Thursday, April 30, 2009

High Definition Television


High definition television are becoming more and more popular, many people are getting a HDTV because they believe that this is turning out to be the next standard in television sets, there is no wonder to this belief since the transmission quality is definitely superior to anything that came before it. The most common thing you can hear is that someone that just got a HDTV set says that he would not have believed how fast he would get used to this phenomenal quality.


In fact, most of the HDTV users say they don't understand how they watched television "the old way", and that they can not stand to watch a regular television because of its poor quality, this is even worst for sport addicts who confess that HDTV is almost a necessity for those football games.


It is not surprising then that this is not only an American trend, this HDTV madness is on a global scale, and like any other market rules this suggests that high definition will indeed become a very accessible purchase in a few year, the demand is predicted to grow in the next few years and as more television stations start transmitting in high definition more users are expected to join the market.


The companies that make the high definition television sets say that this started as a slow and gradual excitement, much of it because many people got used to the standard television broadcast, and no one thought that there will be any advancement on the level of transmission quality, most people had thought of the DVD markets and the digital signal gadgets but not about improving the actual result that you see on screen.


The result is that slowly, but surly, many are giving the high definition television a chance and once they watch it, they are hooked, and there are high chances that they will ultimately go for the high definition.


One product that has been linked most of all to the high definition transmission quality is the plasma screen, most users say that one simply can not exists without the other, that the plasma executes what the high definition enables, and while this may be very true the costs of both are still very high and not everyone can afford to purchase a plasma television set, but experts say that like all other things, this too will change in the next few years as the standards in the television market change completely, in other words they say that most people will be surprised at how quickly they will be sitting in front of their own plasma screen at home.


Anyone looking to get a high definition television set, or a plasma screen , is strongly advised to research this market before he buys anything, this market is known for its prices fluctuations and rapid changes, so make sure you buy a good product and that you are properly covered for maintenance and guarantee. Once you decide make sure you know how to install everything properly and take good care of your electronic equipment so you can use it and enjoy it for many years.


Article by:By: Simon Oldmann

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Satellite broadcasting technology for TV and Radio

Television programming to the viewer's home or business. A radio signal can only travel in a straight line however. Enter the satellite. By placing an orbiting satellite at 37,000 km (22,300 miles) above the earth and having it match the earth's rotational speed (7,000 miles per hour) the satellite stays over the same spot above the earth. This is referred to as being in geosynchronous orbit.

These orbits are sometimes also referred to as Clarke orbits in honor of Arthur C. Clarke who first came up with the idea in an article he wrote back in 1945 entitled "Extraterrestrial Relays" published in Wireless World Magazine. The orbiting satellite then retransmits the radio broadcast signal back down to earth to the receiving satellite dish (mini-dish) located on your home or business. The signal then travels through coaxial cables from the dish into the receiver that is connected to your TV, where the signal is then descrambled into viewable programming for your family to enjoy.
Uplink Station

Satellite TV programming that you watches at home begins with a transmitting satellite dish or antenna located at what is known as an uplink station. The satellite dish located on your house is only 18" in diameter and is tiny compared to the huge satellite dishes used at uplink stations. These satellite dishes can be as large as 9 to 12 meters (30 to 40 feet) in diameter. The great size of these satellite dish transmitters allows for a much stronger radio signal and for better aiming of the signal at the orbiting satellite. The uplink dish is pointed toward a specific satellite and the up linked signals are transmitted within a specific radio frequency range, so as to be received by one of the transponders tuned to that frequency range aboard that satellite. The transponder 'retransmits' the signals back to Earth but at a different frequency band (to avoid interference with the uplink signal), typically in the C-band (4-8 GHz) or Ku-band (12-18 GHz) or both. The leg of the satellite signal path that transmits the signal down to the Earth station is known as the 'downlink'. Satellites can have up to 32 transponders for Ku-band and up to 24 for C-band only satellites. Typical transponders each have a bandwidth between 27 MHz and 50 MHz. Geostationary Kc-band satellites need to be spaced at least 1 degree apart to avoid signal interference. For C-band satellites the spacing needs to be at least 2 degrees.




