Community Newsletter: Q&A: Please clarify the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009
- 5/16/08 3:56 PM
digital tv transition in 2009
by dschaechter1 - 5/3/08 4:21 PM In reply to: Please clarify the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009 by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
yes,you will need a digital box on every tv in your home in order for the tv's to work. Check out DTV.GOV website, it will give you more info. I am a dispatcher for Comcast Cable in NJ. Hopefully this will help everyone.
I'd like the straight scoop on what happens to TV reception
by keltyclan - 5/3/08 4:44 PM In reply to: Please clarify the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009 by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
What happens is dependent on two factors:
If you have a set that is already digital capable, nothing will interfere with your reception, regardless of how you get the signal.
If you have an older TV and you use an external (rabbit ears and/or rofftop mounted) antennayour screen will go blank. In this case, and in this case only you will need digital converter boxes for all TV's meeting this criteria. (i.e. non digital AND antenna connected. For two of these sets, the government will give you a coupon to defray some of the cost of the converters.
If your sets are connected to cable or sattellite dish, the signal will be digitized by your provider and you will continue to receive signals as before.
Your salesman is doing his job....trying to sell you something, but if you are on cable you are fine...your sets will continue receiving.
It's Gonna Be Digital!
by aomiller13 - 5/3/08 4:45 PM In reply to: Please clarify the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009 by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Since the networks will stop broadcasting in analog, and since the cable companies generally just pass through the signals, the cable companies, unless I am badly mistaken, will be all digital too.
The reason why the cable companies say that you won't need a converter box is because the cable company set-top boxes convert the signal from digital to analog for you. So if you already are connected to a cable or satellite set-top box, you need do nothing.
However, if you are one of the many cable customers who connect the cable directly into the back of their TV, you are in trouble. My best recommendation would be for you to contact the cable company you use to find out the best solution for you. My understanding is that the converter boxes that you get coupons from the government to buy are only good for over-the-air reception. They are not meant for use with cable. So buying a bunch of boxes for a cable system won't work.
In a nutshell, you have three options: Over-the-air only, using an antenna and the converter box (and this option will only work if you are in a good area of antenna reception); Cable, with a cable box for each TV; or satellite. Dish network offers a system where two TVs share the same satellite set-top box; DirecTV, I believe, only has systems where there is a box on each TV.
Hope this Helps!
Not only that
by haf canadian - 5/3/08 4:58 PM In reply to: Please clarify the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009 by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You'll need a box for each analog-tunered VCR and DVD/HDD recorder also. Are there 2-tuner converter boxes available, so a TV and an adjacent recorder could easily be hooked to the antenna? The govt. only issues 2 coupons per house, so they expect us to pay full-bore for any other TV/recorder configurations in the home.
How many boxes do you need?
by thepinkpantherlive - 5/3/08 5:39 PM In reply to: Please clarify the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009 by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The digital signal transfers to the TV it is hook up to for thtat specific viewing channel. You will need a box for each analog televison set you own. If you subscribe to a service like cable or sat dish you will not need the box for viewing becuase they will process the signal for you. If you wish you could hook one box into a central cable but all the televisions would remain on the channel youhave the box set to. Hope that helps. Also visit DTV.org for other concerns and a couple of free coupons for a big discount.
DTV transition
by joe_5cent - 5/3/08 6:20 PM In reply to: Please clarify the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009 by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
In February 2009 over the air broadcast of analog TV signals will cease. There will be no immediate impact on cable. Last month I spoke to a state level enginner for a cable company and they said they have no 'sundown' set for analog broadcast over cable.
If you bought a TV in the past year or two, and depending on the size it should be DTV ready. If not and you wnat to keep using your old TV you will need to buy a convertor box for off air reception. There is also a program to receive a discount coupon. Go to www.dtv2009.gov for more information.
BTW, the DTV format is a transmission system for sending rich media data at around 19 mbps. It does not require HD programming. The bandwidth can be used to transmit standard definition (SD) resolutions, in single or multiple streams. Also it is common to see one HD feed and another SD feed from the same station. These can come from the same 'channel' and will show up as a -1 or -2. So in a local market channel say there was an analog channel 9. It now may broadcast one program on 9-1 and the other on 9-2. The unusual thing is that it is actually not on the same frequency that analog TV9 uses, it just keeps the old designation.
