VIDEO: TV switch postponed
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.
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