How the digital revolution has changed the way we watch television

Before the advent of digital television the viewership for popular television programmes was astronomical. The days of season finales bringing in tens of thousands of people all huddled around their television sets were part of the fabric of the analogue generation. Television was geared towards global sporting events, one-off historic documentaries and newsflashes that got people talking about it the next day and the week to come.

Satellite television brought us choices, programmes from around the world and many different films and sports that we could watch without cutting into the air time of regular programming. It was still analogue and didn’t improve picture quality or reception issues that also came with analogue terrestrial television, but with Pay TV came the ability to choose the channels we wanted, the sports we loved and the movies we had to see – at a premium.

When digital television arrived, it revolutionised terrestrial television. For no extra cost to the viewer, multiple channels were available, with little upgrade costs required to purchase the receiver or digital television. Pay TV was an available option when it came to digital satellite television, and with services becoming available later that offered television via the internet or cable, the choice on offer in terms of programming matched the boost in quality of the picture, the signal and the audio.

But as a boost in quality of the picture became quickly apparent with the introduction of digital high definition television on cable, satellite and terrestrial television, many people wondered where the quality went in programming. With more people tuning in than ever, the broadcasters with all of their newly found bandwidth to give us hundreds of channels decided to create a channel for nearly every possible niche imaginable.

These niche channels and programming brought with them a whole host of reality television programming that changed the face of television almost overnight. With audiences wanting more true stories about real people and the lives that they live, broadcasters searched high and low for entertaining characters that audiences could relate to and create programmes that could convey alternative lifestyles.

The characters that grew in popularity have grown into household names, and the programmes that these new form of celebrity found fame in have become an almost never-ending conveyor belt of ready-made television personalities. But this digital revolution in television has also put the power in control of the audience. With more and more ways to watch television; from series recording, time-shifted programming and television and movies on demand, the power is in the viewers’ fingertips, just as the power to vote off this weeks’ celebrity from the newest reality programme is afforded to viewers, the digital revolution in television has given audiences an evolution in control that cannot be reversed.

About the Author:

Ruth Hawtree is the owner of Local Bloke Antenna Services (Gold Coast), a govt approved digital tv and tv antenna specialist, an installer of Freeview and home theatre with years of experience.

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Home Theatre Installation: Your Options

With today’s high definition blue-ray movies, video games and the addition of giant 3D television sets, the digital experience available to you to enjoy in the comfort of your own home has never been better. So what a perfect time have a home theatre installed into your lounge or rumpus room!

Establish Your Budget

Turning the room you have chosen into a home theatre can be relatively simple to achieve, with prices in technology falling all the time, you may be surprised with what you can achieve with even a little budget. For those wishing to create something extraordinarily special, the sky is the limit! Take advantage of fully animated controls, mini fridges and luxurious furniture to make it feel like you’re at the movies.

For those on a more moderate budget, turning a spare room into a home theatre can come in many different forms. You can easily purchase a television system that can be hidden away from view when the room is being used for something else.

Choosing a Television

It goes without saying that a home theatre installation needs a screen to watch your movies on, so you must decide on which sort of viewing experience you want to achieve. Without delving into the technical lingo associated with the numerous types of screens available, there are a few basic things you need to know, not just for the achieving the viewing experience you desire, but also to make good use of space and keep your home theatre installation on budget.

You will want to choose a screen that fits your room, not too overpowering and not too small. Choose a screen size that gives you the optimal viewing distance from your seating arrangements and you will always have a great experience. TVs come in many different forms, but by hanging your TV on the wall, you can achieve optimal viewing distance, as well as giving everyone in the room a clear view.

A HD-experience is a must these days, and with many LCD televisions being available for amazing prices, this is the place to start for those on a budget. LED televisions are a step up in terms of quality, as well as power saving, but are harder to manufacture than LCD TVs and therefore the larger screens cost significantly more.

Plasma screens seemed to have died off a few years ago, but are now making a comeback thanks to advancements in the technology. You may find that Plasma screens are cost-effective, but due to the nature of the system plasma screens use, their lifetime may stop shorter than their LCD and LED rivals.

For a truly stunning experience, many home theatre installations opt for a projector to fill a wall with a stunning image. Projectors have come a long way since the old analogue variants. You can now find many LED projectors on the market for reasonable prices that give you stunning 1080p images and are as crisp and clear as any traditional television set.

