OTA HDTV Reception Q&A

2008-06-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

CLASSIC DTV IN RTN-VILLE

I have posted a couple blogs about MeTV, the Weigel Broadcasting owned classic TV station for Chicago and Milwaukee. Well, after a little additional research, it turns out that classic TV on a DTV subchannel is available in several markets across the country over the Retro Television Network - http://www.rtnville.com/ If you click on the "RTN Affiliates" or "RTN Programming" link you can see where this classic TV service is available in the country, and on which DTV subchannel.

Apparently in the MeTV case there is a partial partnership with RTN to broadcast these classic shows while Weigel holds a library of its own to fill the time 24/7 while other affiliates have a more limited schedule depending on the affiliate. Anyway, figured I'd mention this before someone out there catches my regional bias!

2008-06-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

THE TRANSITION DATE FOR WILMINGTON NC IS 9-8-08

In the state where the first ever DTV station began over-the-air broadcasting about 10 years ago, a small TV market has agreed to be a beta test for the loss of analog off-air TV signals. Four full-power TV stations in the Wilmington, N.C. market have agreed to shut down their analog signals on September 8, 2008, ahead of the February 17 2009 shutoff date for the rest of the nation's full-power broadcast TV signals, to see how viewers would react to losing their reception of off-air broadcasts by not upgrading their old TV sets. This came following the request of FCC chair Michael Copps in March to see about doing a test run of ending over-the-air analog broadcasts for a short time to prepare for any kind of a public reaction to the end of over-the-air analog broadcasts despite the efforts of the NAB and local stations to make viewers aware of the DTV transition.

The PBS affiliate in the area which is a satellite of a statewide public television service will not participate in this test and will continue their analog broadcast in September as well as a low-power MyNetworkTV affiliate, which would not be affected by the transition at this time, anyway. However, the stations may run a crawl informing viewers who did not get a DTV converter and switching channels what has happened. Additionally, some households in this small market may still be able to receive and view analog signals from outside the Wilmington market.

Based on an early survey, the community has some work to do to make their viewers aware of this experiment. Only 18 percent of those surveyed in the market are aware of this early shutdown, while 29 percent answered February 17, 2009 as the shutoff date.

Still, it is likely that come September there may some national media interest in this experiment that will help make the rest of the nation aware of the transition and prepare their sets for February 2009, and it will allow the FCC and those involved in the transition to be ready to react from any kind of public outcry and unrest when many analog TV broadcasts suddenly go dark.

2008-04-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

AND MY WINNER IS . . . THE ZENITH DTT900, or, How I Spent My DTV Coupon

At long last, I get to share my DTV converter box coupon story, and I can say that it is worth the wait and trouble to apply for one at http://www.DTV2009.gov/. I got my coupon early in April after sending out my application on the site for one coupon back in February, and last Sunday April 21st I cashed in my $40 coupon. I was considering the RCA DTA 800A because it was selling for only $49.99 at Wal-mart. However, Wal-mart stores sell either the RCA or the Magnavox, and not both. I wanted the RCA because it had generally solid reviews and it can actually stand on its end as a space saver. Well, it turns out the Wal-mart nearest me not only carried only the Magnavox, but they were also all out of stock. This by the way was the Thursday before I cashed in my coupon.

But after looking after several sites listing reviews by experts and customers alike, it seemed that the best choice available on the governmental approved list that comes with the coupon was the Zenith DTT900. It seemed in tests to pick up more channels and be more sensitive than the RCA, and that was my most significant factor in choosing a box. Also, looking at the pics of the RCA remote, while the buttons are large and easy to use by those who complain that the buttons on their mobile phone are too small, I could not see a button where you could simply change the aspect ratio of the picture. See, while I have a 4:3 screen, I like to watch scripted HDTV shows in letterbox, and then zoom in on sports, news, and other standard definition 4:3 shows which in letterbox mode have black bars surrounding a small screen.

The Zenith box sells in stores for $59.99, ten dollars more, but you do get what you pay for. In addition to the Zenith remote having that zoom button on the remote I wanted, the Zenith package included a video/audio cable and a coax to connect right to both my DVD recorder AND my TV set on channel 3. The RCA package does not supposedly include cables. The Zenith box is available at Circuit City, and so on Sunday I went to a Circuit City to get the Zenith box. This store had PLENTY of Zenith boxes in stock. I got the box and checked out, and I turned in my coupon, which works pretty much like a credit card/gift card. The difference was taken out of the $59.99 price plus 7% sales tax on the box, so after my coupon, the Zenith DTV box set me back $24.17, which is still half the price of digital cable service in my area that I have since disconnected, so I am still saving money even if the $39.99 Echostar TR-40 is not even available yet. In my case, waiting for the Echostar was not worth it. The store seems very aware of the coupon program, and I had no problem nor ran into any issues using the coupon. I did have to sign a receipt that I used my coupon since it was like using a credit card, but really was not an inconvenience as far as I was concerned.

By the way, I mentioned my DVD recorder, which is a Panasonic - while it does have an ATSC digital tuner, it does NOT allow me to zoom in and fill the screen on a standard definition show broadcast on an HDTV channel. It does have analog, but when that goes away, I am left with a small screen, so that I why I still needed a converter box. I should mention that at the time I got my coupon, there was no mention of a Panasonic converter box on the approved list, or anything else from their parent company, Matsushita Electronics, so this was not eligible for me to use a coupon to buy it. What is also great about the DTV converter box is I can record SDTV full screen now and watch something else, plus I can use picture-in-picture after the conversion date of February 17th, 2009.

