O/T DTV

[MN Scott]

Been listening to the commercials of the coming switch to DTV and the need for a converter box or new tv. I live in rolling terrain but I have always been able to get several tv stations with all 4 networks represented from my roof top antenna. So I got my $40 rebate card in the mail and decide to use it. Picked up a converter box at Best Buy and hooked it up. Well it seems I can only pick up the nearest NBC station and that cuts out. So I guess that means after Feb 09 I'm going to have to shell out $50 a month for satellite tv. Ticks me off, typical guberment progress that's really several steps back to give big cell phone more channels to sell. Just had to vent a little.

 

[paul]

I hear some stations are running tests at 10% power, or not up to speed yet with the digital channels, so perhaps they will still show up by the deadline for you.

Weather has alot to do with it for me, high pressure, calm days a lot of them come in; low pressure, damp, miserable days nothing but 2 come in for me.

--->Paul

 

[ldj]

Scott,
I don't blame you one bit for feeling the way you do. I don't like to be forced into something especially when I can see no good in it for anyone, the consumer I mean.

I have satellite TV by choice and wouldn't even think about going back to an antenna. If you have to get satellite I think you will really like it.

 

[hay]

why can't they just leave it the heck alone? it's been working on analog ever since tv was first broadcast and i always had a good sharp reception. now all of a sudden it ain't no good and we a FORCED to have digital tv which means either buying some gadget box for my existing tv or buying a whole new digital tv. durn gooberment idiots must think i'm made of money.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Satellite = $$$ and paying for some thing I've gotten for free for 50 years. Way more channels that I don't want like cable that I can't get any way. Maybe if I could pick what "package" I want, don't really care about Oxygen, ESPN, HBO, MTV, etc.

 

[Leroy]

The other stations are probably not yet broadcasting in the new format but will be on that date, so in the meantime make sure it has the pass thru connections and you will be able to get your curent channels now and be able to start picking up the new ones as thy come on the air. Now the only channels that have to convert is what they call a high power station, the low power station is not affected and does not need the box. There are 3 stations here in Lima, Ohio that will not have to convert but they are still adding the new as well but are keeping the old system as well.

 

[HENRY E NC]

MOst of what has been stated below is true. The reason for the law is that the large companies are always figuring out something to get you mony and or bettering your life. Digital tv is much better than analog. The government is mandating this because sooner or later some stations would go digital and some would not at least nnot for a while and you would have to have all kinds of equipment to recieve them. This way its a clean cut. I have had digital TV from Direct on Satelite for 3 years. My only reason for nnot liking it is there are way too many game channels and an overload of shopping channel plus now we are getting 2 gay channels I certainly dont want. I will be leaving Direct as soon as the local cable company completes their fiber optic cable to my house this fall. They are offering fast internet (now on dialup) telephone and cable TV for the one low price of $70 per month saving me at leaast 50 per month. Nuff said Henry

 

[Bus Driver]

I contacted most of the "local" stations for my area and most say that they are now using exactly the signal that they will have after the changeover. I get "freezing" of the picture and breakups on digital. The digital signal must be perfect, the loss of even one tiny bit of information causes the tuner to just hesitate and say "huh?. We have been shafted on digital TV, mostly by the US government.

 

[Dan-IA]

I've been working with this for quite some time. I live in a deep fringe area with lots of trees and got only an Iowa Public Television channel on digital.

Turns out there are 3 changes that will help a lot with a rooftop antenna.

1. Replace the cable coming down, take down the RG-59 and replace it with RG-6.
2. Purchase an antenna signal amplifier. The power supply goes behind the tv, the amplifier goes on the mast right below the antenna and connects directly to it with 300 Ohm twin lead.
3. Get your antenna higher. Round in my area, there are 25 digital channels available that I can find right now. But your antenna needs to be higher than anything else around, preferably right at 40 feet, to pick up the signals being sent from almost 90 miles away. Of course, using your rotor and fine-tuning where your antenna points can help a lot too.

How many stations are available in your area? Find out at <a href="http://www.antennaweb.org/">AntennaWeb</a>. You punch in your zip code and uncheck the boxes and don't enter all the other personal info, it doesn't mind. The next page lets you pick your actual location better than it otherwise finds it. That will suggest (some of) the stations you can get.

 

[Dan-IA]

Analog transmission takes up way more bandwidth. Going digital each station/network can put up to 6 channels in the same bandwidth as a single analog channel. Plus now you'll get an EPG and closed caption *that works* and even stereo sound. Everything that was VHF before is currently moving to the UHF area during the transition, but after the 2-17 deadline I think it all moves back from UHF to VHF again because they want to give those frequencies to things like your local police departments and stuff.

 

[thurlow]

C-band........pick EXACTLY what channels/packages you want.

 

[BobHnwOh]

I put two splitters on my TV so I can pull in analog or digital,works great.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Other stations may not be broadcasting digital signal yet.If the new signals are UHF they a short range at best.Many locations wont get any reception at all.Most old antennas were not designed to get UHF .Gov forced mfg to put UHF tuners in TV sets years before the were any uhf stations in most areas.Fun will start next year when a lot of people wont be able to get reception at all.

 

[Sam#3]

This may just be the final blow to TV for me. The programming has gone to excrement for years. I live in a small town so the cable is small too. I have sixty channels and watch maybe five or six and that's mostly reruns. If, when I get the house completed, I move to the farm I'll try the local Phone Company. They have built digital carrier to within a mile of just about every house in the area. The can supply hi-speed and TV to a house on a single buried pair. Widow Bell won't spend the bucks to do that.