Feb. 1, 2009, will mark the last Super Bowl to be broadcast nationwide on an analog signal. Shortly thereafter, the entire sports world will be a digitally exclusive experience.
The implementation of digital television (DTV) has millions of sports fans learning about the benefits of the new broadcast format -- though some are learning the hard way. A substantial amount of TV viewers simply won’t have
the means to set up a DTV tuner on or before the day of the switch, Feb. 17, 2009.
However, the DTV switch shouldn’t be something to miss out on. The capabilities of DTV are numerous. The thrill of watching high-resolution athletes compete live throughout the world is very real, especially when it’s combined with multi-channel surround sound that is only available because of DTV. This is only one reason the high definition television (HDTV) has become such a hot ticket item over the past five years of HD broadcasting. Even more popular: the (DTV-ready) HDTV with the integrated TV tuner.
Popular field sports such as football remain the most popular to watch, especially for sports fans who understand that they won’t need a subscription to cable in order to remain entertained. As long as the frequency of the high-definition (HD) broadcast can be picked up by their powerful antennae, fans can sit in front of their HDTVs and watch the game on a Sunday afternoon.
For the sports fans subscribed to cable, many of the best HD broadcasts can be found throughout the day on HD-designated channels. For years, of the cable companies’ best sellers have been supplementary sports channel subscriptions as well as pay-per-view title boxing. Considering the success of the NFL network and HBO boxing, this is still true today.
The progress of DTV has undeniably broadened the wide world of sports, despite the telecom companies seemingly exploiting it. With the improvements in availability and visual quality of sports broadcasts, sports fans may find themselves tuning into rally car racing, judging tennis serves, and following the hockey puck for the very first time.
Yet, despite the death of analog broadcasting, its picture quality will remain a standard for many years to come. As the demand for HDTV rises simultaneously with the advancement in camera technology, what is considered standard definition (SD) today will eventually be a thing of the past. Then, just like the digital switch, TV viewers who can’t adapt will be forced to read a book.
It’s safe to say that not too many football fans will be reading a book on Super Bowl Sunday, 2009; 241.2 million HDTV units are projected to ship by 2012. Who knows what will be in store down the road once HDTV becomes the accepted standard among TV viewers?
