Computer Technology Merging With Tv Technology More All The Time

By Author: Emily Sanderson
Total Articles: 32
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Over the past decade, there has been a phenomenal amount of crossover
between computer technology and TV technology. This is especially
surprising given the fact that most Americans have largely rejected the idea
of a living room computer. However, most of the computer technology that
has found its way into the living room hasn't had the overt appearance of a
personal computer.

The earliest example of an acceptable piece of computer equipment in the
home entertainment center (that wasn't a video game platform) was the
digital TV receiver. The widespread use of these devices actually dates
back to the early nineteen nineties when satellite TV became economically
viable for typical households. By all outward appearances, it would have
been easy to blur digital TV receivers together with any other set top box,
but underneath it all was the fact that they converted digital data to the
sounds and images that made up TV.

The DVD player was a much more obvious example of the blurring
between computer and TV technologies. After ...
... all, by the time that DVD
players became common, CD-ROM drives had been on computers for
years. Since both are optical drives, and computers and DVD players
loaded their discs in similar ways, the resemblance was pretty plain. Of
course, CD's had been in stereo systems and computers for years, so
people were already used to seeing the resemblance there.

The next major change was the digital video recorder. DVR's as these
devices are more commonly known, can record video onto computer hard
disks and then play that video back later. Most models also automatically
record whatever the viewer is watching live in order to enable the pausing
and rewinding of live TV. Among the advantages that DVR's have over
VCR's is an ease of programming that none of the manufacturers of VCR's
ever got right. Another advantage of DVR technology is an ability to watch
recorded programs in any order. That's because a hard disk doesn't store
video sequentially like a video tape does. In other words, a video file can
simply be accessed without the time wasted cuing through other videos.

Over the years, computers have also taken on a number of the same
capabilities that's previously only been reserved for TV sets. For example,
it's been possible to buy a special TV tuner that can be installed in a
computer for years. These devices allow computers users to watch TV
right on their computer screens. These days though, this capability is
standard on many computers to some extent. For example, most modern
computers can display streaming Internet video on their screens and
laptop computers have been used to watch DVD's for years. There are also
now special adapters available that contain a TV tuner and connect to
laptop computers through a USB port so that users of laptop computers can
watch TV on the screens of their laptops.

The most obvious hybrid between computers and TV equipment is the
media center computer. These devices are DVD players, DVR's, digital
receivers, and Internet browsing machines all combined into a single unit.
They're likely to be the future of TV technology.

E.Sanderson writes articles about the latest developments in technology, electronics, and satellite TV. She'd like to inform you about the latest Dishnet HDTV services.