Digital Television to the Max

As of July 2004 there were over 1200 DTV stations on-the-air across the U.S. Note that it has been a common practice for DTV broadcasters to initially go 'on the air' at reduced transmitter power level and/or with temporary broadcast antenna installations that can severely limit the reception range. In such cases the DTV stations will generally have their new full power transmitters and new antennas/towers up and operating within a few months. We are no longer including on this page the list of on-the-air DTV stations. Rather we are now offering the following link to the National Association of Broadcasters web site with up-to-date lists of the available DTV stations --- click here for the list of DTV Broadcast Stations.

DTV Antennas

The introduction of broadcast DTV service has prompted some manufacturers to start offering TV antennas, at premium prices, that are being advertised as being designed specifically for reception of DTV broadcasts. In fact, there is nothing truly unique about these antennas that make then more capable of receiving DTV broadcasts as compared to any well designed TV antenna manufactured before the advent of DTV. However, the characteristics of DTV receivers (i.e., TV set or set-top-box) do differ from those of analog TV receivers. With analog receivers the TV video (picture) and audio will slowly degrade as the quality of the input signal degrades. With digital receivers the input TV signal can degrade up to a certain point without any effect on the video or audio but beyond this point any further degradation in the broadcast signal will cause the video and audio to quickly deteriorate, with such symptoms as momentary loss of audio and frozen video images, until the video and audio are totally lost. Generally these differences in the reception characteristics of analogy vs. digital TV signals need not impact the requirements for an antenna system capable of delivering a ‘good picture’. However, if your current TV antenna system provides anything less than a good video for analog broadcast reception (i.e., snowy picture or a picture with heavy ghosting) then it will probably not be adequate for DTV reception. The basic requirements for the successful reception of any analog or digital TV broadcast are:

adequate signal strength
adequate signal to noise ratio
freedom from multipath

Achieving adequate Signal Strength – This factor can either be an issue or a non-issue for you depending a several factors. Certain factors must be considered the ‘givens’ for your specific case (i.e., those factors that are outside of your control). The most obvious of these are the proximity of your location to the transmitter location of each TV station you are attempting to receive, the power of the TV station’s transmissions, and the geography/obstructions between your location and the TV station’s transmitter. The four factors that are under your control that will influence the signal strength provided to your TV receiver are the type of antenna you use, the location of your antenna, the orientation of your antenna, and your signal distribution system from your antenna to your TV receiver. See the discussion below on each of these factors.

Achieving adequate signal to noise ratio – This factor is best addressed by first selecting, locating, and orienting a TV antenna to provide adequate signal strength at the antenna terminals then using quality, low loss TV cables and amplifiers (as necessary) to keep the signal well above the signal levels of the electrical noise. See the discussions below on selecting, locating and orienting the TV antenna and on designing a signal distribution system.

Achieving Freedom from Multipath – With analog TV multipath shows up as ghosts in the TV picture. As the term ‘multipath’ implies, this is the condition where you are receiving the TV signal via the most direct path from the TV station’s transmitter and you antenna, and you also receiving the TV signal via one or more additional paths where the signal has been reflected off of such things as buildings, airplanes, etc. In some cases multipath can be very difficult, or impossible to totally eliminate. With DTV signals multipath will not show up as ghosts in it video image as it does with analog TV, but can in severe cases prevent DTV reception regardless of the strength of the TV signal. Multipath can best be addressed by use of a directional TV antenna. See the discussion below on the suggested types of antennas that can help reduce multipath.

Suggested Antenna Types/Location for DTV Reception – The type of antenna you select for DTV reception may be limited by the available mounting location. In you live in an apartment or other location that necessitates the use of an indoor antenna located near your TV set then your options are limited. On the other hand if you live in a home or townhouse where outside antennas can be used then you have a more ideal situation. Most DTV broadcast stations are operating on UHF frequencies (see the list of TV stations). In the rare cases were DTV transmissions are occurring on VHF this may be interim situation with the goal of eventually having all DTV broadcasts on UHF still a long term possibility. Thus in most locations in the U.S. you do not need to be concerned about VHF reception for DTV (check the list of DTV stations above to determine if you location has local DTV stations on VHF). For this reason the following discussion is limited to UHF but many of the general ideas also apply to VHF. The use of UHF for DTV provides the maximum flexibility for antenna selection and location as UHF antennas tend to be quite small as compared to VHF antennas.

