If someone has an old analog television, what do they have to do to display digital?
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You'll receive all the channels that the cable box can convert but you will have to connect the cable box to your TV using your existing TV's analog connections such as coax, RCA (yel,white,red), or s-video - you probably don't have component inputs.
You won't experience any jaw-dropping picture quality.
Ken
You won't experience any jaw-dropping picture quality.
Ken
Well the final picture you view is analog.
The world series would not be very intersting to watch if it looked like this
100011111010101111111111111110000101010100000110101010101000 000101011111111010101011111111101010001010000001110101111110 010101010101010110010100111111101010100001011110100010101000 101010000011101101011101010101100101111110101111111110010001 010000011101110111101111010111010111101010110101010101010110 111111111101001010101010100110100000010111101101000010111001 010101010101110111011100111101111011101011100111100111010000 000001001001010101011010101010101BUDLIGHT0011110101010101010 101111111111100110001000111111111101010101100100000101010101 000000011111111111111000000010101010001001101010101001011101 001011010010100000111100110101010101110101010101010111010111
The world series would not be very intersting to watch if it looked like this
100011111010101111111111111110000101010100000110101010101000 000101011111111010101011111111101010001010000001110101111110 010101010101010110010100111111101010100001011110100010101000 101010000011101101011101010101100101111110101111111110010001 010000011101110111101111010111010111101010110101010101010110 111111111101001010101010100110100000010111101101000010111001 010101010101110111011100111101111011101011100111100111010000 000001001001010101011010101010101BUDLIGHT0011110101010101010 101111111111100110001000111111111101010101100100000101010101 000000011111111111111000000010101010001001101010101001011101 001011010010100000111100110101010101110101010101010111010111
Actually the only way to watch SD satellite TV using a SD receiver is via either S-Video, Composite, or RF connection to the TV. There are no currently available SD satellite receivers that have component out, and certainly none have any sort of digital out.
The quality out a Satellite receiver using S-video when watching a good quality program (like HBO or PPV), is actually pretty good. It is very much based on the quality of the source signal.
While not "jaw-dropping", it certainly will be the best that the TV can display (again if the incoming signal is good quality).
Anyways DVD's are also digital, and you can watch them on pretty much any TV out there!
For example, I recent helped my in-laws get their 32" TV from Wal-Mart configured with a Dish Network receiver. They were using the RF out from the receiver into the TV. I went and picked up a S-video cable, and the difference even to then was quite appearent. While to me it still was standard SD, to them it was almost "jaw dropping". Remember, different people's idea of "jaw dropping" is different.
I have a Pioneer Elite 51" 4:3 SD television (PRO-99) which I have had for at least 7 years. It still has the best SD picture of any TV that I have seen. It beats the quality of every single HD television because it was designed to display SD pictures well, instead of upconverting SD to HD for display and creating artifacts and errors, etc.
I keep thinking I would like to replace this TV, but since most of the viewing on this Tv is SD (satellite based programming) where HD programming would not really be common, there is no reason to replace it to get poorer SD picture quality.
Anyways like the post by "Jordan420". And it is true, the world series will probably have much to many Bud Light commercials!
Reedl
Reedl
The quality out a Satellite receiver using S-video when watching a good quality program (like HBO or PPV), is actually pretty good. It is very much based on the quality of the source signal.
While not "jaw-dropping", it certainly will be the best that the TV can display (again if the incoming signal is good quality).
Anyways DVD's are also digital, and you can watch them on pretty much any TV out there!
For example, I recent helped my in-laws get their 32" TV from Wal-Mart configured with a Dish Network receiver. They were using the RF out from the receiver into the TV. I went and picked up a S-video cable, and the difference even to then was quite appearent. While to me it still was standard SD, to them it was almost "jaw dropping". Remember, different people's idea of "jaw dropping" is different.
I have a Pioneer Elite 51" 4:3 SD television (PRO-99) which I have had for at least 7 years. It still has the best SD picture of any TV that I have seen. It beats the quality of every single HD television because it was designed to display SD pictures well, instead of upconverting SD to HD for display and creating artifacts and errors, etc.
I keep thinking I would like to replace this TV, but since most of the viewing on this Tv is SD (satellite based programming) where HD programming would not really be common, there is no reason to replace it to get poorer SD picture quality.
Anyways like the post by "Jordan420". And it is true, the world series will probably have much to many Bud Light commercials!
Reedl
Reedl
Also, analog TVs can also receive digital OTA signals if you get an external decoder (or use an HDTV satellite receiver). I tried it for a while with one of my TV's, and the results were decent. All HD content is downconverted and you will see black bars at the top and bottom, but it can make local signals look better than the locals from satellite.
