This chapter introduces you to the subject of TV technology. It embodies almost all the principles and circuits covered elsewhere in this book. Studying TV is an excellent review of communication fundamentals, including modulation and multiplexing, transmitters and receivers, antennas and transmission lines, and even digital techniques.

This chapter covers the basic NTSC system and TV receiver. The NTSC is the National Television Standards Committee, the group that developed the standards for analog TV and color TV in the 1950s. It also covers cable TV, satellite TV, and the new digital and high-definition TV systems as defined by the Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC).