Television is What are the types of television?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

For more than half a century, television has been one of the main ways to convey information to many people at the same time, as well as a way to relax after a working day and have fun on weekends.

Technological progress is moving by leaps and bounds, both the types of broadcasting and the availability of television for the population are changing.

How TV started

The date from which Soviet television began its countdown is April 29, 1931, when the first television image was broadcast.

Since then, the development of technology has not stood still. If in Soviet times two TVs per family were a luxury, and the whole family (and sometimes neighbors) gathered to watch evening programs on a single TV channel, now you will not surprise anyone with TV broadcasting on a tablet or laptop anywhere with Internet access.

Terrestrial TV

The most, perhaps, the main television in Russia is on-air. For its distribution in all cities, television towers have been installed - repeaters that amplify the incoming signal.

Due to the mass nature and centralization of this type of broadcasting, the main TV channels have become available to Russian residents even in small, remote corners of the country.

In order to receive an on-air signal at home, you need to install an antenna for yourself and connect it to the TV. You can also use a common, community antenna if you live in an apartment building.

Terrestrial television is sometimes analog, but more and more clear, digital broadcasting has begun to spread faster and faster. In order to receive digital terrestrial television, you need to have a TV with a built-in ability to switch the signal from analog to digital. If this is not the case, you can use special TV tuners (set-top boxes for TV sets).

Thanks to the ubiquity of terrestrial TV, advertising placed on it helps to reach the widest range of consumers.

Cable TV

From the point of view of audience coverage, such television occupies a niche opposite to broadcast television. Its main goal is not mass broadcasting and bringing TV programs to as many viewers as possible, but diversity and meeting the needs of people with different interests.

Cable TV is characterized by a variety of channels of completely different subjects. Those who are interested in sports can watch broadcasts of various competitions. For families with children, there are specialized children's and educational channels. There are TV channels, day and nightshowing news programs, movies, music videos or entertainment.

To connect to cable TV, you need to contact the nearest operator (often they also provide Internet services). If you live in an apartment building, then there is probably one or more companies that are willing to arrange a paid subscription for you and stretch the cable to the apartment.

Satellite TV

Satellite TV is another way to bring TV broadcasts to the audience. Such television broadcasting is carried out with the help of numerous satellites flying in near-Earth orbit.

To receive a satellite signal at home, you need to buy a special antenna ("satellite dish") and place it on the roof of the house or on the balcony. For residents of some remote areas, this is the only way television can reach them.

Coverage of most of the Earth's surface by satellites is achieved by their specific location in orbit. They are located along the equator and move at such a speed that it will seem to the observer that they are constantly at the same point in the sky.

Unlike terrestrial, satellite TV receives its main income not from advertising, but from the subscription fee of subscribers. Until recently, the purchase of a satellite TV set was far from affordable for everyone, but the situation is gradually changing.

Online TV

In this age of the ubiquity of the Internet, online TV is a way to stay ininformation field, even being far from home and any room with a TV.

In addition to accessibility, the main advantage of interactive (online) television is the flexible management of subscriptions to TV channels, among which you can always choose exactly those that are of interest at the moment.

Another advantage of this type of broadcasting is the absence of reference to the time of transmission of programs. The subscriber can always pause the program of interest or watch it later in the recording.

How to choose?

There are several criteria by which you can choose the best type of television for yourself.

- Subscription fee. Now only cable and satellite TV have it, but it may also appear on terrestrial after the widespread transition to digital terrestrial television. For cable TV, the fee is fixed and usually includes 100 channels (in addition to the main broadcast channels). The price of a satellite TV set is regulated by the number of connected TV channels.

- Equipment. TV towers and antennas for receiving terrestrial TV in cities are installed everywhere and usually do not require the purchase of separate equipment. For remote areas or holiday villages, the best option would be to purchase a satellite TV set. It is most convenient to connect cable TV along with the Internet from the operator serving your home.

- Signal reception. For high-rise buildings, the clearest image is achieved using cables, while outside the city it would be better to connect to a satellite dish. Analog terrestrial TV is suitable for those who are used touse the TV as a background and ignore the signal quality.