End of Analog?

• For the vast majority of television stations in the United States, the switch-over meant the end of analog transmission. For a few Low Power Television stations, the FCC has not yet set a date for the cessation of analog broadcast. What this means to the average television viewer is that only a few low-power stations with extremely limited programming are still available to analog-only receivers. This does not mean the end of television antennas, which will still be needed for the foreseeable future.
  
  

Digital Terrestial Television

• In fact, older antennas will still function, though some adjustments will have to be made. Outdoor aerials should be fine, but many indoor antennas will have to be adjusted, or even relocated. One thing will change; locations that previously received marginal analog signals will most likely be unable to receive any signal at all. Balanced against this, some advantages to digital TV include: hi-def video, 5.1 channel surround sound, and the ability for broadcasters to stream multiple signals on each channel.
  
  

Converter Box or New TV?

• To continue using old antenna equipment a digital to analog converter box is needed. While these will allow the use of digital television, they will not allow the display of high definition signals on a 20-year-old CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) television. The image quality will be the same as it always was.
  
  On the other hand, using the same old antenna, a brand new television can receive perfect HD signals, just like the ones on cable and satellite.
  
  

Multicasting

• Multi-casting is the ability of a digital television station to broadcast multiple audio/video streams at the same time. This can be used to broadcast lower bandwidth streams of the main channel, allowing reception at greater distances by sacrificing stream quality. It can also be used to transmit alternative programming, as well as transmitting data streams to specially equipped computers. Not all stations will use this capability, as some will switch to broadcasting only high definition signals.
  
  

A warning on replacing old antennas

• What if your old antenna falls apart and you have to buy a new one? Generally, with aerial antennas, the quality of the product will not change, but with indoor antennas, some unscrupulous manufactures have been selling "HD Ready" antennas that are actually worse for digital reception than the old analog antennas. Be sure to be on the lookout for such shoddy products when replacing an older antenna.