The Digital Revolution is upon us.... In fact, it¡¯s been
sneaking up on us for a long time with devices such as
calculators, digital watches, and many other consumer goods, not
to mention the devices we actually use but see very little of.
Such devices are common to us in "the first person" in the form
of many automotive controls in our car, and indirectly common to
us if we fly.. things like aircraft engines, etc.
But the first area possibly to have a major impact in terms of
comparison has been in the cameras we use. This effects us both
in camcorders and in the still cameras. While the purist will
probably always win the argument that the film camera gives
greater quality control than the digital, there are those who
would argue against this principal very vociferously.
Now, most Americans who own a TV are about to experience first
hand another upward leap on the scale of digital technology as
our televisions will be mandated to use digital transmission and
reception technology within the next few years. Yes, for many
years our current televisions will still work.. possibly with
adapters, and the upgrade is not too unlike the upgrade from the
old AM radio to FM, or if you are a "ham" from AM to SSB.
Sometimes we have to wonder if progress takes place simply for
progress own sake.. or to justify some new selling point or to
create obsolescence so the engine of progress can march on.
Without going into a technical discussion of digital Vs its
predecessor, analog, and going the comparisons of an analog
watch (one with hands) to digital, suffice it to say that in
this case, the move to digital technology in most cases DOES
bring substantial benefits. Clarity, use of less power, higher
resolution when it comes to video.. these are but a few.
However, it is not the scope of this article to lead into a
technical discussion which could fill pages, but to "segway" and
introduce one to the subject of DVR: Digital Video Recording.
The DVR is on the way "in" and the old recording devices are on
they way out at about the same speed as your old 33 1/3d and 45
RPM records.. and the VHS tape you use. Probably half the of
reader base of this article owns and has used a DVD player by
now, and you see the many advantages of not having to contend
with tape that gets tangled in heads some times, must be
rewound, and has limited audio and surround sound capability.
Recording with the VCR has always been a challenge, particularly
if one wants to record multiple programs at multiple times, or
do an extended recording. Instant and simultaneous replay is
virtually impossible.
With DVR, which by the way not only applies to the entertainment
area, all of these things become things of the past, and options
open up that were not previously available.
One can either own equipment and record on site, with the most
commonly known device being the TiVo.. although there are
devices now made by virtually every known electronic
manufacturer. The only question in buying one of these is, "Will
this become obsolete in 36 months?" A web site referred to in
the resource block goes further into evaluating this.
The other option is to let a outside source do the recording.
Many of the TV cable providers offer this as an optional service
now. You don¡¯t have to buy a thing.. only be a subscriber to
their DIGITAL service (which we all will be eventually).
In the meantime, the only question is, "Do I want these benefits
now enough to pay the cost for them?". That¡¯s an individual
question.
In the meantime, this article gives those who have come across
it some general background, and the opportunity to prepare some
questions before wondering into your TV and Electronics
dealership. We suggest you prepare by doing searches on terms
like HDTV; "digital ready", "digital TV converters"; "Digital
Recorders". Ask about the total number of inputs; the total
recording time; Ask if you can make a copy of the recording onto
a CD or DVD, and will it play universally, or only on the
machine it was recorded on.
Many questions.. but in the end, all of us will soon be in the
DVR owner ranks.
================================================== Joe Leech has
been involved with electronics since getting his first "ham"
license in high school, and keeping up with DVR technology is
just natural. His full service DVR information web site can be
seen at http://www.new-dvrinfo.com
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