Nov 26, 2008 10:10 pm US/Mountain
Get Your Cheat Sheet For DTV
Written by Alan Gionet
Good Question: What do you need to know about digital TV before you shop?
DENVER (CBS4) ―
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On Feb. 17, 2009, the FCC will require television stations to switch-off analog transmitters.
CBS
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Good Question, a regular part of CBS4 News at 10 p.m., is an opportunity for Alan Gionet to drill past the basic facts of a story and give it some depth & perspective. See more Good Question reports.
OK troops, let's get right to the point. You want to be prepared for the change to digital TV in February. Maybe you're going to the store to buy what you need; or you have taken it upon yourself to get Grandma squared away because she still fears the TV remote might start the curtains on fire. Read this, then print it out and bring it with you.
What:
All television stations are required by the FCC to turn off their analog signals after February 17th of 2009 and begin broadcasting in digital only. If you're not ready on February 18, your TV won't work. It's the government friends, don't blame the messenger. On the plus side, with the digital signal, the picture will likely come in better and clearer and the sound will be better.
Definitions:
Analog
- The kind of signal that's been broadcast by TV stations since television was invented. Think of it as a simple language. Analog is like speaking cavemen. It has a limited vocabulary.
Digital
- The new fancy-pants way TV stations will broadcast. Think of it as a more modern language, like English. There's way more information that can be conveyed with digital. Your TV may understand caveman but, if you're trying to say, "Hey, there's a big rock that's about to fall on your head, get out of the way," you'd be better off with English than a series of generally useless guttural sounds.
Digital allows for extra stuff like more programming and a super-fancy-pants way of watching known as "high definition television" or HDTV. HDTV is like English using an unabridged dictionary - It will really wow 'em. Don't let anyone tell you you have to have HDTV to keep watching. That's not true. Repeat after me: "I do not need HDTV; I only need digital TV."
Who doesn't have to worry:
If you have cable or satellite, the cable or satellite provider will feed you an old analog style signal, so no matter what kind of television you have, you will be all set. You don't have to buy anything, period. - Um, unless you have a television in the house that is not hooked up to the cable or satellite and gets it's signal from an antenna. If that's the case read on.
What you'll need to do before you head to the store:
1)
Find out if your television already has what's called a, "digital tuner" or if you will need a, "digital converter box." If the TV is new, it may have a digital tuner already built in and you don't need to buy anything for the TV. If it's older, you may need to buy a digital converter box so your TV can understand the signal. CBS4 engineer George Racz says, "If your TV set was manufactured before March of 2007, you're more than likely going to need a digital converter box." Some sets had digital tuner boxes built in as early as 2004, but it wasn't required until 2007.
You can check your owner's manual, but who keeps that? "Off the back," says Racz, "Get your model number, contact the customer service number - it's usually an 800 number for each manufacturer, give them the model number and they should be able to tell you whether that model has a built in DTV tuner." How do you find the customer service number? Google the company name and look for their 800 number on their website or call information and ask for an 800 number for say, Panasonic - or whatever brand of TV you have.
If you need a digital converter, get a coupon first. You will save 40 dollars. Here's the web site:
www.dtv2009.gov
Here's information I copied directly from the web site on getting a coupon:
"Between January 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009, you can request a coupon while supplies last in one of four ways:
-- Apply online: www.dtv2009.gov/ApplyCoupon.aspx
-- Call the Coupon Program toll-free 24-hour automated system 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009).
-- Mail a coupon application to: PO BOX 2000, Portland, OR 97208-2000. Download a Coupon Application here.
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Fax a coupon application to 1-877-DTV-4ME2 (1-877-388-4632)
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Deaf or hard of hearing callers may dial 1-877-530-2634 (English/TTY) or 1-866-495-1161 (Spanish/TTY). TTY Service is available from 9 AM - 9 PM Eastern Time Monday through Friday.
T ake the coupon to the store and buy a digital converter box. Remember, you will need a converter box for each television set in your home that runs off an antenna and is not digital ready, but the coupons are limited to two per household. The boxes cost between 40 and 70 dollars before the coupon.
