Remember, you'll need to get a converter box for each analog TV in your home that receives over-the-air signals. Your new converter box should come with a coaxial wire, a remote control, AND an instruction manual. We urge you to follow the instructions that come with your particular converter box. You can also call us or visit our website for detailed information. But hooking up your converter box up should be fairly simple.

First, unplug your TV from the wall. Then, remove the antenna wire that is currently plugged into your TV, and plug it into the "Antenna In" port on the box. Then, plug one end of the new wire into the "Out to TV" port on the box, and the other end into the "Antenna In" port of the TV.

If your antenna wire looks like this, not to worry, just remember to purchase the necessary adaptors that will make it possible for you to use the coaxial ports on the converter box. Plug in and turn on your TV and converter box. Tune your TV to channel 3 or 4, and using the remote that comes with the converter box, make sure to follow the on screen set-up guide which will scan for available DTV channels in your area and set your TV up to receive them.

You should re-scan for available channels periodically during the transition, in order to capture those stations that change to digital or change their location after your initial set-up. Even with this new set up, remember that you are still getting your signal from an antenna. Generally, an outdoor antenna gets better reception than an indoor antenna.

Some antennas that get poor reception with analog - or can?t get stations above channel 14 - may need to be upgraded. But you do NOT need to purchase a special DTV or HDTV antenna to receive DTV signals. You should always try your antenna first, before upgrading. You may, however, need to adjust where your antenna is pointing to get the best signal.

You can call us at 1-888-CALL-FCC for more information on antennas. Or go online at www.DTV.gov. So to re-cap? Step 1: Unplug your TV from the wall Step 2: Remove your Antenna wire from the TV and plug it into the "Antenna In" port on the box. Step 3: Plug Coaxial wire into the "Out to TV" port on your converter box Step 4: Plug the remaining end of the coaxial cable into ?Antenna in? TV. Step 5: Plug in your TV and turn on the converter box.

Step 6: Tune your TV to channel 3 or 4 and follow the on screen set-up guide Your VCR will work with your analog TV after the transition. If you want to use a VCR to watch videotapes you won't need a converter box. If you want to use a VCR to record a DTV program, you can hook your VCR to a converter box and it will record your program. Again, you can call us or visit the FCC website for more information.

With a converter box, you can watch closed-captioned programs like you did before. Also, with some converter boxes, you can change the size, font and color of your digital captions. You can start getting ready right now for the DTV transition. The sooner you act, the sooner you will be able to start enjoying all the benefits of digital television!

Source: http://wpri.com/dpp/about_us/operations/local_wpri_watching_~

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That’s the current deadline for analog signals to be eliminated by broadcast stations and to be replaced with digital signals. Cable is not affected by the transition. For many, that’s also the day when confusion sets in - national estimates show about 6 million people at present are not ready for the digital transition. But there’s really no cause to panic.

If you don’t have cable through Comcast or Verizon FiOS, or digital programming through DIRECTV or Dish Network - which means you only get local channels from a roof antenna or rabbit-ear antenna - then all you’ll get from June 12 on is fuzz on TV. You do not have to buy an HDTV to watch digital television.

An analog TV connected to a cable or satellite service will work, as will a standard-definition TV with a digital tuner. There is also no such thing as a "digital antenna," so don’t be fooled. On Nov. 17 at 6:25 p.m., Philadelphia television market suspended analog broadcasts for a minute as a test. Some viewers had fuzz and others saw a message telling them that if they saw the message, then they were not ready for the transition.

For those subscribed to Com cast Verizon FiOS, DIRECTV or Dish Network, you’re good to go. For everyone else, the answer is simple: either subscribe to a cable or satellite service, buy a digital TV or purchase an analog-to-digital converter box, available at most major electronic retailers. We get a person in every other day buying a converter box," said an employee named Matt at Bob and Ron’s World Wide Stereo in Montgomeryville.

People have a lot of questions about the conversion. They are confused about it, and I don’t think they have done the best job marketing the change." World Wide Stereo has boxes in stock. We have quite a stack in the back," said an employee of the Radio Shack in Lansdale. Lots of people have come in asking questions." In order for the converter box to work, your television must have auxiliary inputs in the rear or front of the TV.

These are the red, white and yellow circular spots on the TV. You hook up the antenna to the back of the converter box, then a wire goes from the converter box to the TV and instantly you’ll have all the benefits of digital TV on your old analog TV," said Hatfield Township resident Grant Clauser, who is editor-in-chief of E-Gear Magazine.

One must then use the "Channel Scan" function on the TV in order to make sure the TV recognizes all new channels. See the side story for more detailed information on how to install and use the analog-to-digital converter box. If your television does not have these - perhaps a small portable TV that lack inputs of any kind - you’re out of luck. That is, unless you buy a new TV to replace the input-free one. TVs purchased these days are digital-ready, but if you buy one and still don’t have cable or satellite, you’ll still get fuzz after June 12.

All 20-inch or larger TVs - measured diagonally - sold as of March 2006 have a digital tuner installed in them to receive over-the-air broadcasts. In 2007, all TVs and DVD recorders with tuners were required to have the digital tuners. If you bought a TV in the last year, especially if it’s a big flatscreen TV, you’re fine," said Clauser. If you get your TV through cable or satellite or FiOS, you’re fine.

The only people who need to worry about the digital TV transition are people who receive their television strictly from antenna." With the transition to digital TV comes some new perks for the viewer.

Better, crisper picture quality and better sound are two major improvements, but there will also be three or four extra channels for each one channel. For instance, Channel 3 could have Channel 3-1, Channel 3-2 and Channel 3-3. This is called multi-casting.

