12/10/09

An HDTV Primer

Please report any suggestions or errors of fact that you find to the author at kq6qv@aol.com.  Author:  Ken Nist,  MSEE (ret),  KQ6QV

This website is unaffiliated and unfunded and accepts no advertising.

This web site was created in 2003 to help nontechnical people cope with the digital transition.  The transition is now history, and with it much of the reason for this site.

The unique parts of the web site have been left up.  The site will continue to track new developments in over-the-air TV antennas.

Issues:

  What exactly is ATSC?

  Set Top Box interconnections

  After-purchase hints and tips

  Erecting a TV antenna

Other resources:

To find information about a particular product, just Google the model number.  There is a useful collection of product reviews at eCoustics.com.  (Product reviews of HDTVs by amateurs are not reliable.)

If, after all the study, you still need some questions answered, then online forums are available.  The Audio Visual Science Forum, AVSforum, is the oldest, largest, and most active forum devoted to TV and home theater.  However this forum is not intended for amateurs, and HDTV newcomers often find its size and structure a bit imposing.  The HDTV Magazine forum is simpler and friendlier.  A number of experts hang out on both of these forums.  Both have a huge wealth of answered questions.  It is unlikely that your question has not been asked before, so you should start out with a search by keywords.  Both forums require you to invent a screen name and password in order to post a question or answer, but there are no fees or other hassles.

Glossary:       (optional reading)

  AACS

  AC-3  (see Dolby Digital 5.1)

  Aliasing

  Artifact

  Aspect ratio

  ATSC  (Advanced Television System Committee technical standard)

  Blocking, Macro-blocking

  Blocks, Macro-blocks

  BNC connectors

  Bob and Weave

  Breakup

  Cable card

  C-band / Ku-band

  CEC  (Consumer Electronics Control)

  COFDM modulation technique

  Color temperature

  Comb filter

  Component video

  Composite video

  Convergence

  DBS (direct broadcast satellites)

  D-ILA  (Direct-drive Image Light Amplifier) (see LCOS)

  DirecTV  (see DBS)

  Dish Network  (see DBS)

  DLP  (digital light processor)

  Dolby Digital 2.0

  Dolby Digital 5.1

  Dolby Pro Logic Surround

  Dot crawl

  DTCP  (Digital Transmission Content Protection)

  DTS

  DTV  (digital TV)

  DTVLink

  DVB  (Digital Video Broadcasting)

  DVI  (Digital Visual Interface)

  EDTV  (enhanced definition TV)

  FCC  (Federal Communications Commission) 

  Fire-wire  (see IEEE 1394)

  First surface mirror

  Flicker

  FTA  (Free To All MPEG-2 broadcasts)

  GLV  (Grating Light Valve)

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