However, now that I have an HDTV set, there is a stunning difference between downconverted HD and the real thing.
However, now that I have an HDTV set, there is a stunning difference between downconverted HD and the real thing.
Quote:
I have an HD box hooked up with S-video to a 32" set in my basment. I view it from about 13' while working out. The HD shows look much better than the SD stations showing the same material. Your results may vary, but good HD material downconverted to 480i is likely to bring out the best in an analog TV. Lew
| Originally posted by snowcat Also, analog TVs can also receive digital OTA signals if you get an external decoder (or use an HDTV satellite receiver). I tried it for a while with one of my TV's, and the results were decent. All HD content is downconverted and you will see black bars at the top and bottom, but it can make local signals look better than the locals from satellite. However, now that I have an HDTV set, there is a stunning difference between downconverted HD and the real thing. |
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True and the fact is most HDTVs are not digital but analog displays. The only true digital displays are LCD, DLP, Plasma and LCoS.
| Originally posted by egads You aren't confusing digital with high definition are you? Digital just refers to the way a cable or sat co. delivers content. For cable users, digital is usually channels above 100. If you want HD content you have to upgrade the ole TV. |
As noted above, don't confuse high definition with digital. You can use a satellite receiver (which receives a digital signal from the satellite) or a digital cable box with a standard television. The box does the decoding of the signal and the conversion from digital to analog; the analog signal is then available via coax, composite and S-Video.
If, rather than just having a standard digital box, you move up to a high definition satellite receiver or cable box, then you are at a disadvantage. In this case, you will be able to watch the HD channels, but they'll be in the wrong aspect ratio (16x9, which will appear letterboxed on a 4x3 set), and you won't be able to view them in true HD quality. They may look better, but you won't be seeing true HD.
If, rather than just having a standard digital box, you move up to a high definition satellite receiver or cable box, then you are at a disadvantage. In this case, you will be able to watch the HD channels, but they'll be in the wrong aspect ratio (16x9, which will appear letterboxed on a 4x3 set), and you won't be able to view them in true HD quality. They may look better, but you won't be seeing true HD.
if you are talking about the "big switch" to digital, ....NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH HIGH DEFINITION....supposedly in 2006, but already being pushed back because one of the triggers, i.e., 85% of population with digital sets, is no where near being met...
Once it does happen, all existing analog TVs will simply require a set top box (STB) to convert the digital signal to analog prior to being digested by the set. Not really a big deal. The "switch to digital" IS NOT going to render obsolete and useless all the "old technology" sets out there.
Progress being forced on the masses, while desirable IMHO, has to go through numerous political hoops. That $3000 and up LCD, DLP, Plasma, etc. that most of the forum members, myself included, lust after is simply OUT OF THE QUESTION for most of the people in this country. So....you better get a set that does a decent job with SD television. I think it is going to be here a lot longer that some folks think. And the corollary of this observation is..if you have a good SD set that you are happy with, live with it a bit longer. No one is going to make it obsolete in the near future and the fixed pixel stuff is getting better all the time.
Once it does happen, all existing analog TVs will simply require a set top box (STB) to convert the digital signal to analog prior to being digested by the set. Not really a big deal. The "switch to digital" IS NOT going to render obsolete and useless all the "old technology" sets out there.
Progress being forced on the masses, while desirable IMHO, has to go through numerous political hoops. That $3000 and up LCD, DLP, Plasma, etc. that most of the forum members, myself included, lust after is simply OUT OF THE QUESTION for most of the people in this country. So....you better get a set that does a decent job with SD television. I think it is going to be here a lot longer that some folks think. And the corollary of this observation is..if you have a good SD set that you are happy with, live with it a bit longer. No one is going to make it obsolete in the near future and the fixed pixel stuff is getting better all the time.
Actually, the 85% has been met, in most if not all market areas. It all depends upon how you count. The requirement is not "digital sets" it's able to view a digital signal. The FCC has not clarified exactly how they will count, yet. It seems they will count digital cable as able to receive a digital signal. Since most people receive their signal via cable or satellite, the transition to digital will be almost unnoticeable. The cable signal will not change (immediately), the cable company will be "converting" in your STB so your old TV will keep chugging away. They're doing it now. It won't show an HD show in HD, but it WILL show it.
This is what happened in Berlin, when they converted to all digital. Most people didn't even notice. Their cable reception was unchanged. The date for different market areas in this country will be set, just as soon as the FCC or some politicians find a spine.
This is what happened in Berlin, when they converted to all digital. Most people didn't even notice. Their cable reception was unchanged. The date for different market areas in this country will be set, just as soon as the FCC or some politicians find a spine.
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