Each of the major broadcasters is sending out three, sometimes four, extra channels for each of their regular one channel," Clauser said. They are taking the digital space that would be one channel and breaking it up into three channels. One would be listed as 3-1 as the primary channel and 3-2 might have all news or all weather or extra programming.

With the switch to digital, you’ll get channels you didn’t have before," he said. There are some misconceptions out there when it comes to the antenna needed to get digital TV. There’s no such thing as a digital antenna or an HDTV antenna," Clauser said. DTV signals run mostly on the Ultra High Frequency, or UHF, band.

These are electromagnetic frequencies between 300 megahertz and 3,000 megahertz. Currently, TV channels 14 to 69 run on the UHF band, from 470 megahertz to 806 megahertz. The government uses frequencies between 300 megahertz and 450 megahertz for meteorology and two-way use. Ham radio operators use the 420 to 450 megahertz band. A standard UHF antenna will work just fine," Clauser said.

However, a small antenna could result in what’s called "The Cliff Effect." This phenomena is when the digital TV signal is received fully or not at all. In the analog days, if you had a poor signal, you’d get a fuzzy picture," Clauser said. In digital, you won’t get a fuzzy picture, you’ll just get nothing.

So, if you’re having that problem, my best advice is to go for a bigger antenna." So, why the change in analog broadcasting? Analog format is a 50-plus-year-old system, so that’s one reason. Another is that the broadcast spectrum had to be freed up for wireless first responders, like firefighters and police. In March 2008, the government, in an attempt to raise revenue, auctioned off the 698 to 806 megahertz UHF band.

High bidders included Verizon, AT&T, Frontline Wireless and Google. The purchased analog frequencies will be used to boost wireless services. The change will be a big one for TV viewers. Clauser said it will be especially hard for those who are non-native to the United States and cannot speak English because they may not understand all the changes that will happen in June.

It will be hard for people who haven’t been able to make the transition on time," he said. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, led the movement in the House to defeat the measure, saying that "the DTV transition is neither stuck nor broke" and that any problems with the DTV transition can be fixed. I guarantee you, no matter when you set the date - Feb.

Source: http://thereporteronline.com/articles/2009/02/06/life/doc498~.txt

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If you want to watch movies with Netflix "Watch Instantly", but you aren't thrilled about sitting in front of your computer to do it? Netflix and Roku have partnered to bring the Watch Instantly functionality to your TV. We have one of these players and have spent a week putting it through its paces. Your DVD delivery subscription remains the same.

Currently, Netflix has over 10,000 movie and TV titles available for instant viewing. Movie titles are mostly back catalog but there are some very recent TV programs available. The content is 480p at up to 3 Mbps, depending on your connection speed, and the audio is only stereo.

The box supports HD but at this time there is no HD content available. Setup Setup was trivial! Plug in your Ethernet cable, HDMI, and power. The box supports HDMI, component, S-video, and composite connections. Once the system was turned on we were asked to upgrade the firmware which took about five minutes.

We restarted the player and were given a four digit code that needed to be entered at the Netflix site. The code ties the box to your account. You can setup up to four boxes in a 12 month period but simultaneous viewing is limited by the number of movies you can have out at a time. So if you have a three out plan you can watch three movies on three different boxes simultaneously.

For the record, a Netflix-ready device can only be used in the 50 US States and the District of Columbia. Movies and TV episodes cannot be watched instantly in any other location. Performance At this point, if you don't have any content in your queue the screen will be blank.

There is no way to add content from the player. You have to go online and add programming to your "Instant Queue", which is separate from your DVD queue. Once you have content, navigating your selections is very easy but nothing we would compare to Apple TV or VUDU. You navigate with the nine-button remote control.

Once you hit play, the movie buffers for about 30 seconds and then starts playing. We tested this unit on a network with a 12MBit s downstream connection to the internet. The Netflix rated video quality was "High". The content quality on the video we tested out was good, but not what we would call DVD quality, and the audio was stereo with the two movies watched being Pro Logic. With that said.

This product is a must have for anyone who already has an unlimited viewing Netflix account! It was so much fun going through the Netflix site and finding programs to put on the queue. It's a great way to watch old programs on your terms. We watched old episodes of Magnum PI, Rockford Files, Adam-12, and Charles in Charge. These old programs were 4:3 and looked less than DVD quality.

We also watched some newer content like 30-Rock and Heroes which were 16:9 and looked much closer to DVD quality. Movies were good as far as quality goes but we were disappointed that the movie "Point of No Return", which was an Anamorphic wide screen movie, didn't look right on the screen. Air Force One looked great and had a decent Pro Logic Mix.

We also liked the ability to pause, fast forward and rewind what we were watching. Even though you stream the content you can move forward to a point and re-buffer the stream. The system also remembers where you left off if you switch to something else. The only issue we had with remembering where we left off is if the box restarts. We did this once and the player forgot all our places.

What does the Future Hold? The hardware will support High Def video and multi channel audio but has not announced any dates. Netflix is working on bringing this functionality to other devices like Blu-ray players, Game Consoles, and Televisions. Netflix says the first devices will be available later this year. Recommendation If you are a Netflix subscriber and have an unlimited instant viewing, plan go out and buy this device!

It is a lot of fun and there is a ton of great TV content. The only real knock we have against the current service is that we would like to see more and newer movies, HD and digital Audio. With that said, having the ability to dial up an episode of Magnum PI on the fly is pretty cool!

Source: http://pheedo.com/click.phdo

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