HDTV stands for High Definition Television. It is the carrying of television signals digitally, like computers and the way the Internet transfers information. The broadcasts will all be millions and millions of bits (zeros and ones) like computer files are stored and transfered. We have been discussing the pros and cons of HDTV in our telecommunications class this semester. We became really interested when we found out that all television had to be digital by 2006. This new media will most definately cause a great change in the way everyone uses media.

What do "analog" and "digital" mean, and how are they different? Analog refers to the signal format used to transmit today's television. Digital signals also can transmit television, but they are much more efficient and can carry many times more information than analog. The highest quality digital TV signals will be high-definition or HDTV. Unlike analog signals, digital TV pictures have no snow, ghosts or interference. While the signals are different, today's analog sets will be able to receive the new digital signals by using a converter box.

Why is digital better?

Digital technology allows broadcasters great flexibility to offer a range of services. Using the same amount of spectrum they use today to offer just one analog signal, digital technology will allow broadcasters to offer one or two HDTV signals with better pictures and sound. It could broadcast at least six signals simultaneously with quality that compares to today's broadcasts, pay-per-view and subscription TV, plus other services like paging, Internet access and wireless telephone service.

Because the quality is better

Why would I want to buy an HDTV set? Digital television represents an advance in TV technology even more significant than the introduction of color TV four decades ago. Besides delivering much clearer images and six-channel surround sound, HDTV lets you watch motion pictures the way they were intended to be seen: on a wide 16-by-9 screen, one-third wider than today's 4-by-3 screens. In addition to its entertainment and home theater uses, digital TV will offer a variety of interactive applications. With its wider picture, more than four times sharper than today's television, digital TV is capable of delivering virtually any combination of video, audio and data to the home.

If digital HDTV receivers are right around the corner, why should I buy a new analog set today, if it's going to be obsolete tomorrow? HDTV will not make your new analog TV set obsolete. Analog sets will continue to receive broadcasts at least until 2006 - and all programs delivered by cable and satellite for years after that. And, of course, analog TVs will continue to work with VCRs and digital video disc (DVD) players. With the addition of a digital television converter in future years, your analog TV will receive the new digital broadcasts with the signal quality that digital provides, but not in high-definition resolution. Dollar for dollar, an analog set is a terrific value and may represent your best medium-term investment. The first digital HDTVs planned for late 1998 are expected to be projection models, carrying price tags around $10,000, and it will take a number of years for prices to come down. In addition, it's important to bear in mind that under the FCC timetable it will be years before significant amounts of digital programming are available in all media markets. HDTV may sound great, but with prices so high, will I be able to afford one? That's the same question consumers asked in 1961 when Zenith introduced its first color television sets, which at the time cost about as much as a new automobile. The pattern in consumer electronics - and you've probably experienced this yourself - is that first-generation products tend to be expensive and are aimed primarily at "early adopters." But as manufacturers achieve production efficiencies and the product gains wider acceptance, prices fall. This was the case with color TV, VCRs, projection sets and camcorders. In time, as smaller-screen sets are introduced, we'll see HDTV prices decline to more affordable levels. Check out some random facts on High Definition Television