Satellite Signal Technology

Original satellite broadcasts are converted into a high-quality, uncompressed digital stream containing a lot of data, and sends it at a speed of 270 megabits per second (Mbps) for each channel. All of this data must be compressed however or the satellite would not be able to receive the information. The system of compression used in the U.S. is the MPEG-2 compressed video format. This is similar to the system used to make DVDs. The provider could now reduce the 270-Mbps stream to about 5 or 10 Mbps, enabling them to transmit about 200 channels, instead of the 30 they could transmit before compression. These signals are scrambled so that only paid subscribers can receive them.
Mini-Dish Technology

Unlike their predecessors, today's satellite dishes are small, only 18" in diameter and are referred to as a 'mini-dish'. A typical satellite dish consists of two parts: the reflector and the feed horn. The reflector is the concave dish-shaped part of the antenna. This is the part of the antenna that captures and focuses the satellite signal onto the feed horn. The feed horn is the part of the antenna that is mounted on an arm that sticks out from the reflector dish. It takes the signal and feeds it through a cable to your satellite receiver (black box). Newer satellite dish designs feature multiple feed horns. This is so the dish can pick up signals from several satellites and clearly focus the captured signal on one of the several feed horns.

Something called a feed horn has a feature known as a low noise block down converter (LNB). This provides for clear signal. The LNB does two things: It amplifies the signal received from the satellite provider, and filters out 'signal noise,' radio signals that do not carry the satellite provider's television programming.

Satellite Receiver
The satellite receiver is simply the black box that is connected to your television set. It receives the signal from your mini-dish and then de-scrambles the signal into viewable pictures for your family to watch. The receiver does three main things: It receives and de-scrambles the signal which contains the programming. It separates the programming into the individual channels you request by way of the channel selector button on either your TV or your remote control. It tracks your Pay Per View usage, and sends your billing information for this programming to your provider.

Today, there are several different kinds of receivers: standard receivers, DVR receivers and HD receivers for receiving high definition (HDTV) television programming. DVR (Digital Video Receiver) players allow the viewer to actually Pause and Replay live TV and to record up to 70 hours on the DISH Network DVR 311 or 322 players. The DISH Network DVR receiver is an advanced dual tuner, two TV output satellite receiver and integrated digital video recorder (DVR). The DISH Network DVR's were designed so that you never have to miss another favorite TV show again. No matter what your schedule; with the Dish Network DVR you can simply record your favorite shows with just the click of a button. DISH Network offers over 500 programming channels to choose from and all DISH Network satellite programming comes in 100% all-digital video and audio.
Article By: globcos

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Analog vs. Digital: What in God’s Creation is Analog? And Why do We Need Digital?





The U.S. broadcast system is embarking on a transition that is the result of technological advancements. It will make better use of resources most importantly our broadband spectrum and enhance the quality of our broadcasting. Although complicated at a glance, the transition has been a progression over a number of years and will leave no one in a compromising position!
Analog televisions send signals which tell the TV’s electron gun how to portray lines on the screen. Unfortunately, this signal degrades during transmission. Analog signals are affected by changes in physical phenomena, for example, temperature, position, pressure, sound and light. This lessons the amount of fine detail in the image. Digital televisions use bit streams, lines of data consisting of ones and zeros, to send this same information. Digital signals do not degrade, therefore the picture is much better on a digital television set. They do have limitations in resolution and bandwidth similar to Analog. It is difficult to detect when degradation occurs in an analog signal but a digital systems’ degradation can not only be detected but repaired.
This knowledge enables us to immediately choose the television which will yield the better picture with all things being equal. However, the source signal also needs to be considered. As sources go, Analog is good, Analog cable is better and Digital cable/Digital satellite is best. According to an article titled TV Buying Guide by Robert Valdes, “a DVD will look better on a low-end television than an analog broadcast antenna signal will look on a high-end HDTV. That is because the quality of the digital signal sent to the analog set is far superior to the analog signal sent to the digital HDTV.”
In response to technological advances in digital programming, we are seeing a complete transition from Analog to Digital. This transition has been a long time coming! In 1996 U.S. Congress authorized an additional broadcast channel to each broadcast TV station so they could simultaneously broadcast analog and digital. U.S. Congress later announced that February 17, 2009 would be the last day for full power television stations to broadcast in analog. In 2006, all new televisions which were 25” or larger were required to be DTV ready. The requirement was then expanded in March 2007 to include all new televisions 13” or larger.
The switch to solely Digital broadcasting will free up significant portions of our valuable broadcast spectrums. This can be used for public safety communications as well as auctioned to companies who provide wireless services etc. This transition will also allow a broadcaster to offer super sharp high definition programming or multiple standard definition programs through a process referred to as multicasting. Multicasting allows a broadcaster to offer several channels of digital programming at the same time using the same amount of spectrum required for one analog program.
Analogue sets will need to employ the use of a Digital-to-Analog converter box after February 17, 2009. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is offering coupons for converter boxes which are valued at 40 dollars, limited to 2 per household. The cost of the converter boxes are estimated between 40 and 70 dollars. Furthermore, Digital TV sets are backward compatible which means that existing analogue equipment such as VCRs, DVD players, camcorders and computer game consoles will work on digital TV sets.
The U.S. is embarking on a transition that is the result of technological advancements. As of February 2009, we will make better use of resources most importantly our broadband spectrum and enhance the quality of our broadcasting. The transition has been a progression over a number of years and will leave no one in a compromising position!
Article By:Allison Merlino
From : http://www.isnare.com Thankyou!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Why Is Digital TV Better Than Analog TV?


