DTV converter boxes aplenty, but good luck finding an antenna Wireless
TV broadcasters in the U.S. TV signals and started broadcasting only in digital, but she still found herself in a Best Buy store on the DTV deadline day, Friday, buying the last amplified digital antenna on the store shelf. And she even bought a new flat screen digital-ready TV for her living room to replace an old analog TV that was on its last legs. So she thought she was prepared.
But when Coleman hooked up her digital converter box to her TV using her existing antenna on the eve of the digital transition, she discovered that she could get every regular broadcast TV station except channel 2.
Meanwhile, using a new TV antenna with a built-in signal amplifier attached to her digital ready flat-screen TV, she was able to get all the regular channels, plus two extra channels. I was prepared back in February for the switch," she said.
But then when I hooked up the box last night, I realized that I wasn't getting all the channels and that I probably needed a different antenna, so here I am again." Coleman was not alone. TV antennas were in short supply in New York City Friday when full power broadcast TV stations switched to digital-only TV broadcasts. EDT the Radio Shack on 23rd Street near Park Avenue had plenty of converter boxes in the store, but it was all out of antennas.
The Best Buy just down the block on 23rd Street and 6th Avenue only had a few antennas left by mid-afternoon. And by 5 p.m. Best Buy customer service representative at the store on Broadway and 62nd Street said that antennas were sold out in Manhattan. The only stores that still had them in stock were in Queens. As for converter boxes, the representative said the store still had 242 left.
Justin Barber, a spokesman for Best Buy, said that as of Friday evening, Best Buy stores across the country were meeting demand for converter boxes. He couldn't say whether other areas around the country were experiencing antenna shortages. But he said that the company had anticipated a spike in demand.
We have been working with our antenna vendors to get additional inventory," he said. That was definitely something we were planning for in anticipation of the DTV switch." It's difficult to say how widespread the potential antenna shortage has been. Mark Wigfield, a spokesman for the Federal Communications Commission, said he hadn't heard that antennas were in short supply. But he said he wasn't surprised that antennas are in high demand.
You really do need an antenna to receive digital signals," he said. Best Buy had plenty of digital TV converter boxes on hand for last minute shoppers. They may be able to use the existing antenna they had used to get analog TV signals. But he said that whether the antenna is new or old, consumers should make sure it supports both UHF and VHF radio frequencies. VHF antennas have traditionally been the rabbit-ear antennas that receive channels 2-13.
And UHF antennas have been in the shape of a circle or bow-tie. These antennas are used to tune channels 14-51. Now that broadcasters are only transmitting in digital, it's important to have an antenna that supports both VHF and UHF, since many digital signals are now being broadcast in UHF frequencies. In addition to VHF UHF antennas there are also amplified antennas that can be used to improve reception.
In the case of Louise Coleman, the amplified antenna, helped her get all the standard TV channels offered in her area, as well as two more channels she couldn't get with analog TV. But retailers caution consumers that no antenna is a one-size fits all solution, something Richard Savelli, of Manhattan learned the hard way.
Savelli had bought a basic rabbit ear-style antenna from Radio Shack when he picked up his converter box earlier this year, but even with the new antenna he isn't able to tune in some digital TV channels. He was in Best Buy on Friday looking to buy a new antenna. But the pickings were rather slim. It is frustrating," he said. Nobody told me I needed a special antenna. But cable is too expensive and I don't want to give them my money."
Figuring out exactly which antenna to use can be a big challenge. The FCC has some information on its Web site www.dtv.gov that provides some help. But most of the information on the Internet is about outside antennas. Still, Wigfield recommends that consumers check out the FCC Website and use a tool that allows people to put in their address and ZIP code to see where their local station transmitters are located and what kind of signal they can expect to get.
There is also information available about the different types of antennas. He also says that newer converter boxes work much better than ones made just a few years. And he says he has spent hours testing and figuring out which solution works best for getting digital TV signals in his Astoria, Queens, apartment. What he has discovered is that an expensive amplified antenna did not perform as well in his apartment as a much cheaper HDTV UHF VHF antenna.
And he says that he not only gets more TV channels than he did with analog, but that the TV channels he is getting are much better quality in high definition and with surround sound. A silver sensor HDTV antenna from Philips that is similar to the one CNET editor Matthew Moskovciak uses. So what are consumers to do? Here are a few tips that can be used to help get you started setting up your antenna for digital reception.
Make sure you are using an antenna that supports UHF and VHF. Move your antenna closer to a window. Often it's much easier to get reception from the window. Point the antenna in the direction where you know local TV stations are broadcasting. You may have to adjust the antenna for different channels.
Rescan your digital converter box or tuner to find the channels in case the broadcaster has moved them. If you're still unable to get a signal, try a new antenna. Moskovciak recommends not buying the most expensive antenna first. Instead, he says to work your way up, trying different antennas to see which one works best.
Often a less expensive antenna may work better than a more expensive one. Best Buy has a 30-day return policy, so try as many antennas as you want, and return the ones that you don't need. It's definitely not easy to set this up perfectly," Moskovciak said.
I've spent a lot of time getting mine set up. I have my antenna taped to the wall and pointing toward the transmitters. E-mail Maggie. 5 channels of TBN!! Boy was I a sucker. Yep, I live in suburban area 28 miles from Seattle where the broadcasters are, so what should I expect. Maybe I'll have to move back to the city so I can pollute my brain. HAHAHAHAHAHA!
I'll bet there are lots of folks all over the USA that are in the same boat, but also only have DIAL-UP internet and not able to watch anything on the internet either. Sad. June 12, 2009 7:27 PM PDT I have been watching DTV for 3-1 2 years. My location is 37 miles from the transmitters per antennaweb.org. The antenna is approx 12 feet off the ground in the attic.
Oh well, too bad, tough luck. I am not going through any more hassle to see television. Some is fun to watch, occasionally it is good to see where a tornado is, but I can live without it. Radio, silence, reading, home movies.. By telvision.. USA it was fun. So if she had an antenna that worked, why was she out buying another one?
Or was an "investigative journalist" involved here, creating a story with a loaner antenna? Click here to review our Terms of Use. Comment reply The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited. Are they nuts? Subscribe via RSS Click this link to view as XML. Let us know how the transition is going in your area.
The servers stayed up and nothing exploded when Facebook's vanity URL program went live tonight. The Space Shot Shuttle Endeavour set for grueling station mission The space shuttle is poised for launch Saturday on a grueling 16-day space station assembly mission featuring five spacewalks and extensive work with three robotic arms.
Source:
Keywords:antenna, expensive antenna, antenna supports, existing antenna, antenna work, vhf antenna, amplified antenna, antenna taped, antenna approx, antenna cable
Comments to this post not accepted.