2) Find out if your antenna will work. It's not a matter of digital versus analog for the antenna. The same antenna will bring in a digital signal and feed it to your TV set, so your antenna may be perfectly good for the digital switch. The main issue is, do you have an antenna that brings in both VHF and UHF? That's because - no matter what channel you want to watch - you'll need to receive both the VHF channels, (2 - 13) and the UHF channels, (14 and above). Don't ask me why, we'll be here all day.
How can I find out if my antenna will work? Here's a link to a web site that might help: antennaweb.org I was still baffled by it, but you may want to look. The FCC has a page on antennas too, it's not bad: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvantennas.html
Basically, the antenna on your TV set will probably work if you're getting all the channels 2 - 13 and 14 and above. If it looks like a bowtie or loop, those are UHF antennas. Rabbit ears are VHF only. If you have an antenna with rabbit ears and a loop, or rabbit ears and an bowtie, welcome to the digital age, you're probably prepared.
If you have an antenna mounted on your roof or in your attic, you're probably in good shape. Just check your channels now. Get Channel 4? Good. Do you get a channel with a high number above 14? Good. All set.
If you don't, consider buying an antenna that gets both VHF and UHF. Remember, for the vast majority of us, the digital signal will be better, not worse. You don't need to go with an expensive antenna if you think the signal is pretty good now. If you already have rabbit ears for example, just pick up a loop or bowtie antenna. They're cheap. Try that, before you go with something expensive. Keep the receipt. If it doesn't do the job, bring it back later and upgrade.
The government is encouraging people to, "Apply, buy and try." That means apply for the coupons early, buy your converter(s) and try them out on the stations that are already broadcasting in full-power digital like CBS4. Some of our competitors in Denver are only broadcasting a low power signal in digital now and will go to full power only when they have to on February 18th. That means their digital signal right now is not-so-hot. Don't think it's the antenna until after February 17. Try the CBS4 signal now. If that works, your chances are pretty good.
3)
The VCR problem. OK, this one is a bummer. Your old VCR most likely doesn't have a digital tuner because it was probably built prior to March of 2007. You will need a digital converter box for each VCR if you want to record a program while watching another. Given the cost of VCRs these days, this means that you may want to consider buying a new VCR rather than another converter box, because a new VCR should have a digital tuner inside. (Again check to make sure it was built after March '07) An upside would be that you would likely be getting a built in DVD recorder as well, because it's tough to find a VCR only these days. A downside would be missing that blinking 12:00 you've come to rely upon as a night light.
Hooking up a VCR is a matter beyond my lowly statute as a technical caveman and people who know better have written diagrams. Here's a link.
4)
Re-scan for channels. OK, this one is a bummer too. You don't need to buy anything, but all this stuff may not work if you don't do this. So here's a link to the FCC's web site to help you accomplish successful setup:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/troubleshootguide.pdf
Here's the important part of that web page copied from the FCC's Web site:
"Digital-to-analog converter boxes and digital televisions have a button, usually on the remote control, that is labeled "set-up" or "menu" or some similar term. Press that button to access the set-up menu. Using the directional arrow buttons on your remote, scroll to the option that allows you to perform a "channel scan." The channel scan will search for digital broadcast channels that are available in your area. Consult the owner's manual of your digital-to-analog converter box or digital television for detailed instructions on how to perform a channel scan for your device. Once the channel scan is complete, you will be able to tune to the digital channels received by your antenna. You should perform a channel scan periodically to check whether additional digital channels have become available."
If you're really fascinated by all of this and want to wile away the hours, or you have questions I haven't addressed here, check this web site:
http://www.dtv.gov
*However, if you would like HDTV, you'd be very cool. The picture is a crystal clear, wide-screen look. The new digital signal allows people with HDTV sets (equipped with digital tuners or converters) to view television in high definition. If you are lucky enough to be able to afford HDTV, wonderful. Be sure and invite the neighbors over and drop hints of their inadequacy if they don't have HDTV. This may make them envious enough to head to the electronics store and single-handedly restore the global economy.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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