Out With The Old In With The New!

Around the world technology has been progressing for years. The television industry for example has made enormous improvements through the years. The National Television System Committee (NTSC) who also created the first black and white TV set in 1941 also developed the first color TV set in 1953. These systems were based on analog signals, which transmits information through a controlled flow of electrical a current, that allows information to be passed from one medium to the next.

The improvements of HDTV viewing quality go on and on. One of the most noticeable feature is the resolution. An increase in resolution to 1080i, six times greater than that shown on SDTV’s accounts for extremely sharp and detailed images. The pictures are also less blurred and fuzzy with rich colors and smooth motions. On average the information being shown of the screen in 2-5 times more detailed than it has been previously. The first time I watched a show in HD I was shocked at the difference in clarity, which allowed me to see scars along with any imperfection that previously were unnoticeable.

This movie describes other benefits more in depth and gives information on how to switch to HDTV

Another difference between HD and SDTV is bandwith. The realistic look given off on HD TV’s is in part due to bandwith. Greater bandwith means that more information is sent with each image. With current technology such large bandwidths cannot be sent digitally in mass amounts. This is why there continues to be channels that are still broadcasted analogically because they require much smaller amounts of bandwidth that can be processed. However, as technology increases all programs will soon be broadcasted in HD.

Problems that have come up with SDTV such as double images, ghosting, snow (black and white moving dots), multi-path and picture sparkles from impulse noise have been completely eliminated in HDTV systems. The new system is based off of three image component systems, which eliminate degradation of image quality.

Many people have had questions in regards to switching to HD quality TV. You cannot just use an old SDTV and receive the channels you must either buy a converter box but will still result in lower quality TV, or you must buy a new TV with the technology built in. The government is urging the switch not only due to the numerous aesthetic benefits but because it is also a more efficient use of electricity, which results in lower operating costs therefor, ultimately less environmental degradation. To ensure that anyone with a question can get a timely answer the government has set up  a website people are encouraged to visit and that answers common questions and allows you to send in your own.