On February 17th, 2009, less than one year from now, all television broadcasts including the one you're watching right now, will be sent exclusively in digital.

If you’re like most viewers, you probably have a lot of questions about what it all means and, more importantly, what, if anything, you need to do. First, let's take a look at just what the switchover to digital TV means.

Right now television signals from most high-powered stations, like NewsChannel 7, are sent out in two ways. The first way, soon to be "the old way" is through an analog signal. This is how TV's been broadcasting ever since the beginning.

The second, "newer" way, and the way all TV signals will be sent a year from now, is digitally, with millions of bytes of information sent every second, translated into a picture by digital television sets.

One year from now, the federal government is requiring that all TV stations use only digital transmissions.

So why would the federal government require stations to move to a new format? Well, digital broadcasts have a list of advantages over analog. One of the most important is the quality. "The value of digital is it's more efficient”, said Tom Moore, the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Cable Communications Association. “Much better picture and sound. It's sort of like going from a cassette tape to a CD, or a VHS tape to a DVD."

A digital transmission also lets TV stations send information to your TV about what you're watching, offer more digital channels, and even high definition picture.

So now, perhaps the biggest question: how can you make sure your TV will work after the switch? The good news is most of you don't have to do a thing.

That's because your provider is either already providing you with a digital signal through a satellite or digital cable box, or they'll do the conversion for you, before the signal reaches your home.

However that still leaves about a half-million Wisconsin households that don't subscribe to cable or a satellite service. "After February 17th, 2009, if they have an analog TV and are relying on rabbit ears or an antenna, they need to pay attention and know there's something they need to do”, Moore said.

Now before you worry that this will force you to buy a new high-definition television set, rest assured you do have other options. And the transition to digital does not mean the end of free TV.
In fact, NewsChannel 7 is providing more value than ever to our digital viewers.

Over the next few days we'll show you a cheap, easy way you can be sure your TV will continue to work after the switch. And even if you are a cable or satellite customer, we'll share some benefits you could be missing out on right now and ways the change could make your life easier in some ways you might not expect.

Return to www.wsaw.com and watch NewsChannel 7 this week as “DTV: What You Need to Know” continues.