Everything you ever wanted to know about digital tv
Digitalisation
is bringing more and more improvements to television. For example, you have many more channels to choose
from. And you can put together your own personal programme. But best of all: you do not need to buy
a new television set. All you need is a simple additional device.
But
what exactly does it mean to have such a wide range of channels and an EPG (Electronic Programme Guide)? What are the benefits of a mediabox recorder? What options are there for digital TV reception ? What
are the prerequisites for HDTV (High Definition TV)? The
following pages will tell you about all of this and much more in eight short films and descriptions.
We hope you will enjoy digital tv!
If you have any further questions
please go to the
FAQ pages or the
glossary.
A selection of programmes to suit every taste
Are
you a fan of action and sport? Do you like cultural documentaries and Hollywood gossip? And you would
like to have access to exciting series, timeless blockbusters and the latest music clips? No problem.
Digital
broadcasting means that you have a huge selection of programmes. In addition to the established national
and international channels, numerous niche channels for smaller target groups will also find their way
into your home. In many different languages.
The basic
service from cablecom digital tv includes over 90 TV channels and 100 radio stations. And it provides
many additional options in the areas of children’s programmes, documentaries, sport, films, erotic
and music. We leave nothing to be desired.
cablecom digital
tv channel overview
Turn your living room into a cinema with the press of a buttonA
Video on Demand Service lets you choose the starting times of the films yourself. You can also pause,
fast forward or rewind films and usually watch them several times over a period of 24 hours.
At
cablecom, the Video on Demand service is called “cablecom on demand”. Cablecom on demand offers you
a wide range of over 350 films from different genres: action, family movies, drama, comedy, adult films
etc.
Check here whether cablecom on demand is available
where you live.How
it works:
Press the
"on demand" button
on the remote control
and select a film from the wide range and then confirm the order.
Watch today what you missed yesterdayTV on demand
(also known as catch up TV) is a service you can use to watch past programmes today. So you will no
longer miss anything. Because at the touch of a button the past programme can be retrieved again and
viewed - during a whole week.
For the time being, you can use cablecom’s
TV on demand to watch
programmes on Swiss Television again.
Check
here
if TV on demand is available where you live.
For cablecom digital tv
customers
this service is free of charge!
The TV listings magazine of the future
An EPG
(Electronic Programme Guide) is an electronic TV listings magazine. It is built
into your television set and can be consulted at any time. All television channels are listed in order
and show a summary of what is on when and where.
EPG also provides a
search function that can find programmes by weekday, channel or start-time. Or by different genres,
film titles, actors and directors. So within seconds you can filter out the programme you want from
the vast range on offer, as much as eight days in advance. And you also get plenty of background information.
Recording takes on new dimensions
From now on you
can record your favourite programmes entirely without any additional video machine or recording media.
If need be you can even record two programmes at the same time! All you have to
do is press just one button! Up to eight days in advance.
Is
your favourite series broadcast regularly? Do a series recording, which automatically
records the daily episodes. Programme the recorder once and you will never again need to be annoyed
with yourself for missing an episode. Or what if you are in the middle of watching a programme and decide
to record it at short notice? No problem. Record it there and then. The entire programme will be recorded.
cablecom central
is your television brain. It stores and arranges all past and future recordings together with all the
relevant information. It is easy for you to manage, sort and play your recordings here.
Handy Livepause
You are just watching an exciting
football match when the doorbell rings. It’s your neighbour inviting you to go for a beer. But on no
account do you want to miss the match. What should you do? Just pause the programme!
Then continue watching the match from that same point later on.
What
a goal! Oh no, did you miss it? No problem. With the Replay Function you can see
it again – in the default setting this skips back 10 seconds. However you can define shorter or longer
replay times for your mediabox recorder. It is up to you how recordings are played back.
Many
a moment rushes by so fast that we cannot hold on to it. Now there’s an end to all that. With Slow
Motion you can watch the best goals in slow motion and analyse them in detail.
This is how easy it is to install cablecom digital tv
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1.
|
Disconnect the aerial cable currently connected to your television set and plug it into the input socket
on the mediabox (marked “RF IN” or “Cable IN”).