So I come home to my place in that grey area between the Milwaukee viewing area and the Chicago viewing area, bringing home the Zenith box. I disconnected the digital cable box that I would return to the cable TV office the next day, and connected the Zenith box. I plug in the box, put the included battery into the remote, and powered on the box. My antenna was a Winegard SS-3000 SharpShooter on top of my TV set, aimed in the direction to receive the Milwaukee stations. Once I powered on the DTV box, it began scanning channels, and within only a couple minutes, the scan was complete, and I got all the major network affiliates and PBS HD in the box, as well as NBC, FOX, and MyNetworkTV from Chicago on the same antenna. Also with a bit of adjustment of the antenna I could get WGN Chicago, which carries the CW. So, I have all the networks on the Zenith on one indoor antenna. The picture quality was good, and I also get classic TV from MeTV Milwaukee on the DTV multicast from the Milwaukee CBS affiliate (see an earlier post about MeTV). The other good thing about getting NBC from both Milwaukee and Chicago is I get NBC Weather Plus from both markets, and instant weather conditions from both areas with it, for no fee.

There were also a couple great features of the Zenith box I enjoyed. One is that you could either do a full rescan and reset your channel list, or switch to a Quick Add mode in the menu and add any channels your antenna may have missed during the initial scan, which for me was the case getting WGN-DT. Second, with the remote you can jump back to the last channel, but then with the remote you can also scroll through the last four channels that were viewed with the box turned on, press Enter, and switch right to that channel, so switching channels, even multicast ones, is actually quite simple with this box. Also, it is possible by following an easy procedure in the manual to set the remote to power off the TV set you converted as well as the converter box, and adjust volume, mute, and closed captioning, essentially making the DTV box remote your new TV set remote.

The only disappointment I have with the Zenith DTT900 box is it has a so-called "Simple Guide" that just lets you see the current show on each channel and what is coming up next, but that's it; you cannot scroll ahead several days or even several hours to see what is coming up unlike some more high-end converter boxes. But that is no problem because I still have my Media Center PC with its on-screen guide that can show programming for the next 14 days, so I can plan my viewing that way. The Zenith box also cannot pass analog signals including low-power channels that will remain analog after February 17, 2009, but again, to me personally, that is a non-issue.

All in all, I feel I made the right choice in my converter box with the Zenith DTT900, and I highly recommend it to those who are willing to give up low-power stations and only $20 to $30 depending on sales tax rates in your area, that is, if you have the converter box coupon to use. Again, the DTT900 is available at Circuit City stores and possibly other locations if you are willing to look, but you must purchase them in the actual stores to use the coupon. Now Best Buy has the Insignia NS-DXA1 box, which may or may not be a private branded DTT900, I actually cannot confirm this, so I would stick with the trusted name brand. I will be interested to see what the reviews and comments are for the $39.99 Echostar TR-40; if the reviews are as good as the Zenith, then Echostar will be the big winner in the DTV transition. If not, then LG/Zenith will be the big winner. I will wait and see.

2008-04-16T20:07:00.000-07:00

THE CONVERTER BOX AND ANTENNA ISSUE

So maybe you found this page because you need a straight answer to this problem:

I just purchased my DTV converter box after waiting eight long weeks for my coupon, I hook up my off air antenna directly to the RF input, and I am only getting a few channels!! What is going on? I thought all the major stations should be broadcasting digitally by now!!!

Well here is the thing - you may have an over the air antenna but probably for the most part been watching off-the-air analog TV on channels 2, 5, 7, anywhere from 2-13 and the occasional UHF, but most of the shows you watch are on a VHF channel. It may be possible that you live in the "fringe area" which is fairly far away, about 50-60 miles.

The thing is, with the analog signals from the major broadcasters still around until February 2009, the DTV broadcasts have to be transmitted on a different frequency, since the analog signals and DTV signals are not compatible with each other, or else you wouldn't need a DTV converter box in the first place. Many channels with VHF analog broadcasts transmit their DTV channels on a UHF channel; some of them will be reverting their DTV broadcasts to their current analog after February 2009, but others will keep their current frequency.

UHF signals, which are at higher frequencies than VHF, by nature do not travel as well by air as VHF. The UHF signals tend to lose their signal strength faster over the miles; consequently, full-power UHF stations transmit at much higher wattages in order to cover the same viewing area and compete with their VHF counterparts.

So as a result, your antenna may need to be replaced with one with more UHF gain, or simply, a larger antenna with more "UHF Elements", which are parts of the antenna that resonate and receive UHF signals. More gain on an antenna means it is more capable of receiving fairly weak and distant UHF signals.

If you use http://www.antennaweb.org/ for your location (please research this site further for more details on how to use it), the last column in the results, "Frequency Assignment", will mention the actual channel being used for the broadcast; DTV channels are noted with a "*", and those entries with a "Feb 17th 2009 (post-transition)" Live Date entry will be the final DTV channel that will be used when the DTV transition completes. Frequency assignments 14 or higher are on UHF.

The channel results are listed in order of predicted strength, with the strongest station on top, and the weakest ones on the bottom. So, if many DTV entries fall near the bottom, or not even show up, then it is likely a stronger antenna will be needed to get all your station. In rare cases, an amplifier will improve the picture, but understand that the purpose of an amp is to overcome signal loss between the antenna and the tuner, through cable, splitters, diplexers, etc. UHF signals also lose more strength in long cable runs than VHF. But an amp will NOT pull in more signal out of the sky; only a larger antenna can do that.