The most basic type of TV antenna is dipole. This is what you have with a simple set-top ‘rabbit ears’or UHF ‘bow-tie’ antenna. These antennas have a signal pickup pattern that resembles the figure 8, where signals are received equally well from the front and the back of the antenna but poorly from the sides. Many of the relatively expensive antennas being sold for DTV are in reality nothing more than a simple dipole with the addition of a built-in amplifier. If you are serious about DTV reception I would advise you to avoid such antennas. Such antennas will, at best be marginally better than the very simple, inexpensive alternatives mentioned above. Moving up the scale in technical capabilities are antennas that provide additional gain in the forward direction and better rejection of signals arriving from the sides and back of the antenna. This provides two positive benefits. First it increases the received signal level from TV stations located toward the front of the antenna (i.e., the antenna has gain in the forward direction) and second it provides rejection of multipath signals and sources of electrical noise arriving from other directions. There are general approaches to designing a high gain UHF antenna. The first is place multiple bow tie elements, one above the other, with a wire grid reflector behind the bow tie elements. The second UHF antenna type is a 'yagi' antenna where the a number of short metal rods (i.e., the elements) are placed horizontally along the length and perpendicular to a pipe support pipe (i.e., the boom). A V-shaped reflector (i.e., corner reflector) is usually placed at the rear of a UHF yagi antenna. The third type of high gain UHF antenna is normally only found in commercial applications is a parabolic disk with pickup (i.e., the feed) placed at the focal point in front of the parabolic reflector dish. The dish is usually not a solid reflector as is typical for satellite dishes. Rather is made of a grid of small tubes or heavy wires.

In the UHF antenna configuration with stacked bow ties and a reflector, moderate gain is provided and superior rejection of multipath from nearby aircraft . Yagi antennas can provide moderate to high gain, but can become up to 10 feet in length for the very high gain versions (2 to 4 ft.for moderate gain versions). I feel the stacked bow-tie configuration is superior for most cases except for where the maximum possible gain is necessary to receive weak DTV signals, such as from a distant TV station. Also if your location suffers from severe multipath reflections from nearby structures then a high gain yagi may do a better job of rejecting this type of multipath.

If possible you should use an outdoor location for your antenna. Ideally it should be mounted at least 20 ft. above ground level and have a clear, unobstructed view in the direction of the TV stations' transmitter locations. Indoor, including attic mounting will normally provide at least a 50% reduction in signal strength as compared to outdoor mounting. Unless all of the DTV stations are located in the same direction from your location you will need an antenna rotator (motor and control unit) to be able to turn the antenna to the proper direction for best reception of each DTV station. Small changes in antenna vertical position can make a big difference in received signal strength. If your location is 'over the horizon' from the TV station's broadcast tower (i.e., antenna) then the received signal will probably have peaks and nulls spaced about 9-to-12 inches apart vertically. Therefore you should try moving the antenna mounting location up and/or down a few inches to find the vertical position that provides the best signal for the DTV station(s) for which reception is most difficult. The stacked bow tie antennas use a configuration that makes them less sensitive to small changes in vertical position.

Signal Distribution - Once have have selected, located, oriented a TV antenna that provides a good quality signal at the antenna’s terminals then you will need to design your signal distribution system so as to not seriously degrade this signal. If you are located within a few miles of the TV stations’ transmitter and the distance between your TV antenna and your DTV receiver is modest (e.g., up to 100 feet) then you may be able to simply connect a good quality cable between the antenna’s terminals and the input to the TV receiver. You should always use a good quality coax (i.e., 75 ohm) cable for the signal distribution with RG-6 being the preferred type of cable. Most antenna’s have connection terminals intended for twin-lead (i.e., 300 ohm) cable. You will need to add a 300 to 75 ohm transformer right at the antenna and then connect the coax (i.e., 75 ohm) cable to the transformer. If you are more than a few miles from the DTV stations of interest then you may need to also add an signal amplifier (preferably right at or near the antenna). Many such amplifiers intended for use outside at the antenna will have the 300 to 75 ohm transformer built-in allowing for a short twin-lead (300 ohm) input connection from the antenna terminal and a coax cable output from the amplifier. For outside antenna installations you will also need to add a grounding block just before the antenna enters the dwelling. The grounding block requires that you run a heavy gage wire to a ground rod that is pounded into the ground or to another suitable earth ground. This is a precaution in the case of nearby lighting strike and is require by most local building codes. Once inside the house and if you have an outside mounted amplifier, you will need to run the coax cable to a power supply. From this power supply you run the coax either to a signal splitter (if you need to feed the signal to more than one DTV/TV receiver) or directly to the DTV receiver (if it is the only device using the antenna).

