Understanding Digital Television: Seeing the Big Picture

Energized by consumer interest and government insistence, TV designers and manufacturers around the world are gearing up for a historic switch-over to digital TV transmission and the effective shutdown of analog TV. In order for consumers who do not have digital TV to receive digital broadcasts, they will either need new TVs, digital cable service, satellite service with off-air capability, or a digital-to-analog converter box. In addition to consumer TVs, every consumer device that depends on an off-air transmission signal, including digital video recorders (DVRs), DVDs, PC-TVs and even automotive TVs, will also require the capability to receive digital TV broadcasts. Without a digital tuner or converter box, analog consumer electronics devices will no longer produce a picture. This means that U.S. consumers need analog TV devices today that can also support tomorrow's DTV broadcasts.

This paper discusses the role of the tuner in the design of quality TV device designs that support digital broadcast and provide the best possible picture quality and overall DTV experience.