Digital and High-Definition Television
Digital television is defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as “any technology that uses digital techniques to provide advanced television services such as high-definition TV, multiple standard-definition TV, and other advanced features and services.” Digital TV offers several advantages that analog TV cannot such as a wider aspect ratio, better image quality, better sound quality, and video multicasting.
Digital TV is offered by cable and satellite providers. Cable TV owns the largest market share of video program distribution while Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) is second and Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite is third. Satellite providers are able to offer more HDTV channels because increased bandwidth due to SuperDISH technology, which involves one dish receiving signals from multiple satellites. To compensate, cable companies are laying down more fiber optic cables.
Current HDTV penetration is around 30%, but that is expected to grow with the FCC mandated conversion from analog to digital TV in February 2009. Cable and satellite subscribers can still use their analog TVs after this change, however, to receive high-definition signals, one must own a TV set with a built-in HDTV decoder or have an HDTV and an HDTV tuner. The average price for LCD and plasma TV sets has dropped significantly in the last few years as the numbers sold are increasing. Cable and satellite providers are preparing for this by converting all programming to widescreen HDTV content. They are racing to see who can be the first to deliver the most HD content to consumers.
Studies have already been done that show the influence HDTVs can have on viewers’ perceptions. Subjects who watched action scenes on widescreen HDTVs rated them as more realistic than those who watched the same scenes on smaller SDTVs. Similar studies with news programs showed that viewers found male and female news anchors to be more credible when watching them on HD programming. One question to arise from this finding is if TV news viewing will increase with increased HD conversion. Another question would be how other TV shows like reality shows will be affected by being viewed in HD. Will more universal adoption of HD programming lead to increased television watching? (Bracken, 2006)
Now that the date is set for the conversion from analog to digital, there are some intriguing factors to watch in the next few months. With the holiday season approaching and prices dropping, HDTV sales may increase dramatically. As a result, subscription to HD programming is expected to rise but by how much? Household penetration of HDTVs is still relatively low. Since cable and satellite subscribers will still be able to receive signals on analog TVs, will improved video and audio quality be enough incentive to switch to HD?
Bracken, Cheryl Campanella. (2006). Perceived credibility of local television news: The impact of television form and presence. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 50, 723-741.
