Digital TV transition 6 months away

[CASPER]

Digital TV transition 6 months away

No action needed for cable viewers, but sets with rabbit ears may need converter boxes
By Charlie Mathews • Herald Times Reporter • August 14, 2008


"The FCC is probably most famous for us fining CBS-TV $550,000 for the Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake incident at the Super Bowl," said John Kuzma, a field agent in the Chicago office of the Federal Communications Commission.

Kuzma was the Manitowoc Public Library's "Brown Bag Seminar" speaker Wednesday talking about "The Digital TV Transition."

"If you have cable, or have satellite TV through the DISH Network or EchoStar, your service won't change," Kuzma said.

But for those who get their free, over-the-air signals via rabbit ears or roof-top antennas — and don't have digital TVs — the Green Bay and Milwaukee stations seemingly will vanish into thin air on Feb. 17, 2009.

Federal law requires the switch, which will open up frequencies for police, fire and emergency rescue communications.

The switch to digital also enables broadcasters the ability to offer programming with better picture and sound quality, offer more choices, and allow for commercial advanced wireless services.

Kuzma explained viewers with analog TVs, not linked to cable or satellite, need to make one of three choices, or the Packers, soap operas, news, sitcoms and dramas offered by CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox and other broadcast networks will disappear.

Connect the analog TV to a digital-to-analog converter box. They are already in stores and have a one-time cost of $40 to $70, offset by the federal government offering two $40 coupons per household.

A new antenna is not required if one already gets good quality reception on analog channels 2 through 51 (Channels 2-13 on the VHF band, and 14-51 on UHF).

For information on the coupons, visit www.DTV2009.gov, or call (888) 388-2009.

Buy a digital television — a TV with a built-in digital tuner. One doesn't need a High Definition TV (HDTV) to enjoy digital broadcasts.

Subscribe to a paid TV service, such as cable or satellite. Viewers will need a digital-to-analog converter box for any analog TV not connected to the paid service.

"There shouldn't be any change for our customers," said Jonathan Burns, operations manager for Comcast Cable in Manitowoc. "We take care of all the conversions at our end."

The signal will be sent out, Burns said, as it always has been. "So, customers won't have to buy anything new, and can keep their TVs," he said.

"For people that get their TV off the air, instead of buying converters, they can get our limited basic for $14.99 (a month) with a superior picture," Burns said.

 

[antennaguy]

TV reception starts with the right antenna.

Viewers should certainly try their old antenna first. It’s true that any of these older antennas will pick up some signals, maybe all the broadcast signals a viewer wants to receive, depending on their location. If they’re getting all the OTA channels they want and almost completely uncompressed DTV and HDTV, unlike cable or satellite, than they’re good to go.

While Antennas can’t tell the difference between analog and digital signals, there are definitely certain models which have higher DTV batting averages than others. Not all antennas are equally suited for DTV. A percentage of viewers will require something a little more tailored for DTV reception.

Cable and satellite program providers will continue to serve the great majority of homes as the primary signal source, missing HD local reception, compression issues, higher costs, billing add-ons, service outages, contact difficulties, in-home service waits and no shows have left many of these subscribers looking to OTA antennas as a good, alternative.

With one of the newer and smaller OTA antennas, with greatly improved performance, power and aesthetics, viewers may also be able to receive out-of-town channels, carrying blacked out sports programs, several additional sub-channels or network broadcasts not originally available with analogue. And for those with an HDTV, almost completely uncompressed HD broadcasts.

OTA viewers can go to antennapoint to see quickly what stations are available to them, the distance, and compass heading to help in choosing and aiming their antenna. And if they decide to buy a newer antenna, they should buy it from a source that will completely refund their purchase price, no questions asked, if it doesn’t do the job.