If you are looking for a web location to purchase your DTV antenna, amplifier or accessories, I can recommend Stark Electronics. They carry Channel Master and Winegard products, offer substantial discounts off of list prices and excellent customer service.

Video Display Technologies

Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) were virtually the only available television/video display technology for the first half century of television. Within the past decade however alternative technologies began appearing. Two of the new display technologies seem to hold the potential of displacing CRTs for conventional direct view displays and for projection displays.

Conventional CRT based direct view televisions were virtually the only choice the consumer had available until the mid-1970s. At that time Advent Corp. came out with the first high quality consumer projection television. The "Videobeam 1000" used three CRTs (i.e., red, blue & green) incorporating a unique Schmidt-Cassegrain optical design. The Advent projector was a 2-piece front projector in which a relatively large floor standing unit projected a 7 foot diagonal picture onto a curved, aluminized screen that was placed 8 foot in front of the projector. Other companies followed with their own projectors. Many of these were of a one piece design, but were still front projectors. The market for CRT based TVs has settled out into three basic categories today. First are the convention direct view TVs ranging in picture size up to 40 inches diagonal. Next are one-piece rear projection sets the span the picture sizes from 40 to 80 inches diagonal. Virtually all well known TV manufacturers now offer one-piece rear projection TVs. Finally, there are two-piece units that consist of a video projector and a separate screen. The screen can be either a front projection screen or a rear projection screen. Front projection configurations are far more common for home theater applications. A given projector can typically be used with various screen sizes ranging up to around 120" diagonal as the largest practical for most home theaters. Quality projectors of this third category currently represent the top end of the home theater display market. Some of these projectors allow switching between a 3 X 4 ratio and a 16 X 9 ratio picture. These projectors are often sold through industrial video dealers and dealers specializing in high-end home theater systems. Virtually all of the major electronics manufacturers (e.g., NEC and Sony) have now stopped the production of CRT projectors. However used projectors are still available and a few specialty manufacturers are still offering CRT projectors.

Perhaps the best buy for a video projector for a home theater is a used Sony CRT projector. These are very high quality and can be found at truly bargain prices on the used market (at only 10% to 30% the cost of a new projector). Check out eBay for used video projectors or one of the several dealers on the web that specialize in the sale of used (or factory demo) video projectors. The best Sony models to consider are the VPH-1272 (i.e., uses 7 inch projection CRTs and was manufactured from 1995 until 1997), the VPH-1292 (i.e., uses 9 inch projection CRTs and was manufactured from 1995 until 1998) and the VPH-G70Q (uses advanced design 8" CRTs and was manufactured from 1997 until 1999). A VPH-1272 with 2500 to 3000 hours of use will cost you $700 to $1200 and the newer, brighter and higher resolution VPH-G70Q with 1000 to 2000 hours of use will cost $4000 to $7500. The nominal CRT life for Sony projectors is 10,000 hours therefore such used projectors should still have years of life remaining in the CRTs if they are working OK when you purchase your used projector.

The current entry-level Sony model VPH-G50 ($9,999 retail using 7 inch project CRTs-now discontinued) is shown below.

