Widescreen TV

Australian television is set to change over the next couple of years as the old analog TV signal is switched over to digital.  Currently there is the option of viewing both the analog and digital signal however this will change as broadcasts gradually move to broadcasting just the digital signal.

To be able to pick up the digital signal current analog televisions need to have a digital set top box with a digital tuner or the alternative is to update your analog television to a digital TV set.  There are many advantages to updating to a digital TV set such as a reduction in the reception problems that are common with the analog signal, the digital signal has less electrical interference, digital television is broadcast in wide screen, the digital signal also has much better sound quality and by purchasing a digital TV set you can take advantages of the extra features of the digital signal without having to add another box to the entertainment area where the television sits.

Digital television is broadcast in widescreen which can only be viewed if you have a digital TV set.  The advantage of the digital television over the analog television with a set top box is that the set top box will receive the digital signal and convert it so that you can view the picture however the television will not show the picture in widescreen.  The only way to take advantage of the wide screen feature is to have a digital TV set that has a wide screen.

Another advantage of owning a digital TV set is you can take full advantage of the high quality digital sound.  As with the television picture it is possible to receive and play the digital sound on an analog television with the aid of a set top box however the sound is only as good as the speakers in the television.  The main advantage of a digital TV set is that the sound from the digital signal is much clearer and can be transmitted in a format for both standard and high definition which is suitable for people with surround sound systems.

Apart from the improvement of the picture and sound when viewed through a digital TV set there is also the issue of space for various electronic equipment additions.  The main advantage in terms of space for a digital TV set is that the digital tuners are built into the television so there are no external set top boxes cluttering up the home entertainment area.