The full experience

To get the best out of your home theatre, investing in a decent set of high definition digital surround sound speakers and amplifier will work wonders for that true theatre experience. With literally thousands of amplifiers and speakers on the market, you should choose a system that keeps you on budget, as well as attaining a certain level of audio quality to compliment your screen.

TV Antenna Installer Gold Coast

Local Bloke Antenna Services is a TV antenna installer in Gold Coast, Queensland. It's an established family-run business with a proven record in antenna services. Whether you're having reception problems, you’re planning an upgrade to your TV system or you’re looking to install digital TV in a new house or office, Local Bloke can take care of all your needs.

A lot of people assume they're getting a weak signal from the transmitter if their TV reception is bad. This might be true, but it might be due to other factors. Plenty other things can cause bad reception. Old or badly installed cabling between your TV and antenna can wreak havoc with the signal. The antenna itself might be badly sited, damaged or just knocked out of alignment. An electrical appliance in the area might be interfering with your signal, or tall buildings could be getting between you and the transmitter. If you're having any of those problems, and you spend money on an expensive signal amplifier, you're probably just going to make the problem worse. Call in one of the experts from Local Bloke Antenna Services and they'll be able to find out what the real problem is and work out the best solution for you. Digital signal strength tests are carried out on all jobs to guarantee you the best possible reception when the switchover to digital occurs.

If you need a new antenna installed, rest assured that Local Bloke will only use the highest quality parts on all their jobs. All antennas and cabling are fully digital ready, and reinforced fittings are used to fit the antenna to your house. Whether you want to replace an existing antenna or fit one to a new home, the job will be done properly and the team will clean up after themselves. Customers love the fact that Local Bloke doesn’t leave a mess behind. Fitting antennas for shared occupancy housing is also no problem; the company has plenty of experience at that and will come up with a solution to suit your needs. The same goes for commercial buildings.

But it's not all about antennas. Local Bloke can help you set up your entertainment gadgets, too. We can wall mount your plasma or flat screen, and we’re experts when it comes to home theatre setup. Every stage can be dealt with, from finding the ideal spots for your speakers, connecting it all up, balancing the sound and tuning in. Local Bloke will also explain how to work everything once it's set up, too. There's a reason why we’ve been voted by customers as the best TV antenna installers on the Gold Coast.

As well as good quality workmanship and top components, when you go with Local Bloke, you'll receive the confidence that comes with knowing you’ve got the best in the business.

Antenna Installation Services in the Gold Coast

If you’re looking for antenna installation services in the Gold Coast you will be pleased to know that there are several reputable and longstanding businesses that have been in the game for many years. Local Bloke is one company that prides itself on delivering quality service every time.

But you might be asking yourself why you should hire an antenna installation specialist instead of attempting to do it yourself? There are many reasons to go with a professional. If you think it just means having to climbing onto the roof and securing the antenna in place, you might need to rethink this. In this article, we go through some of the services we provide in a little more detail and provide you with some information about what to expect.

Installing a new antenna
The very first step to installing a new antenna is to do a signal test to see how high the quality of the reception is. There are different aerial strengths according to your location. There are also other factors that may affect the strength of a signal for example if there are several high buildings surrounding you as these may intercept any signals that would otherwise be easily received. The signal test is crucial in order to provide the best recommendation on both the type of antenna you need and where on your roof it should be installed.

Solving reception issues
If you are faced with any antenna issues such as interference, lines or pixilation on your screen, chances are you may need an expert to have a look. He or she can diagnose the problem and advise you as to whether you need a new antenna. New antennas come ready with a complete digital system and the technician can ensure it is installed correctly.  However, it may be the case that a new antenna is not needed, in which case the cabling and wiring will need to be examined. 

 
Installing digital set top boxes
These digital set top boxes enhance and improve the picture quality on your TV for both analogue and digital systems. But if you fail to install a digital set top box correctly no improvements in quality will be noticeable. The method used to connect a digital set top box is simple and straightforward for a professional.

Satellite TV installations
The benefit of having satellite TV allows is that you can access channels from other parts of the world. This greatly increases the number of programs you can watch and broadens your TV experience.

Adding extra TV points for different rooms
If you are looking to install additional TV points in different rooms your best bet would be to call up an antenna professional to help solve the issue. After all, you really don’t want to be settling for that TV function allowing you to watch two different channels at the same time on the same TV.