Liquid Crystal Display (LCDs) Projectors have become popular over the past decade for small hand held TV sets and as the displays on camcorders. At the other end of the display size, LCD based video projectors have become increasingly popular. From the beginning Sharp has been a leading manufacturer of such projectors. LCD projectors have improved with the current units having improved resolution and producing a brighter picture as compared to older units. LCD projectors offer the convenience of small size and light weight as compared to CRT projectors. However the image quality has generally been mediocre in comparison to a good CRT projector. LCD projectors' images have tended to appear course with obvious visible pixels when displayed on a large screen. This is due to the relatively small size of each pixel as compared to the relative large black area surrounding each pixel. However the latest generation high definition models from companies such as Sony are substantially improved in this area. As for the best buy in a high definition LCD front projector, the Sony VPL-HS20 (shown below) is worth consideration. This $3,499 model Sony uses a LCD panel with a 16X9 ratio (rather than the typical 3X4 ratio) with 1366 by 768 pixel LCD panels that can fully resolve the 720P HDTV format while the 1080I HDTV format must be down-converted for display.

Digital Light Processor (DLP) Projectors was the second new consumer television display technology that appear in 1997. The basic DLP module is being produced by Texas Instruments (TI). DLP based projectors designed for displaying computer graphics went on sale in 1997 by several companies, with products aimed at the computer graphics presentation market. Currently DLP projectors with the essential features for home theater use start with units producing a nominal 600 X 843 pixel image in a non-widescreen 3 x 4 aspect ratio. However, these entry level units do have have adequate resolution for anything greater than standard definition video. While some of these units can accept an HDTV input the image is downscaled to standard definition for display. In the middle of the line up of DLP models are projectors capable of 1024x768 pixels with a non-widescreen 3 x 4 aspect ratio. A 16 x 9 medium resolution version of DLP designed for home theater use employs the "Matterhorn" DLP chipset with 1024 x 576 pixels. Typical of projectors using the Matterhorn chipset is the BenQ PE8700 projector. The imaging chip in these units is not capable of true HD display but HDTV sources can look reasonably good displayed on such projectors. The current upper end of the consumer DLP projectors are the units that employ a second generation imaging chip (referred to as using a Mustang Plus or HD-2+ imaging chip) with a high definition1280 x 720 pixels and with a widescreen 16 x 9 aspect ratio. The Sharp XV-Z12000U ($10,995 list price) and BenQ PE8700 (shown below - $7,995 list price) are among the the higher-end consumer HDTV capable DLP projectors. A new generation of DLP projectors using new generation of 720 x 1280 pixel chips are expected to become available during the second half of 2004. It's not clear these new DLP chips will be any better than the HD-2+ series but TI information indicates they will be lower cost. Finally a new top of the line 1080 x 1920 pixel DLP chip is expected to begin shipping by the end of 2004 with Samsung being the first manufacturer in line to have a retail product (a rear projection TV). The best DLP projectors (as of April 2004 are using the HD-2+ chip) offer contrast ratios and black levels that are now approaching those provided by CRTs and are clearly superior to those offered by LCD and LCoS technologies. Many DLP projectors weight less than 10 pounds and deliver a big, bright image and can easily work with screen sizes of 120 inches and even larger. Although some high end models intended for home theater use are larger and heavier. Note that DLP projectors providing 1080 X 1920 pixel resolution are expected to beginning shipping by mid-2005 with rear projectors expected by Samsung, LG and Toshiba during 2005 with prices in the $4500 to $6500 range. Front projectors with more advanced 1080 X 1920 pixel DLP chips are expected in 2006.

The heart of the DLP is a high intensity light source and a micro-mirror assembly (on a chip) in which each mirror corresponds to a pixel. Each mirror flips between two positions. In the 'ON' position the light is reflected toward the projection optics and in the 'OFF' position the light is reflected away from the projection optics. The intensity of a given pixel is determined by how long the corresponding mirror remains in the 'ON' position. Each mirror is square and there is very little black area between each mirror. High-end industrial DLP projectors will use three of the micro-mirror units (i.e., one each for red, blue and green). Consumer and business units, use a single, or dual, micro-mirror unit(s) and a rotating color wheel to alternate between the red, blue and green components of the video image. DLP based projectors are available at prices starting in the $2000 range with the most expensive commercial models using 3 of the higher resolution micro-mirror chips and high intensity light sources cost as much as $50,000. Projected images appear very smooth without the individual pixels being obvious. The initial DLP units had 800 by 600 pixel resolution. DLP projectors were initially being sold for projecting computer graphics where the 800 X 600 pixels correspond to SVGA resolution. XVGA resolution (1024 X 768) DLP projectors are now also available. In late 2001 several models of DLP projectors were introduced with the first generation of widesrceen (16 x 9 aspect ratio) imaging chips that also support a HDTV resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. A second generation high definition (i.e. Mustang HD-2) was released in late 2002 that offers improved contrast ratio and substantially improved black levels. A plus version of the Mustang chip (HD-2+) as released in late 2003 offering further improvements in black levels and contrast ratio. The latest projectors using the HD-2+ chip are the first digital fixed pixel projectors that rival the performance of the better quality CRT projectors in terms of presenting a HD film like image quality. The DLP projectors not using the the lesser quality DLP chips are more limited in displaying true blacks and generally display dark grey instead of a true black. DLP now appears to be the technology that will eventually replaces CRTs for video projectors. However LCoS based projectors are expected to become DLP's main competitor for home theater use.

