Being a good little cog in the machine, most of us have probably heard talk about "HDTV", "Digital TV", Blu-ray, HDMI, DVI, and all sorts of other terms fly around that seem to amount to "Buy more TVs and black boxes".
Thought I'd put together the following summary for anyone curious. Of course Wikipedia is a great place to go for these sorts of questions, regardles of how you feel about using it for higher brow subjects like literary criticism.
The "Idiot's Guide to Emerging AV technology" might read something like this (un-edited):
Difference between Digital and HD
HDTV is short for High Definition TV and can be either a digital or analog signal. You can send a "HD" signal over the same 15 pin cable that has been used to hook up computer monitors for the last umpteen years. This is analog HD. You can also send an "HD" signal over a digital cable, such as a DVI-d cable or an HDMI cable.
DIGITAL TV or a DIGITAL broadcast is simply a signal that is binary, 1/0, like computer information. This is different from standard, analog, TV simply by being digital. Standard TV was sent with waves of energy, lots of different frequencies. As the radio wave changed shape (taller, longer, etc.) the image on your TV changed shape. With Digital TV the information for each pixel is sent using binary information, data, and then your TV or monitor creates the image by setting each pixel to the desired color and brightness. It updates this image so many times per second that the image moves.
Digital TV doesn't NECESSARILY equal better image or higher resolution. Digital TV can be either standard definition (what you see on DVDs or cable TV right now) or high definition (see below).
Digital TV Switchover - In February 2009 the federal government has mandated that all broadcasters switch over to purely digital signals. Don't worry. This means absolutely nothing for you unless you get your TV "off the air", which is fancy language for "I use an antenna". If you use an antenna, then you WILL be affected. People who only have an antenna will have to use a digital tuner to get the signal. If you purchased a TV in the last 2 years, chances are you have this tuner. If not, you can get a coupon from the government for $40.00 off the price of a digital tuner. If you have a TV capable of displaying HD content, the good news is that the switch to digital broadcasts means you can now pick up HD content for free off the air, when the broadcaster chooses to send it.
The old "off the air" system was refered to by the acronym NTSC and the new system is called ATSC. That is what you're looking for on your TV to know whether or not you'll need a separate tuner after Feb. 2009 to view TV with an antenna. Keep in mind that if you get cable or satellite, then the provider and their set top box will take care of this switch over for you.
My new TV has a digital (ATSC) tuner and with a basic set of rabbit ears I've been able to watch glorious HD content, for free, from PBS and networks like ABC...including Lost in HD. PBS has some of the most gorgeous free HD content out there. They have an entire channel dedicated to HD that includes beautiful on-site travel programs, science, and lots of other stuff.Blu-ray - Yes, Blu-ray has won this current format war. What does that mean? If you have an HD capable TV (at least 720p) then you can purchase a Blu-ray player, re-purchase all your movies (or just start buying Blu-ray), and watch better looking movies. Yes it's a noticeable difference, mostly on larger TVs. If you have a TV less than 25", it probably won't be an earth shattering experience. Keep in mind that with the pace technology is evolving, the next "Big" shift in technology will likely be streaming or downloaded HD, and unless you are chomping at the bits to have the latest in HD home entertainment, you're probably better suited to wait a year or so. If nothing else, prices should come down from over $400.00 for a player to closer to the $150-$200 mark.
Emerging Technologies - What's coming in the next few years? Well, the early adopter technology is out now which means that, if successful, more widespread devices should be out within 2 years (right around the time Blu-ray COULD be hitting its stride). I'm talking about streaming HD. The benefits? Imagine being able to sit down on your couch and, with access to the entire Netflix or Blockbuster library, pick what movie you want to rent/buy. In less time than it takes to heat up the popcorn, the movie is at your TV and ready to watch. Yes, in HD and with all the control (play/pause/FF/RW/Chapters/Etc) that DVD has spoiled you with. Right now this takes the form of either a TiVo box or AppleTV, however with Blockbuster and Netflix both wanting in on the action, it's likely there will be significantly more options within 2 years.
Essentially, you would be downloading the movie either permenantly (buying), or temporarily (renting) to a hard drive in a box sitting under your TV. The key here is interface. Most consumers don't want to have to operate a computer while watching a movie. They want any computer involved to be as transparent as possible. They want to sit down with a remote, and watch a movie. Period. If the companies involved can grasp this, it will make Blu-ray a moot point as people won't have to go out and buy a physical disc whenever they want to watch a movie.
-edit 3/5/08-
Apply here for a DTV Tuner if you have an old TV AND use an antenna.
-end edit-
Wikipedia on Blu-ray
Wikipedia on HD-TV
Wikipedia on Digital TV
Monday, February 25, 2008
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4 comments:
Awesome post; insightful and practical!
I poured over every word. Very good information, given in a very good way. Thanks!
Thanks for the post. It definitely shed some light on a topic I know little to nothing about. As usual, it seems that I am an outlier. I have a small, low end tv and use bunny ears. This setup doesn't bother me and I can't for the life of me understand why someone would spend soo much money on tv. Maybe it will all make sense when I see my first movie on Blu-ray. (Or maybe I'm hopelessly cheap.)
Patti,
You're using a "small, low end tv and...bunny ears" is exactly why this is important to you. After February 2009, you WILL NOT be able to watch TV anymore. They WILL NOT be broadcasting a signal over the airwaves anymore that you will be able to view on your TV.
The only way for you to keep using those bunny ears with your "small, low end" TV, is to get a digital tuner to hook up to your TV. The federal government will give you a voucher worth $40 off and you can start applying for these now! See the revision to my post.
Cheers
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