To believe this one should watch both of them and feel the difference on their own. The quality of picture and sound are of high quality which gives you ultimate excitement and satisfaction while watching your favorite programs. Digital TV compresses images which help to broadcast multiple channels at a same band width. Whereas Analog which is generally called as SDTV uses magnetic waves to transmit and display pictures and sound which has been traditionally used. The special features available in Digital TV is surround sound, crystal clear pictures, sharper pictures which is all requires for the latest evolution of television the High Definition Television.
Compared to the analog the SDTV is significant as it provides more channels from the same station. If you observe the analog broad casting you will find that it is a hassle the capacity to accommodate only a few stations. Where as with digital it contains more information than the analog.
If you already have an analog set and wish to upgrade it to a digital one its possible by using digital tuner decoder though it will display the high quality pictures as provided by the original digital sets. In today's market you find digital quality sets are available and the best news is that their prices have decreased.
The cable providers always do not supply with digital cables which digital signals. As such cables do not meet the standards when a digital cable is connected to a digital TV it will receive only analog signal, thus eliminating the advantages of a digital television. A solution for this is the digital quality pictures provided by satellite service providers.
Digital TV is used for the latest innovation in entertainment the HDTV. Here you get to watch pictures in a wider screen with more clarity than in analog sets. The picture quality and the audio clarity are far better as compared with the analog.
If this revolution from analog to digital continues what about consumers who have analog system is a question which ponders the minds of many.For this a transition period has been set up and that is through the year 2006. If necessity requires then that can be extended too.
Articles by: Mitch Medford
From... www.Isnare.com Thankyou!

Friday, March 20, 2009

HDTV – HDTV Explained


You have probably heard of HDTV but you may be confused by all of the new terminology.The maximum resolution on a standard analog TV is 720 X 480 pixels, which is about 337,000 total pixels. HDTV is part of the Digital TV specifications which has many different video resolutions. The two main resolutions to be concerned about are 720p and 1080i. The "p" means progressive and "i" mean interlaced, in both resolutions every second has 60 frames of video.
Progressive resolution puts 60 full frames on the screen every second. Interlaced resolution puts 30 frames of only odd lines and then 30 frames of only even lines up every second. Some people find that the interlaced video causes flickering.
The 720p video resolution is 1280 X 720 pixels, which gives 921,600 total pixels and the 1080i video resolution is 1920 X 1080, which gives a huge 2,073,000 pixels.
It is personal choice as to which resolution you prefer, the best way of finding out is to go down to your local retailer and look for yourself.
The sound on HDTV will sound better than it did on your analog tv, some HDTV programs include Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, but you will need the relevant speakers to be able to take advantage of this.
You will have to buy a new HDTV. Some HDTVs come with built-in tuners, while others do not. The tuner converts the signal into something that your TV can recognize. HDTVs that do not come with a tuner are commonly called "HDTV Ready." An HDTV without a tuner is worthless.
It is possible to view HDTV on your pc, you can do this with ATi HDTV Wonder, it comes with its own antenna to pick up airborne HDTV signals, it also has inputs for cable and satellite signals. A benefit of this is that you can play and record any show you want on your computer.

articles by: Lucy Bartlett

From...http://www.isnare.com/ Thakyou!

