Unless you've been playing Rip Van Winkle for the last couple of years, then you know that come February 17, 2009, television watching will no longer be the same. This is the date when federal law requires all full power tv stations in the U.S. market, to forever stop broadcasting in analog and switch over to digital. So, what exactly does that mean for you, as a tv watching United States citizen?
First of all, if you subscribe to a satellite service, such as Dish Network or Direct TV, you are pretty much set to go. The same pretty much holds true if you subscribe to a cable provider. However, if you live in an area that doesn't offer cable ( me, me, me) and you don't subscribe to a paid provider (me, me, me), then you are faced with some decision making.
First let me tell you a short story.....
I recently went shopping with a friend, who was intent on purchasing a new tv. Upon walking into a well known electronics store (cough, cough, Best Buy, cough, cough), we were immediately directed to the most expensive HDTV's in the store. I bit my tongue and kept silent for a while as the young salesman continued to press upon my friend the utter importance of HDTV in ones daily life. When I suggested that perhaps a less expensive model would be more appropriate, we were informed that "you really need to have a high def tv if you want to keep watching tv come next year." This young man did not appear too pleased, when I scoffed and I politely informed him that we could handle things from there. After much explaining on my part, forty five minutes later, we exited the store with a brand new, digital, non HDTV.
Now, you may be asking yourself, why would she convince her friend to not purchase a HDTV, when analog signals are going to be cut off come next February? The answer is quite simple. Come next February, you don't have to have a HDTV.
So, now let me explain....
Come February, analog is going digital. This means that if you have a tv with a built in digital tuner, you simply don't need HDTV. If you want HDTV, by all means purchase one, some are quite affordable, but you don't have to get one. A digital tv, however, is comparable price wise to an analog tv.
Before doing anything else, check and see if the antenna you are currently using will receive digital signals. Here is what's important. If you don't have a digital tv, you are going to need a converter box, unless, as stated above, you are a cable or satellite subscriber. So make sure you get that coupons the government is offering www.dtv2009.gov. Connect your existing antenna to either a digital television or a converter box connected to an analog TV. Perform a channel scan and in a lot of cases, this is all you will need to do.
If your television currently receives good quality reception on analog channels 2-51 with a broadcast antenna, it should be able to receive digital television (DTV) signals, including high definition television (HDTV) signals, with the same broadcast antenna. You do not need to purchase a "DTV antenna" or an "HDTV antenna" to receive DTV or HDTV signals. I'm talking good quality, though. This means no snow, no static. While it's watchable on analog, the same isn't true for digital. With digital, it's pretty much a crystal clear picture, or no picture at all. You might end up with pixelation, this is where you have weak signal and one minute the picture is fine, the next it's locked up and the next minute you have no picture. It gets old fast. So, if you currently watch your local tv channels and they contain static and snow, you have some work ahead of you.
If you are using a converter box, it's important to remember that the converter box is not going to automatically receive the digital signals. You will still have to use an antenna to "grab" the signals.
Your reception will depend on a number of different factors, trees, buildings, mountains, weather, etc. In a lot of cases simply moving your antenna will help with reception. Generally, the higher you can place your antenna, the better your reception is going to be. One thing to keep in mind, if at all possible, try not to place your antenna near your tv's wiring. This can have an adverse effect on the reception.
Usually, indoor antennas depend on rabbit ears to receive signals for channels 2-13 (VHF) and a loop or bow tie style for channels 14-51 (UHF). Rabbit ears may work just fine depending on your location. if you aren't getting satisfactory results with your rabbit ears, you might need to purchase an amplified or active antenna. This will boost the signal, making it more likely to be receivable. If all else fails, an outdoor antenna may be just what the doctor ordered. It all boils down to trial and error in some cases, so be sure to save those receipts!
I'll be honest with you, I have mixed feelings about the switch to digital. Yes it's nicer to look at, but for some of us, it's a huge pain. I happen to live in a relatively secluded area, with huge, 50 ft+ trees surrounding three sides of my home. In an effort to save money, we recently had our satellite service discontinued, so trying to gain access to all of our areas digital programming has not been an easy task. In the last month and a half , I have purchased and returned four different antennas. I am currently on my fifth, which is an indoor/outdoor model. While I am now receiving 10 of our local channels, there are 12 that I am not receiving. Not too great of a percentage, in my opinion.
For help in deciding just what antenna is what you need and for a list of channels available in your area, check out www.antennaweb.org On a side note, while I found this website helpful, the listing of channels I should receive, was way off. According to them, I should only have been able to receive one of my local channels and this was with an outdoor antenna.
I hope I have been able to offer some helpful information and I wish you luck in your search for the ever elusive digital channel.
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