Digital Technology
Digital this, digital that – what does
it all mean?
All television stations in the United
States must convert to digital broadcasting now, and all
analog television broadcasting in the country must cease as
of February 17, 2009. Radio stations all over the country,
although not required to do so, are converting to digital
broadcasting, as well. Information
on the digital conversion is sometimes confusing, especially
if you talk to retailers who are trying to sell you
receivers. To give you some background, here are a few
public broadcasting websites that explain what’s happening.
For additional information about what “digital” means to
you, we recommend you call your public television or radio
station.
http://www.pbs.org/digitaltv/faq.htm
PBS’s FAQ page on digital television
clearly lays out the benefits of digital television to
consumers, as well as explaining the technology in laymen’s
terms.
http://www.pbs.org/opb/crashcourse/
The companion website to Digital TV:
A Cringely Crash Course gives a history of television
technologies going back to 1884, so it may be more than you
want to know. For more information about the site’s author,
Robert X. Cringely, and why you might want to pay attention
to what he says about technology, visit
http://www.pbs.org/cringely/about/
http://www.current.org/dtv/
Current, the newspaper about
public broadcasting, has compiled another very informative
website about the conversion from analog to digital
broadcasting, including links to just about every
conceivable source of information for broadcasters and
engineers.
http://www.npr.org/everywhere/digital/
National Public Radio’s site not only
explains the technology but provides information on digital
receivers.
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