The current Analogue TV system has been the standard since television began in the 1940s and 50s.
Technological advances in the field of computers have allowed television to enter the 21st century producing cinema-like quality and sound in the home.
What is digital TV?
Digital TV is a new way of broadcasting Television that converts the picture and sound into a binary data stream. Terrestrial Digital TV is transmitted from the TV station on the same radio waves as Analogue TV so that it can be picked up by your existing TV aerial. With the addition of a digital set top box that can read the binary data carried on the radio wave, your existing television will be able to display Digital TV.
What is analogue TV?
Analogue TV is the old system which you have in your home right now.
Sound and pictures are converted into radio waves which are transmitted through the air and picked up by your rooftop or indoor aerial. These radio waves can bounce off buildings and aeroplanes and be received in duplicate at the TV aerial causing ghosting and interference.
Is one better than the other?
Digital television allows more programmes to be broadcast on the same radio wave, with better quality pictures and sound. As Digital Television progresses, viewers will also be able to receive more channels, interactive television as well as the internet.
Digital TV produces high quality pictures and sound similar to watching a DVD. It is not prone to ghosting or snow that can be a problem with analogue TV.
High Definition Digital TV offers a picture that has double the amount of detail as displayed by a DVD on a normal TV. Plasma Screens, Projectors and Computer Monitors are required to display this detail.
Besides the difference in picture quality, there's a difference in picture size. Analogue TV screens have an aspect ratio of 4:3 meaning they're four units wide for every three units high, almost square. Digital TV's have an aspect ratio of 16:9 meaning they're almost twice as wide as they are tall. That's the same aspect ratio as a movie screen, meaning you can see a lot more on each screen.
Digital set top boxes allow 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratios to be viewed on a normal 4:3 TV.
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