With the advancements in technology has come a waning of many "analog" devices as "digital" becomes the new norm. When using the term analog, it refers to naturally occurring sounds, numbers, pictures and processes. Perhaps the term "digital" could be said to refer to analog things represented in a binary number system. At least, this is true in the realm of computers.
Analog vs. Digital In Your Home
Homes are fitted with digital and analog devices. Perhaps you have a large analog clock on the wall in your living room or kitchen that has an hour and minute hand. It might even have Roman numerals at the 12 hour locations. On your bedside nightstand you might have a clock radio, but it has digits that display the time. Though the clock might be considered a digital device, the AM/FM radio it shares in the same cabinet is an analog device.
Analog TV Ends
AM, FM, CB and short-wave radio sets are analog devices. This was also true of TV sets, but the U.S. Congress mandated that by June 12, 2009, all TV stations switch from broadcasting an analog signal to a digital format. This was done to take advantage of the superior quality of digital transmissions. Most existing TV sets require an analog signal for their picture and sound. These will continue to be useful analog devices for the near future because they can be used with the outputs from other analog devices such as VCRs, DVD players and gaming consoles. To receive over-the-air digital transmissions from TV stations, a special digital-to-analog converter box is needed for older analog-only TV sets.
Computers Are All Digital
Computers have been at the forefront of the technology swing from analog to digital. Every piece of information that is stored, displayed or produced by a computer is at some point in a digital form. Sound, pictures, graphics and text are converted from analog to a digital form for a computer's use. Every piece of computer data is represented in binary, base 2, in an "on" or "off" state.
Your Ears are Analog Devices
The sounds you hear are analog waveforms. A microphone is an analog device that coverts sound into an analog electrical signal. Circuits called analog-to-digital converters change the signal to a binary representation to enable computers to store them on their hard drives or burn them onto CDs. When playing a music CD, the music represented in binary code is read by a laser and changed into an analog electrical signal. An amplifier then strengthens the signal and analog speakers reproduce the sound so your analog ears can enjoy it.
Digital and Analog Devices Coexist
A digital thermometer uses an electronic sensor and circuitry to report the temperature, while an analog thermometer uses a tube of mercury mounted against a numerical scale. In the music industry, digital keyboard synthesizers are the latest in technology, yet there has been a strong comeback by musicians to also acquire analog synthesizers based on the early 1960s Moog era. These produce unique sounds and timbres desired by many musicians. There will probably always be applications where analog and digital technology exists together, and as long as your ears are analog devices, analog will always be around.
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