This work aims to study the introduction of digital TV in Brazil under the aspects of education and culture. To examine the cultural instances that mediate this transition was considered crucial, since both in the marketplace and in academia, the newly established, operating Brazilian System of Digital Terrestrial TV (SBTVD-t) is seen as an opportunity for digital inclusion, as well as for creating new content and bring about synergies with other digital media. The research is based on official documents, published papers, interviews with experts, and participation in international conferences on the subject. The study of teachers’s and students’s “social representations” of digital TV constituted another subject of the present research. Four themes emerged through the analysis of the material: high definition, multiprogramming, portability and interactivity. Emphasis was given to the last two. The conclusions show that while expectations are extremely positive, digital TV currently is no more than a synonym of high-definition for picture and sound. Its role has to be rethought in the communication scenario, especially in relation to education. Moreover, its social function still needs to be better understood in the context of the reception of new digital media (e.g. internet interactivity of the Internet, virtual social networks, video on demand). Finally, the research points to the need for further research to move towards more connections with the field of education, which is central in discussions about the media in Brazil.