Also. if it turns out many DTV channels are yellow or green, and not showing up, then these signals are very strong, and likely too strong for the DTV tuner to stream the picture, and the thing to do then, if an amp is used, is to remove the amp, and if there is no amp, you may need an inline attenuator, which you can get for a couple dollars at an electronics store.

Once that is taken care of, you will then be ready to enjoy your favorite channels in digital quality as well as their multicasts. But the best thing to do is get the converter box, connect the current antenna, do the channel scan, and see what you get - try that first, you may be fortunate to get all your channels in DTV the first time. Good luck!

2008-04-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

CONVERTER BOXES THAT WILL PASS ANALOG SIGNALS

I have just received my coupon for a DTV converter box, and found that there just a small handful of approved boxes that can pass the analog ones - this is to follow up to my last post about the issue about low-power TV stations, that they feel left out of the DTV transition. These low-power stations will continue broadcasting their analog signals after February 17, 2009.

Here are the converter boxes that will pass the low-power analog stations for those who still want to view them - the coupon program also mentions a site about this at http://www.DTV2009.gov/lowpower:

Digital Stream DX8700
Echostar TR-40
Magnavox TB-100MG9
Philco TB100HH9/TB150HH9

The one choice of the four that is getting the most buzz, and will be due out very soon this summer, is the Echostar TR-40. This is the one that retails for $39.99, which essentially will mean households will just need to pay sales tax for each of up to two units to convert their sets AND not lose the low-power analogs, if they want to watch them. If the Echostar unit lives up to the hype, then perhaps the Community Broadcasters Association should settle down and just their stamp of approval on this box.

2008-04-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

THE LITTLE GUYS BEING LEFT OUT OF THE DTV TRANSITION

Well beyond the major broadcasters, or rather, stations with full power facilities to cover their viewing market, are little "low power" stations, which have call letters ending in "-CA" or "-LP", that broadcast over the air programming at lower power than the major stations, but do have an audience. So watches them? Well, there are low power stations with religious programming, others have ethnic programming, and still others would be known as "community broadcasters" offering information to that community. So while the audience may be small, it is not like there is one for these stations.

These stations are usually owned by individuals or by smaller media companies that operate on limited budgets, so they are usually not capable of getting brand new DTV facilities. The good is, the FCC have given these stations a longer schedule to convert to digital, so those stations will continue to broadcast their analog TV after February 2009. Technically, not ALL television will convert entirely to digital next year.

But now, these low power station operators are crying foul at the DTV transition, feeling they are being left out of the process. They already have fired shots at the National Association of Broadcasters claiming their public education has been using confusing language that all over the air TV will be digital in February 2009. Well, now if you have been watching the NAB PSAs on the DTV conversion, they have added a disclaimer "The DTV transition does not affect low power stations".

Additionally, last week, a group known as the Community Broadcasters Association that represent low power broadcasts, filed a federal lawsuit against consumer electronics manufacturers making DTV converter boxes that do not have a "pass through" option, which would allow these boxes to pass analog signals and allow viewers to continue to watch these low power broadcasts. To put it another way, those viewers with an old TV set that has a coax input to the tuner and do not use the same connections as the RCA for a VCR would essentially rely on the DTV box to watch TV. According to the CBA, some of these converter boxes that are approved by the NTIA in their coupon program do not pass analog signals, so they feel these boxes will take their audience away.

Now one thing a viewer could do is get a two-way coax splitter, one output to the old TV tuner, and the other to the DTV box, so they could get these low power analog broadcasts, but the only way that would work is if the TV had these RCA inputs, like the ones used to connect a DVD player. The Consumer Electronics Association commented on this lawsuit, claming it to be "irresponsible", and that it would cause a meaningless delay in the DTV transition.

I got a message from a friend in Australia who bought a DTV converter box for his widescreen TV, and he seemed a bit disappointed to see he lost a low-power community station in the process. So, are there others in the US who have been enjoying a low power broadcast and wonder where it went when they get their converter boxes? Personally, I mentioned Weigel Broadcasting simulcasting their low-power analog stations on their full-power station's DTV multicast, so whether Weigel will continue broadcasting their low power stations on analog remains to be seen.

2008-03-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

IN THE MIDWEST, DIGITAL CLASSIC TV IS ALL ABOUT "ME"

As people begin to receive and use their DTV converter boxes, they are also beginning to discover what the NAB PSA's mean by DTV offering "more channels", which are the standard definition multicasts to supplement their primary HD channel. A Chicago-based media company, Weigel Broadcasting, is a small independent media company that owns three TV stations in the Midwest: WCIU, an independent Chicago TV station, WDJT (CBS), WMLW (low power independent), and WYTU (Telemundo) in Milwaukee, and three low power stations in South Bend, IN, affiliated with ABC, the CW, and MyNetwork TV. This broadcaster is beginning to reap the potential benefits of DTV multicasting by offering "MeTV", a channel available on a low-power analog channel in Chicago but, more importantly, a DTV multicast on both WCIU-DT 26.2 for Chicago, and as of March 1st, WDJT-DT 58.3 in Milwaukee (58.2 simulcasts WMLW).

