Term of the Week - DTV - Digital TV

DTV, refers to a television transmission system approved by the FCC in which the video and audio portions of television broadcast are transmitted as data bits of information, just as computer data is written or the way music is written on a CD.

In digital television broadcasting (DTV), the signal is basically "on" or "off". In other words, the intent of DTV technology is that the viewer either sees a good image or nothing at all. There is no gradual signal loss as distance from the transmitter increases. If the viewer is too far from the transmitter or is in an undesirable location, there is nothing to see.

In addition, to receive and view DTV broadcasts, you must have a digital television set.

DTV broadcasts can be in either standard definition or in high defintion. In other words, all HDTV broadcasts are in DTV, but not all DTV is HDTV. By the same token, all HDTVs are digital TVs, but not all Digital TVs are HDTVs.