Are You Ready for Digital?
Why the transition?
Through Title II of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 Congress mandated that February 17, 2009 would be the last day for full-power television stations to broadcast in analog. Congress set a firm date because it expects to collect a large sum of money from the sale of the old analog spectrum. These channels will be used by emergency rescue, fire departments and law enforcement for communication purposes. Broadcast stations in all U.S. markets are currently broadcasting in both analog and digital. After February 17, 2009, full-power television stations will broadcast in digital only.
Digital television may appear to be the similar to analog but you'll quickly realize that the picture quality is much better. Right now there are some 70 million television sets connected to "rabbit ears" or roof top antennas. As we all know, it is difficult to consistently receive a good signal with these methods. That is because analog signals depreciate over long distances. An analog signal is sent over-the-air and thus is subject to "noise" or disturbance which is seen in the form of "snow" on any television sets receiving the signal. Digital signals can also be sent over-the-air but will not depreciate the way that analog does.
What is the difference between digital and analog TV?
An analog television picture is "drawn" on the screen an entire frame at a time, similar to the way a motion picture film is a series of still images displayed in rapid succession. Analog television exploits the properties of the human eye to create the illusion of a moving image, or "persistence of vision." Due to this effect, a rapid sequence of images will be perceived as an integrated moving image. Digital television, however, is actually a compressed signal that is sent and must be decoded by a special mechanism before it can be displayed on your television.
The digital television signal can be decoded by a set-top box, a television set designed to decode the signal or a personal computer equipped with a television card. Broadcasting a digital signal will allow television stations to send multiple streams of video through a single channel. For instance, with digital television, over-the-air customers will have access to an on screen programming guide.
| IF YOUR TV IS: | …AND YOU GET YOUR PROGRAMMING WITH: | YOU WILL NEED BY FEBRUARY 19, 2009: |
|---|---|---|
| Analog | An antenna or rabbit ears | A digital converter box. |
| Analog | Cable or satellite | Nothing; your cable or satellite provider will address any issues. |
| Digital | An antenna or rabbit ears | Nothing |
| Digital | Cable or satellite | Nothing; your cable or satellite provider will address any issues. |
What extra equipment (if any) will I need to receive digital TV?
As stated above you can receive a digital signal with a set-top box, a television set designed to decode the signal or a personal computer equipped with a television card. If you purchased your television before 1998 chances are it does not have a built-in digital tuner. If you purchased a television set after March 25, 2007 then it must have built-in tuner by law. Many digital televisions will have labels or markings on them to indicate that they contain digital tuners. If your television equipment contains any labels or markings, you should be able to view digital over-the-air programming without the need for a set-top converter box. Keep in mind, you do not need a High Definition Television to view over-the-air digital programming. As long as your television equipment contains a digital tuner, you can view over-the-air digital programming for free. If you have any doubts you should check the manual or contact the manufacturer in order to determine whether it contains a digital tuner.
If your television set is labeled as a “Digital Monitor” or “HDTV Monitor,” or as “Digital Ready” or “HDTV Ready,” this does not mean it actually contains a digital tuner. You may still need a separate set-top box in order to view programs in the new digital transmission standard (which includes HDTV formats). Remember, there is a difference between high-definition and digital television.
If you aren't currently a cable or satellite customer and you have no interest in subscribing to a cable/satellite service you can still receive an over-the-air digital signal for free. In order to do so you will need to purchase a set-top box converter. The federal government is offering two vouchers to consumers valued at $40 each, you can use these coupons to receive a discount when buying a set-top box. The converter coupon program will be up and running on January 1, 2008. At that time, the government will begin taking requests for coupons. Requests will be taken beginning January 1, 2008, and going through March 31, 2009, by calling 1-888-388-2009. Each household can request a maximum of 2 coupons. Only one coupon can be used per converter. (For more information on the coupon program, visit the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety web site.
Learn more at www.dtvanswers.com and www.dtv2009.gov
David Mac
"If you aren't currently a cable or satellite customer and you have no interest in subscribing to a cable/satellite service you can still receive an over-the-air digital signal for free. In order to do so you will need to purchase a set-top box converter." The last sentence above is false. You will need to use something with a digital tuner, but that doesn't mean it has to be a converter box. It could just as easily be something like a DVD recorder. Granted, that's more expensive than a converter box, but it's much more useful.
Bryan Fuqua
Television stations will be turning off their analog tv transmitters and broadcasting only in digital tv on February 17, 2009. At that time, any analog tv you have will no longer work unless it is connected to cable tv or a satellite dish or you have a converter box. You can obtain a $40 coupon that will cover most of the cost of the converter box. People who are connected to cable or satellite may think they don't need to get a converter box, but I think that everyone should have at least one converter box. In the event of an emergency where the cable or satellite or both are not working, the only way you will be able to receive information and instruction on your tv will be by using an antenna, but your analog tv won't work on an antenna unless you have a converter box (or digital tuner of some sort). I suggest that you seriously consider getting at least one converter box if you have any analog tv's. Go to www.dtv2009.gov or call 888-dtv-2009 to sign up for your coupons and get furthur information.
James
I fail to see the benefit to the average consumer for this forced transformation to take place. The statement above states: These channels will be used by emergency rescue, fire departments and law enforcement for communication purposes. I live in south Louisiana near New Orleans an area which is prone to hurricanes. After a hurricane electricity is out for sometime weeks. Living in this environment we are prepared so I have a battery powered TV which proves to be a valuable asset during these times. Because all electical lines are doen so are the cable. Now I am cut off but the people paid to serve the public are the only people with communication. Who thought up this??????
Kenneth
The switch to digital TV is just like when the government mandated low volume flush toilets. They mandate thing without insuring that they work or they are of the quality that is needed to be efficient. I had to replace my TV a while back, so I did purchase one that is digital ready. The problem is when it is cloudy or the wind blows hard the digital signal is so distorted the it is unviewable. I can switch to the analog channel and recieve the porgramming. I think that the digital switch should be posponed until a reliabe signal can be broadcast.
Neal
I presently get WTCI analog with a very clear picture, but I cannot receive the digital broadcast even with a much larger antenna. (I do get some other digital channels.) When WTCI goes fully digital, will the power increase in some way, or will I simply be stuck without any service?
Bryan Fuqua
dtv@wtcitv.org
If you already receive the analog signal, you should also receive the digital signal. WTCI has been operating at full power on the digital channel for over five years now. If you are having a problem receiving the channel, first try re-scanning teh digital channels and then try tuning channel 29 (the true RF channel). You may need to re-orient the antenna also as it may not be pointed in the right direction (northern Signal Mountain). If nothing helps, e-mail me at dtv@wtcitv.org or call 423-702-7800.
Don
Isn't digital already here?