question about my analog tv

1) If everybody is supposed to own an HD-ready tv set by the
government mandated date of 2009, will the analog tv be still useful or

Steven L....

AFAIK, there is no mandate for HD.
There is a mandate for digital broadcasting, which is NOT the same thing
as HD.

Sean O'Hara...

The mandate is for *digital* broadcasts. Digital broadcasting
compresses the signal by noting parts of the image that don't change
from one frame to the next. Once all stations switch to digital,
there will be a lot of bandwidth freed up which can be allocated to
other uses.

HDTV is a new picture standard with a higher resolution than NTSC,
and which uses a digital signal, but it's not a part of the digital
conversion.

theresa...

Does one use the same antenna to pick up the digital signals?

~consul...

Theresa, yes it does. I have a lcd tv and a run of your mill $24 antenna from
Radio shack. I pick up the digital signals that come over the air just fine. I
get all the channels crystal clear, none of the fuzziness that you get with
analogue. That same antenna is split to an analogue VCR to tape some random stuff.

Barry Margolin...

No one is expecting that. The mandate is on the over-the-air
broadcasters, not consumers, cable companies, or satellite providers.
If you don't have cable or a satellite dish, and you have an analog TV,
you can use a converter box.

kilroybass...

So what's the solution?
a) buy a converter box for the current analog tv set.

Tony Calguire...

A) is a logical solution, and it is the solution that the government
expects many consumers to adopt. A related solution is to receive
television programming via cable or satellite, because cable and
satellite providers will continue to deliver signals which your analog
TV can receive.

b) buy an analog TV that's HD-ready.

Tony Calguire...

B) is NOT logical, because analog TV has nothing to do with HD. The

Sean O'Hara...

Especially since an HD-*ready* set doesn't come with a tuner of any
sort.

most logical solution would be to buy a DIGITAL High-definition TV that
has an ATSC tuner in it, because this will ensure that your TV can
receive digital high-definition signals, and can display high-definition
images.

rgorman...

Only if you can afford to lay out that much for a trivial improvement.

Goro...

Nice bate.

c) buy plasma TV.

Tony Calguire...

C) is sort-of logical, but plasma is only one of many different
technologies for making TVs. You could also buy an LCD TV, or a DLP TV,
or even a CRT TV. The important thing is making sure it is a
high-definition digital TV, and it has an ATSC tuner inside it.

Are those logical solutions?

is it considered obsolete? If it's useful, I may have a chance to sell
it. However, if it's considered obsolete, then why would I throw out a
perfectly working analog TV?

Steven L....

To receive digital broadcasts, you will need a converter box to convert
the signal to your analog TV. You should still see a substantial
improvement in the quality of the signal, even with this arrangement.

But the mandate for digital will obviously lower the resale value of
your analog TVs. Folks won't want them because they will have to get a
converter box with them.

Marc Dashevsky...

If you get your TV programming via cable or satellite, you will
still be able to use your TVs. Analog transmissions will be
ending, so if you receive your TV over the air, then you will
have to make other arrangements.

Barry Margolin...

You'll either have to buy a converter or a new TV.

My house currently has 3 analog sets.

ANIM8Rfsk...

It's gonna show your old DVDs and VHS tapes just fine. And with an adapter
it will show you the new stuff too.

akjack...

The government isn't mandating High Definition television.
The government is mandating Digital broadcasting. Not all Digital
broadcasting will be High Definition.

Analog television receivers will continue to operate with cable
or satellite set top boxes, or a "to be available" digital to analog
conversion box.