May 12, 2008 10:46 am US/Mountain
CBS4 Starts Digital Transmission On Lookout Mtn.
CBS4 is currently broadcasting a high-power digital signal from Lookout Mountain. After a viewer programs their TV or set top box the channel number should appear as 4.1 or 4-1.
DENVER (CBS4) CBS4 activated its new full-power digital transmitter on Lookout Mountain west of Denver Sunday morning. The milestone means viewers up and down the Front Range can get free digital television directly from CBS4.
"This really is the best place to broadcast from and reach the entire Front Range from Fort Collins and Greeley all the way to Castle Rock," said Marv Rockford, spokesman for Lake Cedar Group.
Rockford's group worked to build the new tower that will serve as the digital broadcast site for several Denver television stations.
He said the new over-the-air digital signal will provide the best quality video and sound of those stations. Cable and satellite providers sometimes compress the digital signal, which means the picture and sound quality may not be as good.
"The most important thing for people to understand is that however you're receiving television right now: over the air or on cable or on satellite, that stays the same, that will stay the same until February of 2009," said CBS4 Director of Operations David Layne.
On Feb. 17, 2009, the FCC will require television stations to switch-off analog transmitters.
Consumers who have satellite will automatically get the digital signal, even if they have an old analog TV. They can get the digital signal through their satellite receiver.
Cable subscribers will have access to both the analog and digital signals but may require a converter box to receive the digital or HD signals. Consumers may want to check with their cable provider for specific requirements.
To receive the free over-the-air digital signal, consumers will need a digital conversion box to get the picture on their old analog TV. Viewers with new digital receivers attached to or inside of HDTVs will be getting the best possible image.
Additional Resources:
Digital television will be the standard by Feb. 17, 2009.
1. If you have rabbit ears on top of your TV set or an old-style antenna sitting on your roof, you can obtain $40 coupons to help you make the transition from analog to digital broadcasting. The coupons help pay for converter boxes that will convert digital signals to old-style analog signals. To request a coupon, visit www.dtv2009.gov. (Hotline for info: 1 (888) DTV-2009.)
CBS4 Web Video Extra: All About HDTV (Stuff You, The Consumer, Need To Know)
Video: Recycle Old Analog TVs Free At Goodwill
FCC Info: Facts About Digital TV
Question from CBS4 Viewer: "I have an analog set with an old VCR & DVD player. 1) If I get a converter box how do I hook up the old VCR? 2) If I get a new TV how do I hook up the old VCR and DVD player. Do I also need a new DVD/VCR recorder? The necessary configuration has me confused and I can't get an answer any place. (I have over the air reception, not cable.) I am sure I am not the only person with this future problem. Thank you"
Answer from CBS4 Engineer George Racz: Your hookups depend on:
1: Does your TV set have only a tuner (Coaxial connection)or does it also have video and audio input connections (Yellow, Red, and White).
If so, how many sets of these connections are there (How many video/audio inputs are there?)
2:Is the TV a Stereo TV set or mono?
3: Is your VCR a Stereo HI-FI VCR or a mono audio VCR?
If your TV is Mono audio and only has a tuner, and your VCR is mono as well: You would hook your antenna to the new converter box antenna input, then hook up the RF (Coaxial) output to the VCR's antenna input, and the VCR's "TV or RF Out" jack to the TV set's RF antenna input.
You would then make sure the TV and the VCR stay on channel 3 to either watch or record programs.
Your DVD player would have to go through an RF modulator if this is the case, and it would be connected in line between the VCR and the TV set.
If your VCR and TV are Stereo: YOU MUST hook up the new converter box to the video and audio input jacks on both the VCR and TV set in order for you to both hear AND record stereo audio. (See next paragraph also).
If you have these jacks you may already have the DVD player connected there.
This can get complicated if the TV set has only one video/audio input (One set of jacks.)
SEE LINKS BELOW FOR VIDEO/AUDIO SWITCHERS.
If you have 2 or 3 sets of video/audio inputs, you should be OK.
Most of the converters I have seen only have one set of video/audio OUTPUTS so in order to feed both the VCR and TV set, you essentially LOOP the video/audio through the VCR, which means you MUST leave the VCR on all the time and make sure it stays on it's external video/audio input in order for the TV to get the signal from the box.
As long as you are not planning on recording a different channel than the one you are watching, this is not a problem.
If you are, you will need TWO converters. One for the VCR and one for the TV.
If the TV is Stereo, but the VCR is mono: You would hook the video/audio connections from the new converter to the TV's video/audio input jacks (If you only have one set of jacks you will need a video/audio switcher (See below links to Radio Shack)).
Your DVD player would hook to the second input (Or switcher).
Your mono VCR would be hooked to and record from the RF (Channel 3) output of the converter.
-- 2 input switcher: www.radioshack.com
-- 5 input "Auto Switcher": www.radioshack.com
Finally the easiest solution to all of this is if you buy one of the newer DVD and or VCR recorders that has a built in ATSC Digital tuner. They allow you to either record or just tune the new digital signal through them without any external converter needed.
Example: www.walmart.com
If your head hasn't started pounding already, hopefully all of this helps.
If not, I would suggest looking through your owners manual for the TV, so you can familiarize yourself with the TV's jacks, and features, as well as your VCR's manual.
If you have model numbers and these manuals, you can get answers to a lot of these questions from the TV manufacturers customer assistance dept (usually an 800 number), but they will need to know the other brands and model numbers of the VCR and DVD player to help you.
(© MMVIII CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