MeTV offers viewers classic TV shows from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, including all-time faves like I Love Lucy, The Twilight Zone, Dick Van Dyke, and The Cosby Show. The great thing about watching these shows on DTV is that the picture quality is near DVD quality, the sound is great, and consequently, it gives people a chance to re-discover great TV shows again and watch them with a picture better than they remember when they tried to get them off the air with an old analog tuner. In Chicago MeTV has been received so well, and Weigel has access to such a large classic TV library, that on March 1st they launched a second classic TV channel, MeToo, on their WCIU-DT multicast channel 26.3. So now Chicago viewers have a free off-air source for classic TV as an alternative to pay network channel TV Land, which as of late has sold out to the reality TV craze and is airing cut 80s movies in place of the classic shows they used to air in prime time.

The great thing about DTV is that Weigel now can provide full-power broadcasts of the analog low power stations, opening these stations to a wider audience. Additionally, the stations allow a new source of advertising revenue for the company, where advertisers can buy time where they were outbid by competitors getting time on the major network affiliates, usually at a more affordable ad rate. Until more advertisers fill the break times, MeTV is filling time with the occasional NAB PSA, but also classic TV commercials from their archives, which are pretty neat to watch.

As I mentioned, MeTV was just added for the Milwaukee audience on WDJT-DT. However, with WDJT a CBS affiliate, and MeTV Milwaukee not yet available on analog, WDJT was able to pre-empt their regular MeTV programming on 58.3 to offer an alternate CBS Sports feed to their primary channel during the NCAA Mens basketball tournament, giving DTV fans an HD broadcast of their scheduled game, and a standard definition simulcast of an alternate game, which I have been enjoying for free over the air. As I write this, I had witnessed on 58.3 an amazing comeback attempt by Western Kentucky in their battle with top-seeded UCLA, once they came close and the other regional semifinal was pretty much over but the shouting, the network feed on the main channel switched over to Western Kentucky-UCLA, but not before the comeback peaked. This was a lot easier for me than to try and wait to see the games online. However, only one HD feed was available over the air; for full HD multi-game coverage, you had to order it from DirecTV.

Still, this is an example of how the DTV multicast model can provide viewers a low-cost option to the television they want, while providing broadcasters new opportunities for revenue. It will be interesting to see if other small media companies will do the same and offer viewers more choices and localized programming while resisting selling to major media companies. You can get more information on MeTV by visiting http://www.metvchicago.com/ or http://www.metvmilwaukee.com/.

Finally on a personal side note, I would like to give to a shout out to Cymon's Place on Blogger for sharing his experience in getting a Zenith DTT900 DTV converter box with a $40 voucher he recently received, as well as making my blog a "blog of note". Since LG Electronics aquired Zenith, they have been making high quality DTV tuners, including the standard for the latest generation of DTV tuner chipsets that can decode DTV tuners even in areas of multipath. With the box retailing for $60 and from a solid brand name, I guess I know what I will get when my coupon finally arrives. There is also a good review of this converter box that you can read on home theater consultant Peter Putman's HDTV Expert Web site.

2008-03-05T20:17:00.000-08:00

ANTENNA MANUFACTURER HAS A NEW AND IMPROVED DIRECT WEB SITE

Burlington, IA based TV and satellite dish maker Winegard Company has finally added a feature to their Web site that was a long time coming. The company who has been a manufacturer of quality TV antennas for over 50 years is finally selling their products on an online site - www.winegarddirect.com - which I feel is to keep up with St. Louis based antenna seller Terrestrial Digital (www.antennasdirect.com), who has been selling and marketing their products online for only a few years, but getting significant attention.

On Winegard's site, there is a link to their OTA Antenna Selector (ota.winegarddirect.com), which just gets rid of the oftentimes confusing color map used by the CEA for www.antennaweb.org and just does what it should. You simply enter your address, and the site uses Google Maps to post your location AND the location of the TV broadcast towers. Additionally, instead of showing a numerical degrees direction, the Winegard Direct results tell you a straight direction, N, SE, W, whichever direction the signals come in from.

The best thing about the Winegard Direct site is that it lists the amount of predicted rooftop signal strength in dBu (decibels above 1 microwatt), and at the bottom of the TV station list, the site recommends the minimum Winegard antenna that, provided it is mounted outside on the roof, will likely receive all the stations listed when pointed in the right direction. This is an antenna recommend site that is much easier to use and gives more straight and useful information than Antennaweb.org.

The only complaint I have with the Winegard Direct selector is while it does mention the digital channels used by the broadcaster, it does not yet mention the final DTV channel that will used by the broadcasters after February 17, 2009, but that is probably because they still need the transmit power of the final facilities to provide that information. So, I would still use Antennaweb.org and look for the DTV channels with a "Post-transition (February 17, 2009)" Live Date entry to see the final DTV channel which may be the station's current analog channel. If the predicted Winegard antenna can receive the analog channel to be used as a final DTV channel, then the chances are good that the recommended antenna will receive all the stations after the transition completes, and the customer will just need to rescan their digital TV tuner.

So I am excited to see that Winegard is finally making steps to make a useful antenna web site that is easier to use than their site's previous versions in the past. And of course, they still have a toll-free technical support line for customers to call and optimize their install.

2008-03-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

THE NAB BEGINS PUSHING THE DTV MESSAGE

The National Organization of Broadcasters (NAB) has started airing PSAs on the DTV transition on television to make viewers aware that "on February 17, 2009, television goes all-digital". The PSAs are also promoting the fact that over-the-the digital television provides more channels, that is, the DTV multicasts. The PSAs invite viewers to get information at www.DTVAnswers.com which lists options for getting televisions ready for the transition, if needed, who would be affected by the transition, and links to news, resources, and the converter box coupon application site. Look for the spots on your TV soon.

