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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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.