THINGS WONT CHANGE
by MRAYVAN - 5/3/08 7:00 PM In reply to: Please clarify the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009 by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I DO NOT THINK THEY WILL RE ALLOCATE CHANNELS THEY HAVE THEIR OWN SYSTEM
AND ARE NOT BROADCASTING OVER THE AIR.
Chuck-Please clarify digital TV(DTV) transition in 2009
by Danmart513 - 5/3/08 7:02 PM In reply to: Please clarify the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009 by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Full-power broadcasters will go all-digital, analog TVs that receive over-the-air broadcasts need a converter box [If the TV is not HDTV. No action is needed for TVs connected to [for example] Dish network,Cable TV. When you have purchased the local channels. If you already have some type of Dish receiver, cable, etc you don't need a converter box.
I personally suggest that you contact the government website to request a rebate check for up to $40.00 OFF towards HDTV converter box.You will have it in a emergency if you loose access to Dish, cable, etc connection.
Re: 2009 DTV Transition
by wireaddict - 5/3/08 7:46 PM In reply to: Please clarify the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009 by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Chuck. AFAIK, all cable & satellite companies & new TVs are presently digital-ready or will be by Feb. 2009, I do know the cable & satellite companies here in central MI are. You you probably won't need need converters for those services. You should ask your service provider to make sure.
TVs more than about 2 years old with regular antennas will need DTV converters next year. And you'll need a converter for each TV (unless you always want to watch the same station on every TV). Simply feed the antenna to each converter input via a splitter.
For the benefit of antenna users my experience might be useful. Even though I had plenty of time I bought & installed a pair of Digital Stream converters from Radio Shack recently. Many TV stations are already using the DTV format. Before switching to DTV I could receive about 15 analog stations plus a few other weak ones (& occasional DX); 11 of these stations are now operating in DTV. Of these DTV stations, seven also have at least one (additional) sub-channel; bottom line: I now get 27 free channels & this number will certainly increase as more stations switch over.
One more more quick comment: a good rooftop antenna with a rotor is a must to get the maximum benefit since all DTV signals are UHF & are highly directional.
The big digital TV scam
by zevfan - 5/3/08 9:35 PM In reply to: Please clarify the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009 by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It is quite amazing how all this digital TV stuff, that will be happening next year, has scared people into buying new TVs. Basically... if you have cable TV service coming into your house, and your TV can be hooked up to that, you should have no problems getting your TV programs. It's just all the people who receive their signal over the air with an antenna that will be effected. It is really sad when little old ladies, like my mother-in-law, are so brainwashed in thinking the sky will be falling next year, and they will have to get a digital TV, or an converter box.
No Need For New TV
by ultraboing - 5/4/08 7:24 AM In reply to: The big digital TV scam by zevfanI agree with you completely. There is really no need to buy a new TV, unless you were considering buying a new one regardless of the DTV transition. Besides, what is going to happen to all the old TVS that get replaced due to the conversion? I hope they don't end up in the landfills. Each TV contains literally pounds of heavy metals. I hope someone has come up with a plan to recycle old TVs and to capture the dangerous waste they are going to produce.
You are set for the meanwhile
by MikeyD215 - 5/3/08 9:44 PM In reply to: Please clarify the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009 by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
To avoid confusion, first be aware that the change mandated for 2009 refers only to over-the-air broadcasts and has nothing whatsoever to do with so-called digital cable channels, which are entirely something else. I have read numerous stories in local papers written by ignorant and confused journalists who have conflated these two different technologies leading to even greater confusion for the average person with little technical knowledge.
Virtually every cable company converts at least some or all of the signals it transmits into analog--even digital signals--because most sets in current use do not have digital capabilities--yet. Since you are plugged direct into the cable (apparently without a box) that is what you are receiving, and you have what are called "cable-ready" television sets, but only for analog cable reception.
As long as your cable provider continues this practice, you are set. Your cable provider will use the appropriate equipment to receive the new digital over-the air broadcast signals and send them on to you in analog form. (In fact, they may already have been doing so.) Just as they do for some cable channels like CNN or C-SPAN. At some point, however, cable providers may try to force you into a box, or worse, even end analog conversion. Comcast, for example, has been moving channels around into the higher-numbered digital range in order to push customers into boxes.
