What is Digital Television or DTV?

Digital Television or DTV is a new technology that will replace today’s analog television system. DTV is more efficient and more flexible than the traditional way of broadcasting known as analog. Digital television allows higher-quality images and sound and more programming choices than analog television does. However, a digital signal does not necessarily carry a higher-quality image or sound than an analog signal.

DTV enables broadcasters to offer television with better picture and sound quality., DTV makes it possible for stations to broadcast multiple channels of free programming all at once, called multicasting, instead of broadcasting one channel at a time. DTV technology can also be used to deliver future interactive video and data services that analog technology can’t provide.
DTV offers several broadcast options, two of which are considered to be HDTV formats. Some of the more common DTV standards include:

480i: -the digital version of current analog signals.
480p: – provides a sharper image and looks closer to HDTV than regular television. Today all DVDs can be played on EDTV.
720p: – provides an image close in quality to 1080i, but allows 480p signals to be broadcast as well.
1080i: – the most detailed HDTV image available from broadcast TV.

The numbers above represent the vertical resolution, while the letters represent interlaces or progressive scan (i) (p). For example, 1080i represents 1080 vertical resolution, interlaced. For more information on the complete list of current DTV standards, you can visit the ATSC Web site listed in the links section below.