Plasma Flat Panel Displays was one of two new video display technologies that appeared in 1997 on the high-end consumer market. These are flat panel direct view units that will be produced by a number of Japanese manufacturers. Plasma displays are now available with a diagonal picture sizes up to 60+ inches (prototype Samsung 80 inch plasma display shown below) and a total cabinet depth of 2 to 4 inches. These TVs are the realization of a 40 year old prediction that large screen TVs would one day become available that you could hang on the wall. The retail price for 42 inch plasma displays started off high (i.e., in the $10,000 to $25,000 price range) and have dropped to under $3000 for "enhanced definition" models. True high definition plasma displays start at about $6000 (retail price) with the larger models (50 inch and up) retailing for over $10,000. Expect to see costs fall further as production volume continues to go up. While the latest models are substantially improved over the first generation products of a few years ago, the qualify of the video displayed on a plasma display is still not up to the standards of the best direct view CRT or a CRT or DLP based projector. However the very best plasma displays can now be considered a true HDTV displays as they will display over 1 Million pixels. The two weakness of all plasma displays is they produce a dark greys where blacks are not idea and there is generally some video noise in the darkness areas of the picture. However, the very best plasma displays have shown improvement in these areas (especially the latest generation of Panasonic HD plasmas). The bottom line on plasma TVs is the technology is gradually improving and is now worth your consideration if you truly want or need a flat panel display, but the price is still too high for plasma TV to be considered mainstream products.

LCD Flat Panel Displays have starting making their way into some smaller home theaters. Until recently the largest LCD displays were too small to be considered for home theater use. However, both Sharp and Samsung are now offering large screen LCD flat panel displays. Models with screen sizes up to 46 inches are currently available. New factories to produce LCD panels are coming on-line in Korea, Taiwan and China during 2005 and several companies have announced 37 inch model with 1080 X 1920 pixel resolution in the $2000 price range. One of the first expected to ship these new lower cost models is BenQ with their model DV3750 (shipping May 2005) and a late 2005 46 inch model DV4670.

Video Display Installation and Setup

One important consideration when purchasing a new TV set/monitor (either direct view or a projector) or when setting up a home theater is achieving the proper alignment of the TV. Manufactures generally ship their TV sets in a state of gross misadjustment. I'm not just taking about the proper setting for the user controls (e.g., brightness, contrast, color, hue, sharpness), but also about the set's internal controls. The manufactures believe that most consumers don't really care much about the picture quality. The vast majority of consumer TV sets have the overall picture intensity set far to high (i.e., well outside of the TV set's linear range) resulting in picture blooming (gross loss of details) in the brightest areas in the picture. These manufactures believe the consumer when confronted with a 'wall of TVs' at the local electronics superstore will pick the one with the brightest picture, even if the picture is poor in many other aspects. The color accuracy is generally poor with the overall color balance shifted toward the blue end of the spectrum (i.e., color temperature too high). Also the color balance generally will not track well between bright and dark objects or scenes (poor gray scale). A properly trained technician equipped with the needed test tools can adjust most TV sets to vastly improve upon the out-of-the box picture quality. The Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) was established by Joel Silver and Joe Cane to provide the training for technicians and to educate consumer and dealers on the benefits of proper calibration of TV sets/monitors. ISF sells a test disk called 'Digital Video Essentials', available on DVD, that can be used by either the technically knowledgeable consumer or by a technician to calibrate a TV set. Generally the consumer will be limited to only adjusting the readily assessable user controls. When purchasing a quality TV set for your home theater, I suggest you seek out a dealer that has been trained by ISF (check out the ISF web site for dealer information) to calibrate you TV.