Higher-tier packages also provide analog reception, for now, for digital cable channels, but to receive those you usually need a box from the cable provider. These channels typically include the scrambled premium film channels, like HBO, for example. They also include other "premium" content that is not necessarily scrambled, but for which a digital cable box is required (which box converts the digital cable signal into an analog signal for your television set). Again, you should be able to continue using your current sets with these boxes should you ever upgrade your service and require a cable converter box.
The converter boxes for which coupons are being distributed will work only for over-the-air broadcast signals and NOT with the so-called digital cable signals discussed above. The one type of box has nothing to do with the other. A digital cable box will get you the digital over-the-air signals converted into analog, but the new converter boxes will not get you digital cable channels.
But there is also another point of confusion that should be examined, because almost no one seems to be doing a very good job of explaining it to people, especially in the public service announcements being aired on broadcast channels.
Many television sets were sold over the years with built-in rabbit ear or telescopic antennas. Unless there is some means of disconnecting the built-in antenna, to attach a different antenna, you will NOT be able to use the digital broadcast converter box. The antenna must be connected to the converter box and the box to the antenna inputs of the TV set. Almost no one seems to be aware of this circumstance. You cannot use a built-in antenna with the new converter boxes unless there is some way of wiring the built-in into the box and there is some alternate means of plugging the converter into the TV set!
I, myself, am stuck with an older, perfectly good portable Sony set that operates off batteries (or AC power,) which has a built-in antenna, that will become utterly useless, as there is no way to by-pass the built-in antenna. I also have another set that the kids have used for video games with a built-in that can be by-passed, but I would have to buy some rabbit ears to go with the converter should I decide to get one. The long and short of it is this: Whether one has an outdoor or an indoor antenna, now, it must be connected to the converter box and anything currently plugged into the set must be disconnected. (The hookup between the converter and the TV set will require a 75 ohm connection, or the use of a 75 ohm to 300 ohm transformer if the set is so old it has only the older 300 ohm twin-lead connection.)
I hope this answers your question and clears up some of the details for others who have been confused, too.
Find a friend who is an Amateur Radio operator.
by inetdog - 5/3/08 10:10 PM In reply to: You are set for the meanwhile by MikeyD215As long as the "internal" antenna comes out of the case, in the form of one or two telescoping antennas, you can still connect. If you have two, as in rabbit ears, close each of them completely and connect a short wire from the tip of each of them to one of the screws of either the 300 Ohm output of the convertor box, or if does not have one, to a 75 Ohm (F-connector) to 300 Ohm (twin lead) transformer.
You are not exactly bypassing the built-in antenna, but you are connecting through it. It will also not be as good a connection, but it should be good enough since the convertor box will produce a strong analog signal.
If you have a single telescoping antenna, it gets more complicated, since you will need to connect the center of the cable to the closed telescoping antenna and the shield of the cable either to a grounded point on the TV or to a large sheet of copper or aluminum foil or aluminized mylar plastic which you put on the outside of the TV case.
A friend who is either an Amateur Radio operator (HAM) or an electronics hobbyist can help with the details if you are uncertain how to do it.
The big switcharoo to High Definition!
by CaptL - 5/3/08 10:28 PM In reply to: Please clarify the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009 by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Being the non geek that I am this is probably the only question I'll ever be able to difinitivily answer. Do you need a converter box for your TV if your on Cable?
Everything I have seen or read on the matter says that if you are a cable subscriber you will not need a coversion box to recieve signals on an analog TV set next year. The Cable companys will make the converstion for you. If you have to get your signal from 'rabbit' ears then you will need a conversion box. The Gov is giving out up to two $40 rebates per household to help buy those conversion boxes.
"For more information, call the Federal Communications Commission at 1-888-225-5322 (TTY: 1-888-835-5322) or visit the Commission's digital television Web site at www.dtv.gov.";
Roger Lahti
Here is all you to know..
by mohasinzaki - 5/3/08 10:35 PM In reply to: Please clarify the digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009 by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Please look into this website from FCC (the authority who has mandated this conversion from analog to digital). Most of the frequently asked questions have been answered.
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html
But to quickly answer to your question, if you have been viewing only over-the-air channels till now, then you dont need a set top box/convertor. All you need is a television which has a digital processors in built (digital tv).
Regards,
Mohasin
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