By NamSing Then

Digital Videos (DV) capture images on CCD – Charge Coupled Devices but store them in a high-quality, endlessly reproducible, easily edited, digital format. Currently the most commonly device for capturing videos is the Digital Camcorder.

The quality of the digital video is far superior to the analog counterpart. The images are sharper and the color is richer and more accurate, at least twice as good as the older VHS and almost identical to broadcast quality video as DV uses component color sampling to hold thrice the color information as a conventional analog VHS and S-VHS video.

Time Base Correction stabilizes the picture thereby virtually eliminating video jitters. Error Correction fills in missing video data and provides seamless, professional-looking video.

In a digital camcorder one can instantly change between video capture or playback mode without disturbing any of the other elements and can instantly review the quality of the captured video.

Editing video is greatly simplified because the video can be transferred directly from the camcorder to the computer without conversion using what is called as Firewire connection. It can then be digitally edited on-line and again copied back to a digital tape. Not only it is quick and easy, there is no loss of image quality as there is in the analog world while copying and transferring. In fact, copies of digital videos and copies of copies are still as sharp as the original. Once stored on the computer, you can also easily send short clips as e-mail attachments or post them on Web sites.

Digital videos have audio that’s CD quality, presently the best rated.

There is a convergence between digital still cameras and digital camcorders. Many of the new digital still cameras can capture short video segments and similarly camcorders can also capture digital stills.

DV cameras are smaller than other camera of other formats, with some even slipping into a shirt pocket. DV camcorders store upto ninety minutes of digital video on small DV cartridges, which are a bit expensive. Another feature of these DV’s is that images can be stored not only on digital videocassettes but also on MultiMediaCards known as Flash Cards and the images can be transferred between the two easily.

In its digital mode it stores in excess of 700 still images at 640 x 480 resolution in JPEG format in either of two quality modes. High Resolution mode will store approximately 60 printable images and Standard mode will store 105 images appropriate for email attachments. There are also zoom facilities available, which are normally 10x optical zoom and 40x digital zoom and are backed with an image stabilization system.

By Douglas Hanna

The hottest new thing in sound is called HD Radio technology. And what it does for radio is the same thing that HDTV does for TV – it makes it light years better! In fact, when you listen to HD AM radio, you’ll think you’re listening to FM. And when you listen to FM, you’ll think you’re listening to a CD.

What makes this possible?

HD Radio technology works much like traditional analog transmissions (AM and FM are both analog signals).

The difference is that the station broadcasting HD Radio technology transmits an extra digital radio signal, along with its normal analog signal. It can also broadcast a third signal for text data.

Your radio receiver receives the signal – just as it does an AM or FM signal. If you have a HD Radio receiver, it will decompress and translate the signal and viola! You get bright, clean, near-CD quality sound.

What happens if you don’t have an HD Radio technology receiver? It’s simple. You hear your normal analog radio– AM or FM.

AM radio has smaller sections of bandwidth than FM radio. This means there is not enough “space” to give AM stations the same near-CD quality as FM stations. But there is enough bandwidth that AM stations will be able to broadcast with the same clarity of signal as one of today’s analog FM stations. This performance boost is expected to make AM radio a better alternative to FM than it has been – to give you more listening choices.

Less vunerable

Digital FM radio is less vulnerable to reception problems. Your HD Radio tuner’s digital processors will eliminate all those annoying pops, hisses, fades and static caused by interference.

What happens if you lose the digital signal for some reason? Really nothing. HD Radio technology defaults back to analog mode in much the same way as conventional radios switch from stereo to mono mode when the signal is weak. Then, when the digital signal again becomes available, your HD Radio automatically switches back. What could be simpler?

By Jason Morris

Analogue is the process of taking an audio or video signal and then turning it into electronic pulses. Digital is the process of turning the signal into a binary format, represented by a string of 1’s and 0’s. Analogue technology has been around for a long time now. It really isn’t that complicated and is fairly inexpensive. The problem with analogue signals lies in their size limitations regarding the amount of data they can carry.

Because of the way digital works by breaking a signal into 1’s and 0’s and then re-assembling it exactly at the other end, it gives you clear and distortion free cordless conversations. A digital signal knows what it should be when it reaches the other end, through the arrangement of the binary code. This means it can correct any errors that may have occurred during the transmission of the data (signal). All this means that in most cases clarity of the signal is maintained, offering distortion free telephone conversations or clearer television pictures.

Digital technology is also more compact, allowing you to cram much more data into the same space as an analogue signal, meaning more features can be crammed into the digital signal. Though digital signals offer great clarity, they don’t always offer the same rich sound quality as analogue for now.

Cordless phones

Because of the way digital works by breaking a signal into 1’s and 0’s and then re-assembling it exactly at the other end. It gives you clear and distortion free cordless conversations. Digital cordless phones also encrypt the binary data during transmission, making your call safe from eavesdroppers. With digital more power can be applied to the signal allowing you greater range on cordless conversations.

If you are in a small office or in your home, it may be that you don’t require a big range and security isn’t an issue, in which case you may find that a cheaper analogue cordless system will fulfil your needs. Check out the features at the end of this article to help you decide if a digital cordless phone will benefit you. You will need to keep in mind that when using digital or analogue signals for cordless phone calls, the handsets themselves are still analogue devices that can only be used on analogue lines. Also the range of your cordless phone, whether using analogue or digital signals will always depend on the environment in which you are using it.

Phone systems

When considering which type of phone system is best suited to your business, digital or analogue. Many companies are now choosing hybrid systems, which allow you to use both digital and analogue peripherals, giving you the benefits of a digital system while offering the flexibility to implement any existing analogue equipment.

Benefits of digital and hybrid phone systems

1. Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) – Digital systems allow better implementation of Desk Top Assistant (DTA) software.

2. Allow you to integrate your telephone system with your computer network.

3. Offers greater clarity of call signal (no distortion).

4. Easily adapts to the use of DECT cordless technology, giving your employees the freedom to roam, while still receiving a clear distortion free signal.

5. Allow better integration with advanced features such as voicemail auto attendants and other call handling features.

Benefits of digital handsets

1. Allow better integration of advanced features such as voice mail and auto-attendants.

2. Offer greater internal memory for better call handling.

3. Caller Line Identification (CLI). Allowing you to view the identity of any callers before answering the call.

4. Offer clear distortion free calling.

5. Offer high capacity name and number directories.

Benefits of digital (DECT) cordless handsets

1. DECT cordless offers increased range over analogue sets. Up to 50m indoors and up to 300 outdoors, which can be increased with the use of strategically placed repeaters.

2. DECT cordless offers better security through signal encryption, stopping eavesdroppers.

3. Offer clear distortion free calling.

4. Allows the use of extra handsets without the need for extra wiring.

5. Calls can be transferred between handsets.

6. Caller Line Identification (CLI). Allowing you to view the identity of any callers before answering the call.

7. Offer high capacity name and number directories.