The Difference Between Analogue and Digital TV Antennas

I have noticed that people I have been talking to are getting really confused about the difference between digital and analogue antennas, and frankly I don’t blame them. Even I was initially confused about all this until I did the proper research and found out for myself. If you’re having the same trouble that I did, this article details the main differences and can help you understanding the changes to television signals in Australia.

There are hundreds of definitions and a great deal of technical information about digital TV antennas and analogue TV antennas, but we do not want to bog you down with more information that will probably confuse you even more. In simple terms, both the digital TV antenna and the analogue TV antenna receive broadcasting singles for TV programs. Obviously, the analogue antenna can only capture analogue TV signals whereas a digital antenna receives digital signals, which are of higher quality. There are also a few other TV antennas that can capture both digital and analogue signals.

According to the claims of marketers, these antennas work in a similar way, although they obviously deal with different types of data. For instance, an analogue signal is actually very similar to an AM and FM radio signal. However, they can be hampered by interference, snow, ghosting and many other environmental factors that make the picture and sound quality lower than desired. On the other hand, digital TV signals are transmitted as data bits of information, similar to how computer data or music is written onto a hard disk. Unlike the analogue TV signal, they do not face much fading or interference. The digital signal can carry much more information than existing analogue signals. If a signal is poor, an analogue TV signal can still run with some picture distortion, whereas the digital TV shows a picture or doesn’t, depending on the strength of the signal. That said, in some cases where there is slight distortion in the digital signal, there will be pictures on the TV. Though the analogue TV signal was the method that was used when the television was first invented, the digital TV signal is now gradually replacing it with its improved efficiency and coverage.

While many people say that digital TV antennas are really essential for the best TV viewing, many people are content with analogue TV. Some people believe that there is little difference between the digital TV antenna and analogue TV antenna and both of them can work really well. However, when I replaced my old analogue TV antenna with a digital TV antenna I found that the TV signal and picture quality was significantly improved, so I can’t really understand how people could compare it to the old signal. Most importantly, I now have access to more channels with digital TV. Hence, I would say that it is definitely worth installing a digital TV antenna even though it’s a little bit pricey.

TV Wall Mounting

Wall mounted TVs look great and it sure clear up space in your home. But to wall mount a TV presents a bit of a challenge. Our advice? Hire a professional. Your TV is sophisticated piece of equipment that requires specialized knowledge to mount. To do it yourself, you’d need to tools and techniques, how to assess the strength of the walls, run cables, and choose the right mount. Professional wall mount TV installers have the knowledge and experience needed to complete the job. Unless you have done this before or happen to have a wall probe, a drill, and wire running tools lying around, you need to call an expert.

Where do you want it?  

Before you call a professional wall mount TV installer, you’ll want to have a sense of where you want to put the TV. You might not want the TV to be the first thing you notice in the room, so think about where it will complement your layout and design without stealing focus from other important things. Be sure to pick a comfortable height for the TV in comparison with your furniture. You’re going to spend a long time looking at it, so put it somewhere comfortable!

You can talk to the wall mount TV installers while deciding on location so that you can take into account the strength of the wall and the location of the TV relative to other devices like speakers. If you work with installers who also do home theatre installations, like Local Bloke Antenna Services in Gold Coast, they’ll be conscientious about making sure that your TV can hook up to all of your other equipment. 

Try not to get too attached to one location, as it may turn out that your wall cannot hold the mounts or support the weight of the television. If you already know the measurements of the TV, this can help you find the right space. Whatever you do, do not put the TV over a fireplace.

Getting a Wall Mount

Really excellent wall mount TV installers will include the mounts in their installation package, allowing you to skip this step. If you already have the TV, or know which one you’re getting, you can look at the types of mounts the manufacturer sells. Some TVs will only attach to wall mounts made by the same manufacturer, so you’ll want to see what your options are. Think about whether you’ll want to tilt the TV or position it at an angle. Make sure that the mounts you purchase are the right size, and can handle the weight of your television. 

Finding a Wall Mount TV Installer on the Gold Coast

Local Bloke Antenna Services has been voted the best TV installers on the Gold Coast, and the government has accredited all of their installers. At Local Bloke, they bring the wall mount so you can be sure you have the perfect one. They’re known for their great customer service, and can help you with any questions you might still have. Their wall mount TV installation service includes digital signal testing, so you can be sure your TV works. They also help set up home theatre systems, so they will be able to make sure everything connects and beautifully conceal the cables. They specialize in mounting Flat Panel TVs and projectors, making them the perfect choice for either job.