As we have known for quite some time now, the digital TV revolution has finally arrived. For those that are already familiar with the world of digital television, there is no need to get too excited about this, as there are just some basics that you need to know before the big day.
First, the major difference between the old analog TV broadcasts and the new digital TV broadcasts is that the former is broadcast through the use of analog signals, which were transmitted in packets, with each packet being identified by a unique channel number. With the advent of digital TV, there is no need for analog broadcasting because digital signals are sent in packets, thus eliminating the need for analog channels. The main thing that is important here is that digital channels do not need to be broadcasted in order to receive the signal; this is because the digital signals are received immediately after being sent.
Digital channels are also sent by means of a transmission protocol called the 'digital video standard' or the 'HDTV' as it is commonly referred to in the industry. It is used in conjunction with digital tuner technology, or the analog signal converter (AST), which can be found inside most televisions today.
When all of these components are combined, the result is the digital tuner or the HDTV, which is then capable of processing the incoming digital signal into an electronic signal that can be decoded and converted into an analog signal. Once again, this is done without the need for analog channels, and thus the reason why they are called 'digital.'
In the past, an analog TV would only have a handful of channels and all of them would be identified by a channel number. However, the advent of digital channels has allowed television companies to provide more channels to their viewers than ever before, since they have made sure that they are broadcasting digitally without using analog channels. This is especially important in the case of HDTVs, as they are able to deliver more than eight thousand channels to their viewers, which makes it very hard for viewers to miss an entire show when they turn on their TV's.
Digital channels will eventually make it possible for people to get channels from both cable and satellite services in order to enjoy the latest programs and even the entire seasons of their favorite shows. With more people turning to digital television to watch their favorite programs, it is only a matter of time before more people start switching to this type of service.