So far, I’m not terribly impressed with DTV, otherwise known as DTV. Unless you have been living in a cave for a while, you know that the television industry was forced to begin broadcasting their signals in digital and abandon the old reliable analog signals this past summer. There are some great things about DTV, such as the ability to get programming data right on your TV screen - kind of like a built-in TV Guide. The picture quality also seems pretty good, especially if you have an HD-capable television.

There does seem to be a downside to the transition as well, and it leads me to believe that digital television has its share of problems that go along with the positive aspects of this new technology. In my experience, the DTV signal does not seem as reliable as the old analog signals. The strength of the signal seems to fluctuate based on factors that I just can’t figure out. One night I might get a good strong 93 on a particular channel and the next night I might get 60 or so on the very same channel, which often results in serious distortion of complete loss of the picture.

One might suspect that environmental factors like the weather might be the culprit, but that does not seem to be the case. I can often watch TV while it is raining and have no problem whatsoever, and at other times I might have a problem receiving a signal on a perfectly clear day or night.

Since I have Dish TV, I do not have to rely on over-the-air DTV broadcasts from my local television stations very often, otherwise I suspect I would end up quite frustrated with the unpredictability of DTV. Although the new features that were introduced with DTV are impressive, I do kind of miss the days of the old reliable analog broadcasts.