Television (TV) can be described as a telecommunications medium which uses light to transmit moving visual information over the air. The medium employs pixels (composite layers of red, green and blue) to store the information and determine how the colors are displayed on the screen. It is often used in television broadcasts for broadcast advertisements, such as music videos, dramas, reality shows and children’s programming. TV originated from the first analog TV signals which transmitted over radio frequencies, but the transition to digital TV and cable TV services rendered it obsolete. Today, television has a central role in our lives.
Cable TV is a communication service that delivers video and audio programming to television sets by means of broadcasting transmitters and receivers (cerebrocton microphones). The term “cable” is often used in association with high-speed Internet access. It is the leading subscription-based cable provider in the United States, with about 47 million customers. In Canada, with the help of Canadian cable companies, there is also high-speed Internet access available to subscribers. The term “cable television” is commonly used as a collective term for any television provider that offers cable services.
Digital Video Programming Distributors (“DVDS”) are video programming providers that allow users to watch television content through their home computers or portable devices such as iPods. An “DVDS” system usually consists of an analog receiver coupled with a digital transmitter. The digital signal sent by the DVDS to the receiver is converted into analog, which is then decoded by the receiver into a form capable of being understood by televisions. A majority of digital television systems now come equipped with “on the wall” programming guides, which allow viewers to scroll through various channels and program types on the TV screen.
Mobile TV (mtv) refers to digital-to-analog converters that allow television sets to receive digital signals transmitted by other television sets (and also certain mobile phones). A mobile TV consists of a base unit, a tuner, and a receiver. The tuner carries a subset of channels that are designed exclusively for the receiver. An “HD-TV” (high definition TV) kit comes with a wide range of features such as digital-to-analog converters, high-definition cameras, and microphones. High-definition (HD) television is broadcast through an optical tube.
Many people can only afford basic cable service and therefore opt for an over-the-air (OTA) television service instead. Over-the-air broadcasts originate from TV stations in an area that is chosen by the TV station. Some of these channels are typically exclusive or carried by a select group of households. The majority of OTA broadcasts are analog TV broadcasts that have been remastered for high-definition (HD) and are transmitted via analog TV.
Cable and satellite TV services both offer different methods of recording TV content. Satellite televisions have a special format for recording television programs. The satellite TV software must be downloaded (along with the TV set) in order to record the programs. The digital video recorder captures the television programs without loss of the content. Cable televisions use a recording software package that must be installed on the television set itself. In addition to the software, users must also obtain a DVB-S PCI card and a high-speed Internet connection.