Difference between Analog and Digital broadcasting

My last article was I published is about Set Top Box, which I just bought to receive digital tv broadcasts, Indonesian government through Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has a work program inviting people to switch from Analog TV to Digital TV.

Indonesian government will start analog switch off or ASO stage this year, which is targeted for completion by November 2, 2022. ASO program is part of government's program to distribute broadcasting infrastructure development evenly.

To watch digital television broadcasts, you need a television set that can receive digital broadcasts. If you use an ordinary or analog television, people can install the DVBT2 Set Top Box that is sold in the market.

ASO will be carried out in stages based on regional readiness. Indonesian government sees that there are four factors that underlie this policy, namely general practices that occur in the world, input from broadcasters, considerations of industrial readiness and limitations of the radio frequency spectrum.

Frequency limitation is an important factor so that analog broadcasting is stopped gradually. The Indonesian government is currently still structuring frequency spectrum which is currently used for analog broadcasts.

After migration of analog television broadcasts to digital, after November 2022 there will be no more analog television broadcasts. Thus, analog television sets cannot catch television broadcasts if they do not use a Set Top Box (STB).

Indonesian government is also finalizing mechanism for distributing free Set Top Boxes to poor households. Free Set Top Boxes will be distributed to make it easier for public to enjoy digital TV broadcasts, whose television sets are still analog.

Digital TV Difference

What is the difference between analog and digital tv? To add insight, I try to summarize some of the differences between analog tv broadcasts and digital tv broadcasts, which I read from several sources.

• Signal emitted

First difference between analog tv and digital tv is signal emitted from two broadcasts. Analog TV is only limited to analog signals, while digital TV can process both digital and analog signals at same time. Analog TV signals are similar to radio signals. In analog TV, video signal is transmitted in AM, while the audio is transmitted in FM. Signal may experience interference depending on distance and geographic location of TV receiving signal. As for digital TV is transmitted as bits of information data such as data on a CD or DVD.

• Resulting image and audio quality

Picture quality is difference between analog TV and digital TV. Quality of analog TV is affected by distance of transmitter while digital TV is not affected by distance of transmitter. On analog TV, transmitter distance will greatly affect image and audio quality, so we often encounter analog broadcasts where image and audio are not clear. While on digital TV broadcasts are not affected by distance so that picture and audio quality remains clear. Digital TV broadcasts also have high picture quality up to High Definition (HD) quality.

That is difference between two types of tv broadcasts, hopefully the information industry through tv in my country will be more advanced. I read in several articles that Set Top Box used in my country has an EWS (Early Warning System) system, which is a chipset that is embedded in all Set Top Boxes that serves as a warning of natural disasters. So that when there is a disaster, Set Top Box will sound like a warning alarm.

To activate EWS feature in Set Top Box is very easy, just enter postal code where you live, then this tool will give a warning when there is a natural disaster in area according to postal code entered. This feature is very useful because it will minimize casualties in event of a natural disaster.

Thank you for reading till end, hopefully it can add to your insight.

Reference source :

• Indonesia is entering the digital TV era.

• Differences and advantages of migrating to digital TV