Additionally, the NAB has now become a partner sponsor of www.antennaweb.org , the Web site that allows consumers to see what DTV channels are available over the air in their area, and what type of antenna will be required to get the channels. The site originally was solely sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), but now both organizations are sponsoring this informative site, which on its home page provides links to both the organizations' repsective DTV information sites.

One more thing - on the DTVAnswers site, if you click on the "Choosing An Antenna" tab, you will see a picture of a Winegard SharpShooter SS-3000 antenna on top of a tube DTV, so I guess I know what indoor antenna the NAB prefers, at least in terms of marketing looks. Also, they are smart to mention the local stations' likelihood of moving their broadcasts to different frequencies.

2008-02-14T17:18:00.000-08:00

BEST BUY STARTING TO STEP UP CONSUMER DTV EDUCATION

If you get the Sunday newspaper with all the advertising supplements, then check out the one for Best Buy next Sunday. The leading home electronics retailer is beginning to alert consumers about the end of analog TV broadcasts next February through advertising announcements in stores (what they call "point of sale" marekting), advertisments, and soon even receipts. They even are putting their Geek Squad into training to help consumers convert their old TV sets. Best Buy is also planning customer assistance through a toll-free DTV help line at 1-877-BBY-DTV9 (1-877-229-3889)

Best Buy has just released a private-labeled Insignia converter box that is only 8.5" wide by 6.5" deep and can easy fit on top of a tube analog TV set. It is available in stores for $59.99, and eligible for the federal DTV coupon program that allows consumers to get a $40 voucher toward the purchase of approved converter boxes that can send DTV signals to analog TV sets through either an open TV channel or composite (RCA) video, much like a DVD or VCR player hookup.

Also in March, Echostar, the parent company of Dish Network, will release their own converter box, the TR-40, under the EchoStar and Sling Media brand names. The boxes are to retail for $39.99, which means those consumers who use the $40 vouchers toward the purchase of these converter boxes will only pay a couple dollars in sales tax to make their existing analog-only sets DTV ready.

To get information on requesting up to two DTV converter box coupons, visit www.mydtv2009.gov. The catch is that the coupons you request need to be redeemed 90 days after they have been mailed, so as I always say about these things, let the buyer beware.

2008-02-14T16:57:00.000-08:00

ANTENNAWEB.ORG NOW LETS YOU SEE WHAT THE FINAL DTV CHANNELS WILL BE

I am happy to say that today I discovered that www.antennaweb.org is now listing what the final DTV channels will be for your area when you are looking to select an antenna for over the air DTV reception. When you use the site and it lists the results, if you click on the "Show digital stations only" radio button, you will now see among the listings stations that will be changing their DTV frequency once the transition completes on February 17, 2009.

If you look at the "Live Date" column, if a result for a digital station says "February 17, 2009 (post-transition)" it means that the "Frequency Assigment" listed for that station is the permanent one that has been approved by the FCC, but it will not take effect until the transition is completed. Until then, the Frequency Assignment for the same call letters in an entry that does NOT have the post-transition Live Date entry is the one that is currently in use.

However, the listings for the post-transition stations will predict the signal strength of reception as that broadcast will be full-power per federal regulations. So now if you are currently using a UHF antenna to get your DTV over the air, you may want to visit www.antennaweb.org again to see if you may need to add a VHF antenna to ensure you will get all your desired channels following the transition. If you do enough research, you may be able to find antennas designed for UHF and VHF High Band (Ch 7-13), in case the listed frequency assignments are in the 7-51 range, which would not be insanely wide in the back and an eyesore monster on your rooftop.

I believe the reason it has taken a while for Antennaweb to post the final DTV frequency assignments is because many stations are only beginning to submit their construction permits to the FCC to build and deploy their full-power DTV transmissions on their final selected channels. The data would include the expected antenna height and power, which are needed by the Antennaweb program to predict what signal strenghs are expected at a given location.

Given the cold and snow that the nation has been enduring this winter, it may make more sense to get an antenna system set up over the summer so you won't have to go out in the cold to relocate an outdoor antenna next February - thankfully the Antennaweb site will now let you plan to do just that.

2007-12-21T17:44:00.000-08:00

NEW SHOW ON NOWLIVE.COM AIRING LIVE ON TUESDAYS

I have decided as the new year approaches and households will now be eligible to get vouchers for off-air DTV tuners, to start a weekly audio podcast with the latest news on the transition, and maybe post some comments on this blog. I will be broadcasting the show live on Tuesdays at 8PM Eastern US Time, 5 PM Pacific, each week, for one hour. The shows will then become available on an audio podcast that you can subscribe to. Visit my NowLive page for all the details.

2007-05-08T11:41:00.001-07:00

EDUCATING THE CONSUMER ON THE ANALOG BROADCAST SHUTDOWN

As soon as the broadcast networks' TV season officially ends on May 23^rd, which these days has become highlighted by the American Idol finale, the major electronics retailers will begin, in time for advertising their "Dads and Grads" sales campaigns, alerting consumers of the impending analog over-the-air television shutoff in February 2009. That is because the FCC, in an open meeting last April, set May 25^th as the date for electronics retailers to put warning labels on any analog-only sets in store inventories. As I post this, the May 25^th date is pending approval by a federal government committee. In addition, I researched the Web sites of the nation's leading electronics retailers, and I discovered that they are beginning to sell more new digital ready TVs and fewer analog only sets, and on the online spec sheets for such analog sets, the warning disclaimer has been posted. This disclaimer reads as follows:

CONSUMER ALERT: This television receiver has only an analog broadcast tuner and will require a converter box after February 17, 2009, to receive over-the-air broadcasts with an antenna because of the Nation's transition to digital broadcasting. Analog-only TVs should continue to work as before with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and similar products. 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 website at: www.dtv.gov.

