Frequently asked questions – Sony KW-34HD1 User Manual
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Introducing the DTV System
Frequently Asked Questions
What is digital TV
(DTV)?
Digital television (or "DTV") refers to the new over-the-air television broadcast
standards adopted by the Federal Communications Commission in 1996.
Developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), a group
of manufacturing companies, these standards define the specifications for 18
digital broadcast formats.
There are six formats in the ATSC DTV standard that are described as "High
Definition Television." The remaining 12 video formats are described as
"Standard Definition Television."
Although the technical aspects of these standards are transparent to television
viewers, the benefits are as dramatic as those experienced when digital music
on compact disk was introduced — probably even more so.
Your Sony DTV is capable of receiving all 18 formats of digital TV formats,
including high-definition.
What are the benefits
of DTV?
For the television viewer, digital TV represents one of the most significant
advances in television since color television replaced black and white. Here are
just a few of the benefits:
□ Dramatically superior picture quality, with up to six times the picture
detail of today's analog television.
□ Multichannel digital sound, including Dolby® Digital sound.
□ Widescreen. DTV can provide the same t
3
q)e of widescreen presentation as
you see in movie theaters. The new screen size has a 16:9 width-to-height
(or "aspect") ratio, compared with a 4:3 aspect ratio of today's
conventior.al television. This means that digital broadcasts of movies no
longer need to be "reformatted" for television.
Do /
need a special
antenna to receive
digital television?
No. Initially, digital television will arrive through a standard, over-the-air
VHF/UHF antenna, which means you can receive digital broadcasts using the
same terrestrial ("rooftop") antenna you currently use to receive conventional
programming. However, if you currently receive your VHF/UHF
programming via cable, you will need to install a VHF/UHF antenna in order
to receive digital programming. Your Sony TV, however, is also equipped with
coimectors that will allow you to connect DTV-compatible cable boxes when
they become available.