Analog television is the original television technology that uses analog signals to transmit video and audio. In an analog television broadcast, the brightness, colors, and sound are represented by amplitude, phase, and frequency of an analog signal. Analog signals vary over a continuous range of possible values, which means that electronic noise and interference may be introduced. Thus, with analog, a moderately weak signal becomes snowy and subject to interference. In contrast, picture quality from a digital television (DTV) signal remains good until the signal level drops below a threshold where reception is no longer possible or becomes intermittent.

Analog television may be wireless (terrestrial television and satellite television) or can be distributed over a cable network as cable television. The analog television signal contains timing and synchronization information so that the receiver can reconstruct a two-dimensional moving image from a one-dimensional time-varying signal. The first commercial television systems were black-and-white, and the beginning of color television was in the 1950s.

In many countries, over-the-air broadcast television of analog audio and analog video signals has been discontinued to allow the re-use of the television broadcast radio spectrum for other services such as datacasting and subchannels. Digital TV, on the other hand, transmits in “packets” of compressed data. The data uses a combination of 1’s and 0’s, similar to your computer, DVD player, and Internet. Because it uses this code, digital signals do not experience the same interference, or signal loss, that analog TV signals do. That means you enjoy a consistently clear picture, high-quality audio, and no static or snow.