This disclaimer, should the May 25^th deadline get approved, will become noticeable in retail stores, and then, consumers unaware of the DTV transition should now ask questions about DTV. In addition, as of March 1^st, television set manufacturers, per an FCC mandate, should no longer be manufacturing television sets with over-the-air analog (NTSC) tuners, but digital over-the-air (ATSC) tuners, although many of these sets would also have tuners capable of receiving analog cable TV signals.

While a coupon would be used to purchase such a "converter box", it may make more sense for a consumer to just get a brand new digital TV, which is becoming more affordable. For example, during my retailer Web site research, I noticed that Best Buy is selling a 24" 4:3 tube-style standard definition digital TV set for $200. The page for this particular model also mentions the fact that since the digital TV is standard definition (SDTV – 480i resolution, whereas HDTV sets offer 720p, 1080i, or 1080p resolution), programming broadcast in HDTV will be viewable on the set, but the consumer will only be able to watch in 480i resolution, which is still a crystal clear picture and sound provided the antenna is in an optimal location. Additionally, my research revealed that Wal-Mart carries a comparable 24" SDTV model for $175, as well a 24" analog only set for $137, and the disclaimer on that Web page. So, for about an extra $40 after sales taxes are figured in, the consumer can avoid putting what could be an eyesore converter box on a new set. However, the coupons would be used only toward the purchase of converter set-top boxes, and NOT a new DTV set.

Among the retailer Web sites I visited, I found neither Sears nor Target had an easy-to-find page on their respective sites explaining the DTV transition. I did find pages with good explanations on the transition for Wal-Mart and Circuit City, but Best Buy, in my opinion, has a Web page with the best explanation to consumers about the DTV transition. However, I was a bit disappointed to notice that none of these pages had a statement assuring that an old-fashioned roof-top antenna that may currently be in use by a consumer to get free over-the-air signals for analog sets would also work for digital signals, and a new antenna may not be required. As a small consolation, Best Buy and Circuit City did provide links to www.antennaweb.org on their DTV explanation pages as a means to get information on choosing an antenna for over-the-air reception, but not much helpful information on the antenna selector color coding used for that site. So, I recommend before you visit the retailer pages I have linked on this page that you read my explanation on how the antennaweb site works in one of my earlier posts linked here, followed by my post on some tricks in using the site linked here.

Also, on April 29^th, the Associated Press published a good article about how consumers are using old-fashioned antennas to receive over-the-air digital TV broadcasts for free. That article is linked here. In addition, I found a great Newsweek article linked here about the sudden resurgence of off-air antennas. That page also can link you to additional articles in the "Related Stories" field.

Finally on a personal note, I feel all the links I have created here on this entry should lead you to all the general information you will need about the DTV transition. I am about to start a new position in downtown Chicago, and I do not see myself having much time to post additional entries for several months. Once I come across an issue that I feel should be addressed, I will gladly share my experiences in a future post, but for now, I am becoming more and more confident that in the next couple months the American public will become more aware of the DTV transition with help from the retailers, and now the switch to digital TV is looking to become a little smoother.

2007-04-19T07:24:00.001-07:00

MEDIA CENTER PCs and HDTV

One month ago, I moved out of Iowa and relocated to the Chicago area, taking my HP Media Center PC with me. Because I was in a new area, I of course needed to reprogram my electronic program guide in Media Center for the over-the-air DTV channels in the new market. With the antenna as optimized as possible, I began updating my PC for my new area so I can record my favorite broadcast networks shows digitally and over the air to enjoy on my own time. I found that this was not a quick fix, and that with an automatic scan for my northwest suburban location, I was even getting listings for the local stations in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which I could not pick up with the antenna I have. I should mention that my PC uses Windows XP, and not Vista, and I have no plans to upgrade at this time, only because I think Vista will take up a lot of disk space that would reduce the amount of DTV recordings I can keep.

Fortunately, I was able to browse posts on a site, www.thegreenbutton.com, where registered users can share ideas and issues using Microsoft Media Center. I find out through the posts that the electronic program guide (EPG) in Media Center calls on XML files for the guide listings. The files are located in this directory, assuming C: is the location of the operating system software:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\eHome\EPG\prefs

In order to access this directory, you will need to be logged in with full administrator privileges with the ability to view hidden directories. The folder contains two XML files of significance: atscchannels.xml, which maps the digital channels to the FCC-approved "frequency assignments", which you can find using www.antennaweb.org. The other file, atscprefs.xml, lists the multicast "subchannels" that the station broadcasts in addition to their primary channel. I found that the easiest method to fix my EPG for the new location would be to delete these XML files, and just manually add them in the "Settings à Guide" section in Media Center. However, I do recommend renaming the current XML files, adding "old" or some dummy name or extension for backup purposes.

