Learn About Digital Products and Online Services 

In today’s digital age, technology and the internet are an integral part of our daily lives. Whether we are checking our e-mail or watching a DVD, we utilize and depend on the latest and greatest technology to get us through our day. Have you heard about new digital products but don’t really know what they’re all about? This section explores different technologies and delivers key information to help you brush up on your knowledge and become savvier on all things digital. The topics range from your new Blu-ray disc player, to online security, digital phone service, and more!

There are a wide variety of topics in the digital Learn Center that help enhance your understanding of digital products and services likely to be found in your home, which are explored below. 

Learn About Online Products and Services

Audio Video (Streaming Video)- Streaming video is used for both educational purposes - it can be used in classrooms to view lectures and learn languages - and for entertainment in viewing movie and TV clips, news broadcasts, music videos, YouTube video clips, etc. Since streaming video is viewed nearly instantly as the stream reaches your computer, you don't have to take time to download large files before viewing the video. All you need is a high-speed broadband Internet connection and a special player to decompress the media which makes it possible for you to view and hear the video. Read more about Audio Video.

Email- If you're one of the 220 million Americans who are regularly online, you are undoubtedly familiar with email. Email, or electronic mail, is a means to exchange messages over the Internet. These digital messages are originated through the user's email program on their computer, which then connects to their Internet service provider's (ISP's) mail server. Read more about Email.

High-Speed Internet- High-speed Internet, or broadband, was defined by the Federal Communications Commission in 2008 as any Internet connection speed with a data transfer rate equal or faster than 768 kbps. This is in contrast to slower dial-up modem speeds of 56 kbps.But the demand for faster broadband access has resulted in high-speed Internet speeds of 1.5 to 20 Mbps which is 50 to 70 times the speed of dial-up. To the high-speed Internet user, this translates to faster connection speeds, faster Web page loading, and faster downloading of large Internet files. Read more about High-Speed Internet here.

Online Security- Security threats abound on the Internet. Browsing the Web and downloading files can put the user at risk for computer viruses, spyware, tracking cookies, and more. But by recognizing how these threats invade your computer and by taking the necessary steps to protect yourself, you can surf the Web with peace of mind. Read more about Online Security here.

T Connections- There are different ways that Web users can connect to the Internet. The slowest connection speeds come from dial-up connections. Faster options for Internet connections include DSL,cable Internet, and T1 connections. A T1 Internet connection is a popular method of connecting to the Web for business customers. T1 connections include several advantages over other connection types. Read more about T Connections here.

Learn About Digital HD Television, Phone, and Cable Services

Blu-Ray- Blu-ray discs are similar in appearance to standard DVD discs and are the same size, but unlike DVDs, Blu-ray technology provides a high-density disc designed for high-definition (HD) movies. A single Blu-ray disc has a 50GB storage capacity and utilizes a shorter wavelength than a DVD disc, allowing for nearly six times more data storage. The name Blu-ray evolves from the blue laser used to read the disc contents. Read more about Blu-ray here.

Cable- Cable service is a communications system that provides television,high-speed Internet, and digital voice services to consumers world-wide via coaxial cables or fixed optical fibers. Cable television has all but replaced over-the-air signals that require a set-top or roof-top antenna in most major U.S. cities. Read more about Cable here.

Digital Phone- Digital phone service utilizes VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) technology to provide voice services to consumers. While operating in much the same way as a traditional phone line, VoIP routes calls across the Internet or other packet-switched network over a general purpose packet-switched network rather than over telephone lines. Read more about Digital Phone here.

HDTV- High-definition television (HDTV) is a digital television system that produces markedly better picture quality than standard-definition. In fact, HDTV produces the best television audio and video available to consumers today. HDTVs come in different resolutions: 720p, 1080i, and 1080p. These numbers represent how many lines are embedded in the signal, and the letter denotes the type of scan the HDTV uses to display the picture. The higher the number, the higher the resolution. Read more about HDTV here.