Communication Technology Update and Fundamentals, 11th Edition

6

Digital Television

Peter B. Seel, Ph.D. & Michel Dupagne, Ph.D.^*

The end of analog television broadcasting is imminent. In the United States, midnight on February 17, 2009 will mark the end of analog transmissions by full-power television stations and the end of the 12- year-long digital television (DTV) transition period defined by Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) (Deficit Reduction Act, 2005). Over 1,700 full-power U.S. television stations will turn off their analog transmitters that night and broadcast solely in DTV (see FCC, 2007b). The final stages of the transition to DTV in the United States are dependent upon viewers being aware of its implications for households that do not subscribe to either cable or satellite ...