I was aware of the available sub-channels from the Chicago broadcasters using the direct antenna input of the HDTV set connected to my Media Center PC, and their frequency assignments, so that information allowed me to manually enter the digital channels into the program guide. I started by configuring my tuners for a cable tuner and a digital TV tuner. Now while my cable tuner is analog, I could still select the digital cable listing from the local provider for the electronic program guide, which updates via the Internet and NOT the cable company. You don't even need to have a cable connection to the tuner for this to work. This is significant since most of the over-the-air multicasts are available on digital cable in my area, although I am not sure at this time if the FCC has enforced "must-carry" of all local multicasts on digital cable. The disadvantage is that is takes a bit longer for the guide to update because there are more data to download.

After setting the guide to download the digital cable EPG, I essentially deleted the XML files used for the off-air digital TV listings. By doing this, Media Center is now missing the digital TV information, and I could now manually add the channels. The Guide Settings has a function, "Edit missing digital channels". By selecting this, I can choose the option "Add missing DTV channel". The first time I enter a channel ID, I enter the primary channel first, for example, 2-1 for CBS 2 Chicago. With Media Center not aware of this channel in the XML file, it creates an empty atscchannels.xml file entry, and Media Center asks for the frequency assignment where the digital channel is located, in CBS 2 Chicago's case, channel 3.

As I manually load the channels, I also add the sub-channels. Once a primary channel is set, Media Center automatically maps to the frequency assignment for additional subchannels. After loading all channels, I can now use the "Edit Digital TV Listings" setting in Media Center to map the off-air digital channel to the digital cable listings. For example, in Chicago, PBS affiliate WTTW has four channels in its digital multicast, but 11-4 is not yet available on digital cable, and I do not see myself watching it much anyway, so I opted NOT to add 11-4 while programming the guide. I had to be tricky because 11-1 is an all widescreen channel with HD programming while 11-2 is the digital simulcast of the traditional Channel 11. 11-3 carries the all-how-to channel, Create. So, I had to map 11-1 with WTTW-DT on the digital cable listings, 11-2 with analog cable 11, and 11-3 with WTTW-DT3 as identified on the digital cable listings. Once all this was completed, I could now use the Media Center EPG to set up recordings for the right shows on the right off-air digital channels, a big help. Sadly, Media Center in XP does not use the EPG metadata in the PSIP tables loaded by the broadcaster to update the guide listings; you will need to rely on the available digital cable listings.

Consequently, I fear that after February 17, 2009, I will need to manually reprogram the EPG yet again when some of the local broadcasters switch their digital over-the-air transmission on their FCC-approved final DTV assignment, which for some channels will be different from their current assignment. Since I will know what the new assignments will be post-transition, I could simply just go into the atscchannels.xml file and change the channels right there, and that should be it. Otherwise, I will have to repeat the process I just described yet again. I also hope that if my cable company reassigns the digital cable lineup that Media Center will automatically map the off-air digital TV listings to the channel ID and not the new channel, else I will have to fix THAT change in Media Center manually.

In related news, HP announced in late March 2007 that they would be discontinuing their high-end Digital Entertainment PC line, which will leave Sony as the only manufacturer of note of Media Center PCs acting as servers for the living room, home theater, or control unit in a rack for an electronic home with a structured wiring network. It would seem to me that HP, which has been making a huge comeback in the consumer PC market, is focusing its strategic plan on the common consumer, and since the release of Vista, I think HP feels that homeowners can simply use a laptop or desktop PC on a home network to record off-air digital programs, and rebroadcast them on the home network to other PCs or Media Center Extenders, like the Xbox 360. In addition, HP has released a PCMCIA digital TV tuner card for its Vista-based laptops, and with high-capacity external USB hard drives of over 100 GB becoming more affordable and easier to put on a home network, educated homeowners could very easily custom-make a digital entertainment network on their own budgets and capacity without having to shell out over $2,000. So, I would speculate that HP is foreseeing an unprofitable low demand for their "DECs" as they know them. In addition, Vista allows such PCs to be Cable-Card friendly, which would easily allow such PCs to decode and record digital cable channels for subscribers, thus allowing that content to be streamed on a home network. These trends will further allow middle-income households to make their homes connected and share content. Who knows, well-designed home networks could pretty much allow, in the right area, one indoor antenna connected to one networked PC to distribute off-air DTV programming all over the house.

2007-03-10T09:22:00.001-08:00

HOW AND WHEN TO MAKE YOUR CURRENT ANALOG SETS DIGITAL

On February 28, 2007, a number of organizations announced the formation of a DTV Coalition to inform the American public about the termination of over the air analog TV broadcasts on February 17, 2009. The organizations in this coalition are:

Association for Maximum Service Television (MSTV)
Association of Public Television Stations (APTS)
Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)
Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition (CERC)
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR)
LG Electronics
National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)
National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA)

This coalition announced the launch of a brand new educational Web site, www.DTVTransition.org. The Web site is a general source of information about the digital TV transition, and links to other sources for more information. On the home page of the site you can find a countdown timer to the end date for off-air analog broadcasts.

The government, as part of the budgetary plan to complete the DTV transition in the United States, has created a subsidy plan to allow consumers to allow their existing analog sets that receive programming solely with an over the air antenna able to receive the digital TV signals. In 2008, inexpensive set-top boxes, expected to retail between $50 and $70, will be available for purchase. These boxes will have an input for consumers to connect their existing over the air antenna, and outputs to connect to the TV in the same way as a standalone VCR. The subsidy plan will allow US households, beginning on January 1^st, 2008, to request up to two coupons at $40 per coupon that can be applied toward the purchase of these digital set-top boxes. Therefore, a household that would like to convert two analog TV sets can do so by requesting two coupons, and will end up paying less than $75 out of pocket total to get their sets ready to continue to receive off-air broadcasts after February 17, 2009. This would be less than having to shell out $300 or more for one completely new DTV set. The consumers will have three months to redeem the coupons that will be sent to them via US Mail. How the consumer will be able to request the coupons remains to be determined; it could be a mail request, a Web site request, or a toll-free phone request.

