system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Eli5: Why does it take so long to change a channel on modern TVs?
gpt
Old TVs were analog. The signal was encoded in a simple way than needed just basic electronics to decode and display. This was fast, so old TVs changed channels quickly. However, such a method of transmission was inefficient: just one TV channel per frequency. It also did not allow for a high quality of image. The only edge of analog signal is that it is robust: it can be displayed no matter what the interference, it will get blurry, snowy or lose color, but it still will be decipherable.

Modern TV is digital, it uses complex computerized encoding that allows to pack ten or twenty channels in one frequency with much more quality. However, deciphering this signal is harder and needs a mini-computer that is built in every modern TV set. That's why the slow down: it's the wait while the minicomputer processes things.