Topic: US digital broadcast TV

January 9, 2007, 8:40 AM

Posted in: Digital TV services

Scott Fulton, BetaNews: On February 17, 2009 - just over two years from now - the analog broadcasting system used by American broadcasters for the entire 20th century will be shut down. Some of the spectrum will be turned over for emergency response use, while other portions of it will be auctioned off by the FCC, perhaps for use in wireless Internet service. But at that time, the old analog receivers will fail to receive signals; they'll need set-top boxes or compatible cable TV inputs to keep them functional.

With just a few years to go, we're not getting a very clear picture of what it is that the new low-resolution (i.e., 480i) DTV broadcast receivers will look like. Meanwhile, a new class of digital broadcast service is busting its way into the party, with the notion of being geared for portables and handhelds, but with the technological infrastructure to be a competitor in consumers' living rooms. Is The Next Television going to be the next battleground?

• A Brief History of DVB-H January 8, 11:51 PM
• The Other Digital Broadcast Standard January 7, 6:32 PM
• Low-res DTVs Needed to Meet 2009 Transition Date January 7, 6:11 PM