The accessDTV card comes with a collection of connectors that you use to accept video input and generate audio/video output. This diagram shows you the connectors:
Here's what these connectors do:
- Analog in - This accepts analog video input. The input can be an analog-TV antenna, a feed from the cable company, or a channel-3 input from something like a VCR or DVD player.
- Digital in - This accepts digital video input. Typically, this would be the Yagi antenna collecting the digital broadcasts in your community, but it could also be a cable from a digital satellite receiver.
- Dolby Digital Surround Sound (AC-3) output - This is the output for digital sound. Typically, you would connect this to your 5.1-channel home-theater sound system (see How Home Theater Works).
- PC Video passthru in
- Video output - This looks like a standard VGA connector. You can use a cable to connect this to the component video input of any supported digital display, including DTV sets. In this case, the card acts as the display's digital receiver.
There are two typical ways that you might connect the card in your home: for computer-only viewing or for HDTV-display viewing.