Digital TV – What You Need To Know.


Digital TV is on it’s way. Do you know what you need to do? Are you prepared? Find your answers here.
Your traditional television is known as an analog (analogue) television. It works by encoding the picture and sound information as an analog signal. The picture on an analog television is drawn on the screen one entire frame at a time. The analog signals are transmitted continuously even if there is no new information to send.
A digital television receives information as a digital signal. This is an entirely new technology and will eventually replace the analog television system.
The digital signals are transmitted using computer code, which consist entirely of ones and zeroes. This is a difficult concept to perceive but it works. Digital signals are much more efficient, result in less interference and therefore it provides a better quality picture and sound than analog.
Another significant feature of digital television is that is uses a significantly smaller channel bandwidth. This means there is more ‘space’ for other digital channels which will allow other non-television services such as pay-multimedia services, multicasting (more than one program on the same channel), electronic program guides and interactivity to be used at the same time.Whilst digital television often has superior audio quality, image, and reception than analog, it is still in the early stages of development and there are still many advances needed.
As with most things in today’s modern society Digital Television comes in a couple of quality levels:-
Standard Definition TV (SDTV) – This is the basic level of digital television transmission. It has a quality similar to today's analog TV;
Enhanced Definition TV (EDTV) – This gives a better level of quality and includes Dolby digital surround sound;
High Definition TV (HDTV) – This as the name suggests gives the best quality digital picture and Dolby digital surround sound.
Currently, most TV stations in America are broadcasting digital and analog. This means that you can view your favourite TV shows no matter what type of TV you have. However, after the 17th February 2009 the full-power TV stations will no longer be able to broadcast in analog.
And if you have an analog TV you will not be able to view the shows unless you obtain a separate digital-to-analog converter box or a new digital TV.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will sometime at the start of 2008, issue qualifying households with $40 coupons towards the purchase of a converter box. For more information on how to qualify go to www.ntia.doc.gov.
Bear in mind though, that an analog TV connected to a digital converter box will display the digital broadcasts but not in full digital quality.
Digital TV will be (and is now) available over the air using a standard antenna or via digital cable or satellite. No matter how you receive your TV signal (satellite, cable or over-the-air), you will need the digital converter or digital TV to watch the programming

Read more articles by: Adam White
from... http://www.isnare.com/ Thakyou so much.

Friday, March 13, 2009

How Do I Get the New Digital Television on My Old TV Set?


The time is coming near, as each day passes it is getting closer to February 2009 and that is when analog TV transmissions will no longer be used by any of the television stations. The programs on television channels will be broadcast in a digital signal and that means people who are using rabbit ears need to make a change soon. So, the question is how can the digital signal be transmitted to an older television and there are several answers to that question.
The first answer is that a special converter box can be purchased to use with your older television set in many of the stores. There are some drawbacks with this digital tuner box; one of them is as February gets closer the boxes become more expensive. The other reason is by purchasing this box you will be keeping the same local channels with the same infomercials.
That is why many people are now looking at their options and these options are using a cable television provider or a satellite TV provider. Cable television is only available in certain areas, that leaves satellite TV with a provider like Dish Network, because anywhere that there is a view of the southern sky satellite TV is available. Cable television providers use fiber optic cables that are expensive, this is why cable television is only in more populated areas. Even in populated areas there are many advantages having satellite TV, with a provider like Dish Network there are many packages to choose from and HDTV receivers for high definition programming.
High definition programming is that crisp clear picture that brings the program right in the room and Dish Network has more HDTV channels and programs than free TV or cable.
This is going to happen, the government and the local television stations are making the public well aware that after the date in February the switchover will take place and without a converter box free television will not be available because their will be no analog signal. Digital transmission is a more reliable type of programming that can be sent clear and more information can be sent than with analog transmission and this is the reason for changing.
Anyone who has been watching television with rabbit ears for free now will need to start making choices and with dish tv as a choice there will be no need for a converter box and there will be programs on worth watching even after the late show. This is something that anyone knows who watches their local channels after the late show if your not tired you will be watching infomercials. Even with your old TV you can get a clear picture when you have dish TV without adjusting the rabbit ears because there are receivers that will hook right up to the old TV and bring in programs in the digital transmission without any need to adjust the antenna.
Change is good and satellite TV is also a choice that can make everyone in the family happy with the programming available.