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|
2.
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Using the aerial cable supplied, connect the output socket (marked “RF OUT” or “Cable OUT”) of the mediabox to your television set.
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3.
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Then take the SCART lead and connect the SCART socket marked “TV” on the mediabox with the SCART socket on your television set. If you use an HD mediabox, you must connect the HDMI sockets of the mediabox and the television set with the HDMI lead.
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4.
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And finally: Do not forget to plug in the power cable.
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The
installation process is complete – it couldn’t be quicker. No technician or lengthy explanations are
needed.
Why is television being digitalised?
The cable networks
were originally designed for the analogue transmission of 30 to 50 TV programmes. The digitalisation
of the programmes means that the “space” can be used more efficiently. The space required for broadcasting
an analogue TV station is enough for up to ten digital channels. Instead of 30 to 50 analogue programmes
there are now up to 500 digital programmes being transmitted simultaneously, and the quality is always
good. In short: More channels and better quality.
In addition digitalisation
makes it possible to receive multimedia applications, plus Internet and telephone services via the television
cable. Without this technology neither Video on Demand nor High Definition TV would exist.
In
future the entertainment, communications and television industry will use only digital technology. Look
forward to it.
| 1925 | | First successful television performance in Germany, England and the USA. |
| 1939 | | First public TV demonstration on the occasion of the "Landesausstellung" 1939. |
| 1953 | | The SRG introduces the official television channel. |
| 1957 | | The Bundesrat grants the SRG a television concession. This comes into force on 1.1.1958. |
| 1964 | | Start of commercial television. |
| 1968 | | Introduction of colour television. |
| 1984 | | Start of teletext in Switzerland. |
| 1990 | | 100-Hertz television sets on the retail market. |
| 1992 | | Europeans start the first large-scale testing of HDTV and broadcast the Olympic Games in 16:9 format. |
| 1993 | | First prototype of a plasma flat-screen television set. |
| 1994 | | Surround sound quality for video for the first time via the TV signal (Dolby Digital). |
| 1999 | | Cablecom transmits digital television. |
| 2005 | | Introduction of HD ready logos. |
| 2006 | | From 2006 onwards SRG transmits all sports events in 16:9 picture format. |
| 2007 | | Cablecom transmits High Definition TV (HDTV). |
This is how seductive definition can be
HDTV provides
a resolution up to five times higher than the conventional television picture. This means that much
more picture information can be shown, which leads to a huge improvement in picture quality and sharpness.
The
conventional television picture consists of 768 x 576 (that is 442,368) pixels. This resolution corresponds to the PAL standard and is also described as Standard Definition (SD). HDTV
on the other hand works with picture resolutions of 1280 x 720 (i.e. 921,600) pixels or 1920 x 1080
(i.e. 2,073,600) pixels, thereby guaranteeing a huge improvement in picture sharpness and accuracy of
detail.
Get an idea of the sharpness of HDTV
You
can move the bar in the film on the right by clicking on the red area with the mouse and dragging it
to the left or right. This will enlarge or reduce each of the two areas (HD and SD). As is to be expected,
the bee prefers the part of the flower on the right – the HD picture is simply more realistic!
Mistake for reality
The wider range of colours, the
higher resolution and the truer colours mean that the picture transmitted by HDTV is unbelievably realistic.
The picture accuracy and quality is further increased by the 16:9 widescreen format and the frequently
larger television screen. So, in contrast to conventional television, with HDTV you feel much closer
to the action – right in the midst of it instead of just being a bystander!
Sound quality which bowls you over
It is not only
the better picture quality that makes HDTV an experience in comparison with standard television; the
sound quality (surround sound) also makes a significant contribution to the total enjoyment of a film.
Dolby® Digital Sound is already standard in the cinema – with HDTV this
impressive sound experience can now also be enjoyed at home. In order to receive transmissions in Dolby®
Digital 5.1 (five loudspeakers and a subwoofer) you need to connect your HD mediabox to a home cinema
system. Another requirement is that the programme concerned must support Dolby® Digital 5.1.