Video Projection Screens

.If you are installing a front projection system, you will need both the video projector and a projection screen. The two leading manufacturers of projection screens are Stewart Filmscreen and Da-lite. Da-lite also manufactures rear-projection screens than can be used to substantially enhance the performance of an already good quality rear projection TV set.

Video Scalers

Video Scalers (also called 'Video Processors' or in the most basic form 'Video Line Doublers') are devices that accept an input of a video signal and through digital processing artificially increase the number of scanning lines and/or convert the video from an interlaced image to a progressive scanned (i.e, non-interlaced) image. The primary goal of a video scaler is to reduce the visibility of the horizontal scanning lines. These devices can only be used with data and graphics grade monitors/projectors capable to supporting high resolution and high horizontal scanning rates. Until recently all such devices were called video line doublers because they exactly doubled the number of horizontal scanning lines in a given unit of time. In this process they also doubled the horizontal scanning frequency from the standard 15.75 KHz to 31.5 KHz. Within the past couple of years line triplier and line quaduplers have also appeared. Also Dwin was the first manufacturer to introduce a scaler that featured variable scaling values to allow the user to select the optimum scaling value (e.g., 1.6) for their specific monitor/projector. Several other manufacturers have followed Dwin's lead and also introduced variable rate video scalers. Also up until recently all line scalers that produced quality results were quite expensive. In 1999 the first affordable video line doubler was introduced by Silicon Image that at $695 (list price) represented a real bargain. The Silicon Image DVDO iScan Plus has been recently upgraded to version 2 and the price raised to $750 (list) and a Pro model added for $900 (list) that includes additional video controls for contrast, brightness, color, hue and sharpness. The better quality line scalers include a feature called 3:2 pull-down for the better conversion of film based material (i.e., movies filmed at 24 frames per second) to progressive scan video at displayed 60 frames per second. The iScan Plus was the first video line doubler (not a true video scaler since it only support a 480 line progessive scan output resolution) to offer this feature on a low cost unit and more recently Focus has introduced a relatively low cost unit (but still 3 times the price of the DVDO iScan Plus) that also includes 3:2 pull down and also supports video scaling to higher resolutions. In 2001 another alternative appeared at extremely low cost. The Viewsonic VB50HRTV is marketed by the manufacturer as a device that will allow you to use a PC monitor as a TV display and this small box includes both a TV tuner and a video scaler. Given that Viewsonic is a manufacturer of computer monitors this is understandable. However, tests with a high-end video projector have confirmed that this lost cost unit provides surprising good performance as a general purpose video scaler. The user selectable resolutions include 640x480, 800x600, 852x480 and 1024x768 (all progressive scan). Also refresh rates of either 60Hz or 75Hz can be selected. The unit does not provide any control for aspect ratio, as do some of the more expensive video scalers. If your DTV monitor/projector provides it own controls to accommodate standard 3x4 vs. widescreen 16x9 video sources than the lack of an this feature on the video scaler is not an issue. Although the Viewsonic literature mentions nothing about have 3:2 video pull down, the spec sheet for the video scaler integrated circuit used in the VB50HRTV indicates that in fact 3:2 video pull down is supported. At $129 list price this unit is the bargain of all bargains for low cost video scalers. UPDATE - Viewsonic is replacing the VB50 with the NextVision 5 in August 2002 and also offering a more capable NextVision 6 (August or Sept. 2002 availability). The features of the NextVision 5 ($150) are similar to the VB50 but the NextVision 6 ($200) adds HDTV output resolutions of 720p and 1080i as plus adds a component video input. The NextVision 6 is expected to be of great interest to budget orient home theater owners. If you have a high quality data or graphics grade video projector that has component and/or RGB inputs then a line scaler can make a real improvement when displaying conventional standard definition analog or digital video sources. Virtually all HDTV sets or set top receiver boxes have a built-in line scaler for upconverting analog and standard definition digital video to the same number of scanning rates as used for HDTV. However this built-in scaler is frequently of mediocre quality and most do not support the 3:2 pull down enhancement. Four manufacturers, at four different price ranges, that you should consider if you are in the market for an outboard line scaler are:

Very Low Cost: VIEWSONIC line scalers

Very Low Cost: AVToolBox

Low Cost: ADS Technologies

Low Cost: DVDO

Low-Mid: FOCUS

Mid-Priced: DWIN

High Priced: FAROUDJA

The Silicon Image iScan Plus and the Dwin TranScanner 2 are shown below

Check out this link http://www.digitaltheater.com/index.html for more information on the latest up to the day digital television news. Also check out the news group for digital television.

