 | Don Checots
(CHEE-CAUGHTS) is a native of Pennsylvania. He left there in 1965 to join the United States Air Force. While in the Air Force Mr. Checots became involved with Armed Forces Radio and Television, and helped install AFTN radio and television services in Thailand. From there, he assumed more responsible management positions in public broadcasting stations and eventually moved to Bemidji, Minnesota where he built a full-service public TV station. While there, he received a Bush Foundation Summer Fellows Award and attended the Harvard Business School's Public Broadcasting Executive Management Program. After Bemidji, he moved to South Bend, Indiana as President/General Manager of public television station WNIT. In January 1997, he moved to Wichita as President/General Manager of KPTS and works with the Board and community to reinvent public broadcasting in South-Central Kansas. Don may be contacted by phone at (316) 838-3090, or by e-mail at dchecots@kpts.org. |
Media
2003-07-01 13:54:00
What will 'digital' bring?
: I recently read an article about public broadcasting's conversion to digital technology. Has this already happened? What will it mean to the average American?
Question: I recently read an article about public broadcasting's conversion to digital technology. Has this already happened? What will it mean to the average American? Answer: We've been hearing for years that "the future is digital." It's a phrase that means different things to different individuals and industries. For commercial and non-commercial television stations, it means that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the governmental body that regulates all over the air broadcasting, is mandating that we change the way we broadcast. The current analog method of delivering a television signal will gradually change to digital delivery over the next ten years. The deadline for public television stations, like Wichita's KPTS, to begin broadcasting a digital signal is May 2003. Trying to describe the impact that digital television will have on the average television viewer is similar to trying to explain the impact that the Internet would have on society ten years ago. Imagine your current analog television signal as a six-inch pipe. This pipe is only large enough to carry a video and audio signal to your set. Now imagine the pipe that carries the digital signal - it's several times larger and so it carries several times the information. A television station with digital capabilities can divide its signal into subchannels and broadcast more than one program at a time. This means that children's programming could be offered at the same time as legislative and local affairs, or foreign language programming. A digital television program can also offer additional information about the topic being presented. For example, a cooking program might have a menu bar similar to a webpage. During the program, you could take a wireless mouse, click on the menu bar and print out a copy of the recipe featured in the show. A sportscast would let you click on icons that would give statistics on the team and players. In essence, digital suddenly makes more information about the program that you're watching available at your fingertips. Digital broadcasting isn't only about more information for the viewer. It also means a drastically improved viewing experience. Digital television pictures are sharper and have much more definition and the sound is richer and more natural to the ear. This type of broadcast is called High Definition Television or HDTV. You may have noticed the "HDTV" logo on at the beginning of some of your favorite programs. This means that for those individuals who live in markets where stations have already made the conversion to digital and who have digital reception equipment, they can already experience the amazing opportunities that this new technology can offer. Stations in larger markets across the country have already begun broadcasting in digital and you can look for stations in the Wichita market to begin the transition within the next 24 months. The first question most people have when they learn about digital is, "Will I need to get a new set?" The answer is no. First, stations will be required to broadcast both digital and analog signals for a period of up to six years to give consumers time to make the switch. But even after analog signals are no longer being broadcast, viewers will be able to by less expensive conversion boxes that attach to their current analog sets to decode the digital broadcast. While the picture quality with a conversion box isn't the same as with a digital television set, it does offer a much better quality picture than you currently receive! If you would like to learn more about public televisions transition to digital broadcast, you can visit the FAQ section at http://www.kpts.org/. You can also see a live demonstration at the KPTS studios. Simply call and schedule a tour at 316.838.3090.
