different 480th resolution analogue to analogue television. In other words, subsidized tuners do not function as typical HD tuners adopt resolutions of 480p, 720p or 1080i for HDTV equipment for viewing HD. Their functionality is only converter that their aim is compatible with analog TV, but their price is lower than typical ATSC HDTV tuners, with resolutions of variable output and digital outputs.

We all love the incredible video quality of HD, however, since HD is not binding in terms of digital TV, a radio station can use the space allotted 6 MHz (for the HD channel), multicast, instead of multiple channels in the Lower – SD quality, as happens in reality in many stations across the United States.

When you share the same bandwidth 6MHz total sub-channels each from Rob SD 2-3 Mbps bandwidth required for an HD channel, which in itself should spread to 19.4 Mbit / s (if the station also multicast a sub-HD channels). The forces of simulcasting further compress the HD signal 19.4 Mbit / s at a lower rate to make way for the substring SD, compromising HD quality.

In many cases, more than one SD sub-channel is multicast with the HD subchannels. When the bit reduced HD compresses the signal beyond acceptable limits, makes an image of lower quality, with visible artifacts, especially for fast-moving images in sports, which are more evident, and unacceptable, on large screens ( more information about it later.)

It might also be possible that TV wants to share some of the bandwidth for data-casting services, interactive applications for digital TV or mobile handy portable devices (not ’s similar to those mobile devices as well) . For more information, see the articles I wrote about the Mobile DTV series, where I analyze the potential impact of mobile applications for the quality of an HD channel when you fly from its bandwidth.

We all hope that HD will be the kingdom and the HD quality will be superior to numerical models of the amount of business, and should encourage broadcasters to digital television to do so, however, the majority of consumers who purchased an HDTV is not an SDTV.

Just take a look back to 2003 statistics from the CEA, the first 5 years of HDTV around 6 million digital TV (which only 300,000 when it is integrated DTV tuners) and 400,000 of receiver-Top Box (STB) were sold between 1999 and 2003. At the end of 2007, the number of HDTV was 8 times as much, and about 50% of households have digital TV, according to CEA.

Already in 1998 / 9, it was not unusual for first-generation HDTV monitors costs $ 10,000, and the tuner HD STB cost of $ 700 to $ 3000. It ‘was expensive for early adopters.

At the end of 2007, a variety of technologies and televisions were available for all viewing environments. DTV sets are much better in terms of quality and sell for a small fraction of the price they were sold in 1998.