Top of Page

DTV Product Name	DTV broadcast reception capability	DTV display ratio and min. display mode	DTV min. display resolution	Audio output capability
High Definition Television (HDTV)	all 18 ATSC DTV modes	16X9: 720p and/or 1080i	at least 540p (for 720p broadcasts) and at least 810i (for 1080i broadcasts)	Dolby Digital
High Definition Television Monitor (HDTV-Monitor)	none (must use an external DTV receiver box)	16X9: 720p and/or 1080i	at least 540p/at least 810i (for 720p and 1080i reception)	none
Enhanced Definition Television (EDTV)	all 18 ATSC DTV modes	3X4 or 16X9: 480p	at least 480p	Dolby Digital
Enhanced Definition Monitor (EDTV-Monitor)	none (must use an external DTV receiver box)	3X4 or 16X9: 480p	at least 480p	none
Standard Definition Television (SDTV)	all 18 ATSC modes	3X4 or 16X9: less than 480p (e.g., 480i)	less than 480p (e.g., 480i)	usable audio required

Manufacturer/Model	HDTV Interface Type(s)	List Price
DirecTV TIVO (includes HD-DirecTV receiver, TIVO HD-DVR, over-the-air tuner for only digital channels	Component/DVI	$999
DirecTV H10 (includes HD-DirecTV+ and over the air tuner)	HDMI/Component	$299
Hughes HTL-HD (includes HD-DirecTV+ and over the air tuner - manufactured by LG)	Component/RGB/DVI	$499
LG LSS-3200A (includes HD-DirecTV receiver and over the air tuner - RF remote control)	Component/RGB/DVI	$699
Samsung SIR-TS360 (includes HD-DirecTV receiver and over the air tuner)	Component/RGB/DVI	$599
RCA DTC-210 (includes HD-DirecTV receiver and over the air tuner)	Component/RGB/DVI	$599
Dish PVR 921 (includes Dish Network HD receiver with HD-PVR and over the air tuner) Also sold as JVC TU-DVR921RU	Component/DVI	$549
Dish PVR 942 (mid-2005 - includes Dish Network HD receiver with HD-PVR and over the air tuner) Replaces model PVR 921	Component/DVI	$699
Dish 811 (includes Dish Network HD receiver and over the air tuner)	Component/DVI	$399
JVC TU6000RU (includes Dish Network HD receiver and over the air tuner module)	Component	$649
RCA HD 6000 (includes Dish Network HD receiver - no over the air tuner)	Component	$499
HUMAX HFA100 (over the air tuner)	HDMI/Component/RGB (VGA)	$249
LG LST-4200A (includes over the air and digital cable tuner for 'clear channels)	Component/RGB/DVI	$349
LG LST-3410A (includes over the air and digital cable tuner for 'clear channels' and PVR) previously sold as Zenith HDR-330	Component/RGB/DVI	$999
LG LST-3510A (includes over the air and digital cable tuner for 'clear channels' ) previously sold as Zenith HDX-230	Component//RGBDVI	$699
Mitsubishi HD5000 (over the air and digital cable tuner)	DVI/IEEE-1394	$1699
Panasonic TU-SDT52 (only digital over the air)	Component	$399
RCA ATSC21 (over the air tuner)	Component/RGB/DVI	$499
RCA ATSC11 (only digital over the air tuner)	Component/RGB/DVI	$449
Samsung SIR-T451 (over the air and digital cable tuner	Component/DVI	$499
Samsung SIR-T151 (over the air tuner)	Component/DVI	$499
Samsung SIR-T165 (over the air tuner)	Component/DVI/IEEE-1394	$669