GET READY FOR THE DTV TRANSITION WITH HD TV TUNERS FROM AMD
The era of analog broadcast television in the United States will end when television stations transition from analog broadcast television service to digital broadcast television service on February 17, 2009 (Note: Canada’s DTV transition date is slated for August 31, 2011).
After February 17, 2009, a television receiver with only an analog broadcast tuner will no longer receive over-the-air broadcasts with an antenna because of the Nation’s transition to digital broadcasting. Analog-only TVs should continue to work as before with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and similar products.
While this transition will end analog television it will not be the end of free-to-air broadcast television. All your favorite programs and local stations may still be available in digital. The DTV transition is expected to provide consumers with better quality television picture and sound. But, while the benefits of DTV are significant, millions of households risk losing television reception if they are not prepared for the technical requirements related to the DTV transition.
If you are currently receiving free-to-air broadcasts via an antenna, or have a PCTV Analog Tuner then you should prepare yourself for the DTV transition. We recommend either an ATI All-in-Wonder™ HD TV tuner and Graphics Card or an ATI TV Wonder™ HD TV tuner (these products provide you with free-to-air digital and free-to-air high-definition television broadcasts as well as a number of other features not found in a converter box).
Digital-to-Analog Converter Box
A digital-to-analog converter box receives over-the-air digital signals with your antenna converts them to analog and sends the signal to your television. This will allow you to watch Digital free-to-air television on an analog TV (digital to analog converter boxes may not present the received program in high-definition as this is dependent on both (a) the specific capabilities of the converter box and (b) your TV). In any case, these digital-to-analog converter boxes are primarily intended for standalone TV sets, and may not be well suited for PC use.
Furthermore, with the number of people that will be affected by the Digital Television transition (approximately 20 million Americans1) supply of the millions of digital converter boxes needed ahead of the shutdown may be limited.
PC TV Tuners
ATI All-in-Wonder™ HD and ATI TV Wonder™ HD TV Tuners receive over-the-air digital signals and display them on your monitor and/or convert them to analog and send the signal to your television. This allows you to watch free over-the-air digital television on your monitor or TV. With an HDTV tuner from AMD you will be able to watch analog over-the-air signals right up until the transition date as well as over-the-air programming after the end of analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009. You can also receive HDTV free-to-air broadcast signals
without the need of a converter box. These devices will help ease the transition as well as provide additional functionality and features such as graphics processing as well as enabling people to use their PC or Mac to watch and record TV. Other functionality includes:
ATI TV Wonder™ HD TV Tuners
- ability to watch, pause or schedule recordings of your favorite HDTV and TV programs (Personal Video Recorder functionality) using the advanced Electronic Programming Guide with time shifting functionality
- convert TV/video to various formats to fill your portable media player or stream to your media center extender device
- access your media from most broadband-connected devices with AMD LIVE!™ On Demand Software
- enrich your ClearQAM Digital Cable TV media experience with ATI Catalyst Media Center™ in Windows Vista® for the ultimate in TV clarity
ATI All-in-Wonder™ HD TV Tuner and Graphics Card
- ability to watch, pause or schedule recordings of your favorite HDTV and TV programs (Personal Video Recorder functionality) using the Programming Guide with time shifting functionality
- featuring Microsoft DirectX® 10.1 support for High-Def 3D Gaming
- unified video decoder (UVD) for playback of Blu-ray/HD-DVD movies at full-HD 1080p1,2
- convert TV/video to various formats to fill your portable media player or stream to your media center extender device
- access your media from most broadband-connected devices with AMD LIVE!™ On Demand Software
If at any point you would like to switch to cable television services you can with no need to upgrade your TV tuner.
Footnotes:
- Inbound HD signal, Blu-ray or HD DVD drive, player and 1080p-capable monitor required.
Subscriber fees may apply.
- Playing HDCP content requires additional HDCP ready components, including but not limited to an
HDCP ready monitor, Blu-ray or HD DVD disc drive, multimedia application and computer operating
system.
Resources:
DTV Answers: An Initiative of the National Association of Broadcasters
Antenna Web
Where is HD?
DTV Transition
Reference:
1.Senator: DTV transition could become a "digital disaster"
By Nate Anderson | Published: July 26, 2007 - 01:01PM CT
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