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The Analog to Digital Transition
The Analog to Digital TV Transition is a change from old style analog television broadcasting to new digital broadcasting. 
The free television programming transmitted from TV stations across the nation is also known as over-the-air broadcasting.
Moving from analog to digital TV is the most significant change in television since the NTSC standard for color TV was introduced in 1953. In 2005, Congress passed legislation requiring over-the-air TV stations to turn off their analog channels on February 17, 2009. By law, all full-power U.S. television stations will end their analog broadcasts and begin broadcasting in digital format only.
Digital Television (DTV) is an advanced broadcasting technology that will give you movie quality pictures and sound, more channels, and even free high definition television (HDTV) IF you have a HD television set.
Analog is also susceptible to “snow” that makes the picture less clear. That won't be a problem with digital TV. However, the reason for the change from analog to digital goes far beyond that. Basically, analog is not as efficient as digital TV, it uses up a lot more of the valuable *Broadcast Spectrum than digital transmissions. * The Broadcast Spectrum is the airwave space that TV Stations are licensed to broadcast on. TV stations can only transmit one channel of programming at a time with an analog signal versus up to four or more programs with a digital signal in the same amount of spectrum. This is known as "multicasting" . Now broadcasters will be able to offer more choices of programming, including high definition (HD).
Cutting out the analog portions of the broadcasting spectrum will free up areas that will be used for two important purposes: Digital TV technology can also be used for interactive video and data services, such as enhanced
It is important to understand that the change from analog to digital transmission is not a change from analog to high definition. The change is to digital broadcasting which also includes high definition. Digital broadcasting allows for high definition, but you don’t have to have a high definition TV to watch digital television. Digital broadcasting includes standard definition, enhanced definition and high definition formats.
high definition capable television.
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