Digital signals have discrete encoded states that they switch between. They can only assume the defined encoded values. Errors can often be easily detected and sometimes corrected.
Analog signals are continuous and change smoothly from one value to another, passing through all intermediate values. There is no way to identify errors.
Digital signal is moreefficientimmune to noiseerror freethan analog signal.
all signals have power, analog or digital
Analog signals require higher fidelity than digital signals because digital are either on or off while analog are continuous. A small difference in an analog signal is not detectable while it requires a large difference to turn on into off (digital signal). Error correction is easier with digital signals.
The set top box that your provider gives you is what converts the Digital signal to the analog signal. The digital signal is compressed at the provider and sent to the end user. The "tuner" (which can be built into a tv, a set top box or a cable card) Then decompresses the digital signal and converts it into an analog signal. There is much more to this did not know how technical you wanted your answer.
Digital signals are "forced" to be either 1 or 0, whereas analog signals are not. This means that a signal of 0.8 will be pushed to 1 in a digital signal and will remain 0.8 in an analog signal, and 0.2 will be 0 digital and 0.2 analog. This means that in order to overwhelm a digital signal the noise must do much more work to be effective. digital signal have only two states analog have infinite states therefore more susceptible to noise
An analog signal is a signal of varying amplitude. The signal can be: Light of different intensity Light of different colour Varying voltage like that produced by an MP3 player or Computer Soundboard. Varying levels of radiation We can easily compare the Analog signal with waves on the ocean. They go up and down and can vary in speed, size and intensity. Digital signals are very different. Digital signals are either on or off. In light, we either have light on, or we do not have light. Analog measuring is often a part of describing when a digital signal is a zero or a one. We measure for levels of light, or levels of voltage to define whether the signal is supposed to be interpreted as a zero or a one. This makes digital signals very resistant to background noise and they can travel very far with little or no degradation. Digital signals are very suitable for transferring information. This is actually what they are all about. Analog and digital signals go these days hand in hand when it comes to music. We transform an analog signal into its digital representation and by recording the digital information we do not get loss of information.
You need to make a distinction between analog and digital signals, and analog and digital data. Digital data can be sent on an analog signal by using a modem. Digital data sent on a digital signal is done over a wire using voltage pulses at two or more levels. Digital signals can't travel very far without amplifiers, but analog signals can cover huge distances, such as with satellite communications and even communications with deep space probes.
They both convey differences in voltage level. An anologue signal can send any level between limits. A digital signal only sends two different levels, one represents a 1 or high level, the other represents 0 or low level.
Analog signals are continuous while digital signals are discrete
Set top box is basically used to convert the digital signals broadcasted by digital signal broadcasters to analog signals, in case you wish to have your analog tv, but would like to have an access to digital channels. Digital channels definitely have better quality signals than analog and therefore you will have a better picture quality and signal quality even though you have converted the digital signals to analog.
modem Measuring usually the voltage of the analog signal many times a second in binary number code generates a digital signal, and using a binary number code to control the voltage of an output results in a reproduced analog signal. That is what is done for stuff like digital television. A Modem (prior answer) is for when the analog signals are used to connect digital computers (like yours) together, usually over a long distance.
Digital is an upgraded audio and visual signal. There will be a transition in the United States on February 17, 2009, where all broadcast analog signals will be converted to digital signal.