SolveYourProblem
HDTV Article Series
Buying
a High Definition Television (HDTV)
Three
Forms of HDTV Broadcasting
HDTV is an excellent advancement in technology
that provides superior picture and sound quality when compared
to traditional analog television. But, there are many different
ways to take advantage of this technology, mainly broadcast
antenna, cable, or satellite.
Broadcast Television
ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, and the WB all broadcast prime time shows
in high definition. In fact, the FCC ruled that commercial
broadcasters such as these had to begin changing over to digital
transmission as early as May of 2002. According to the National
Association of Broadcasters, 1155 of over-the-air broadcasters
in the United States met this initial deadline.
In addition, the FCC has supplied broadcasters with sufficient
bandwidth to broadcast HDTV programming. Despite the FCC’s
regulations and assistance with bandwidth, the government agency
has not has not established any form of checks and balances
to ensure broadcasters are, indeed, broadcasting in HDTV.
As a result, some over-the-air broadcasters are taking advantage
of the extra bandwidth through a practice referred to as multicasting.
Multicasting is when commercial broadcasters uses the extra
bandwidth to broadcast standard definition digital channels
rather than high definition digital channels. In this way,
commercial broadcasters can broadcast about 6 broadcasts using
the 19.4 megabits per second of bandwidth made available in
order to broadcast one HD channel.
The FCC has made no rule that broadcasters must broadcast
HDTV. In fact, the FCC has stated that broadcasters can broadcast
“according to their best judgment,” with the only stipulation
being that the digital service be broadcast at a resolution
comparable to the quality of analog shows.
For those people who do have big-screen HDTV televisions,
analog programs often don’t look very clear. In fact, flaws
of analog broadcasting are easier to see with an HDTV television
because of its increased pixel density.
In the end, receiving HDTV via a HD antenna is the least expensive
way to gain HDTV broadcasting. Many channels, however, are
still not broadcasting in HDTV and, even those that do don’t
always use the technology to its fullest potential.
Cable
Cable carriers are not likely to carry all HDTV channels at
this time, either. In fact, cable companies are currently battling
it out with the FCC regarding FCC must-carry rules. The debate
mostly surrounds the cable carrier’s unwillingness to carry
the many different formats under which commercial broadcasters
are currently broadcasting. The must-carry rules basically
require cable companies to offer an entire range of local programming,
but this rule doesn’t currently apply to digital television.
The only exception to this is if a broadcast company only broadcast
in digital, but this occurs only rarely. As a result, people
using cable to receive HDTV broadcasting generally need an
over-the-air HD antenna, as well, in order to receive local
channels in HDTV.
Most cable providers do offer some HDTV programming, but the
amount of HDTV programming provided depends upon the cable
company. In order to receive HDTV programming through the cable
provider, it is necessary to have a set-top-box. Often, this
is now included in the standard cable box. In other cases,
getting an HD cable box requires a special request. In addition,
it might cost extra to rent an HD cable box from the cable
company.
Satellite
Most satellite companies offer at least a few channels that
broadcast in HDTV. Each individual satellite company, however,
is different. Therefore, the amount of channels broadcasted
in HDTV can vary greatly by Satellite Company. For example,
DirecTV offers just 8 channels in HDTV, four of which are part
of the more expensive programming bundle.
Before purchasing satellite equipment and committing to a
satellite contract, it is important to check the programming
options, particularly those that are provided in HDTV. Most
satellite companies provide this information on-line.
If the FCC gets its way, all fields will be significantly
leveled by the end of 2006. At this time, the FCC has stipulated
that all broadcasts must be digital, though not necessarily
HDTV. At this time, the FCC will shut off all analog transmissions.
The FCC does, however, have a loophole in this mandate. It
has stated that this finalization of analog transmissions can
be postponed until 85% of viewers in the broadcasting area
are digital-TV ready. This has lead to many unhappy consumer
groups who want a definitive deadline as to when analog television
broadcasting signals will be shut off forever.
No matter when the conclusion to analog officially ends, all
three forms of television broadcasting – commercial broadcasting,
cable, and satellite – will ultimately need to get with the
times and offer all programs as HDTV.
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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