On paper, this idea would benefit households at or below the poverty line. Realistically, there are a few possible pitfalls with the idea that I hope the coalition will consider. First of all, how will the households that need this information the most get that information? They may not have a computer or a good Internet connection to use, so the best sources would have to be by direct mail marketing by the DTV Coalition as well as PSA spots on television and radio, which as I mentioned in my last entry may be handled by the NAB. Second, will these coupons be redeemed legally for the sole purpose of obtaining these converter boxes, or will some be used fraudulently at the expense of US taxpayers? In addition, will the total cost of subsidizing these households come within the expected budget, or add to the national debt due to an unexpected miscount in the number of existing analog sets affected by the transition? Finally, will there be a solid technical support plan for these boxes if customers need help using them, or if they may need to readjust their antenna? Also, will the consumers be notified that after February 17, 2009, they will need to rescan their tuners as several local broadcasters in their area will be broadcasting solely on their final assigned DTV frequency, which may be different from the one they are using now?

As a public service I, having my own Winegard SS-3000 indoor antenna for local HDTV reception, which should be capable of receiving all local DTV broadcasts from Chicago after the transition (its ability to receive CBS in Chicago, currently using channel 3 for its DTV broadcasts, is questionable, but should fare better receiving CBS Chicago's post-transition DTV channel, 11), may want to take advantage of the subsidy plan and get a set top box of my own in 2008. That way I can write me own review on the box and evaluate how this plan will work out now and after the analog shutoff date. After all, I have one analog set, so I would be entitled to get a coupon and a box for under $30 after rebate. I would expect that when 2008 arrives that we will finally start to see more media coverage of this transition and more public awareness, and this may become a political issue in a Presidential election year. The fact that several organizations are now beginning to come together and send forth a plan to generate public awareness is, at least, an encouraging step in the right direction.

2007-02-26T10:12:00.001-08:00

HOW WILL THE PUBLIC BE EDUCATED ON THE ANALOG BROADCAST SHUTDOWN?

We are now less than two years away from the February 17, 2009 date that analog over-the-air television broadcasts will end. Sadly, there exists significant evidence that the American public as a whole is unaware of what is going on. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is now reportedly in plans to form a committee to educate the public on the transition to digital. The NAB clearly is out to take a stand to educate the public under the awareness that Congress is reportedly planning to spend $5 million for DTV education, which is only a small amount relative to the big amounts advertisers spend, including cable and satellite companies.

The NAB is seen as a political lobbyist group, and they likely may be vocal to the government agencies who will be debating the approval of the recently announced plan for the XM and Sirius satellite radio providers to merge into a single entity by about this time next year. The NAB may see this as a monopoly, while the satellite radio providers feel their unified pay service will be a competing content CHANNEL to terrestrial radio, television, and now, podcasting and user-generated content that is becoming more accessible to an increasing number of high speed Internet customers. In the same way, the NAB could push getting the word out about the transition in the same way we will be seeing politicians make ads during election season. NAB DTV transition VP Jonathan Collegio is expected to head this education group, and you can see read an interview with him on the TV Technology Web site.

I do agree with Collegio that this transition will mostly affect minorities, seniors, households below the poverty line, and people in rural areas. For the most part, those who have the ability to afford cable or satellite TV, or even a broadband Internet connection that would allow people to watch most popular network TV shows online the day after their original air date as well as news headlines, would likely not see the transition as a big deal. Collegio in his interview hopes to create a campaign that will create a coalition with the NAACP, the AARP, and public broadcasters. These days, PBS stations may be supported for the most part by individuals who do not spend much for cable or satellite, and they primarily choose PBS when watching television. As for minorities and disadvantaged households, I would expect the NAB to throw out the Hurricane Katrina card, and argue how broadcasters were able to inform such households affected most by the natural disaster with free over the air TV, which will now be suddenly lost to them after the shutoff, unless they have an analog to digital TV converter box. I also hope the education will include those who are currently enjoying off-air free HDTV since many stations will be using a different final DTV channel than what they are using now, so those viewers need to be aware that they will have to rescan their tuner to get some channels they lost right back after the shutoff date. In some cases, they may need a different off-air antenna than the one that is on their rooftop or in their attic, if that antenna is strictly UHF.

Also according to reports, some newspapers and TV stations were mandated on February 17, 2007 to run a report on the analog TV shutoff in two years. I unfortunately did not notice any in my area, but probably because I was getting most of my news from a video podcast, and I did not watch much local news during the time. Still, the mandate must have been for local newspapers and stations and not national organizations, as I did not see any national news headlines regarding the shutoff. But is clear retailers are getting the idea as there are some reportedly not selling any more TVs without an off-air DTV tuner, which will be required from all retailers over the course of this year. As for converter boxes, I am still waiting for news on how such analog to digital boxes will be distributed and subsidized. I say, why wait? Thankfully, I am now seeing that Winegard Company has put up a fairly informative Digital Television Center on their Web site to educate consumers on the DTV transition. Winegard has also now made available an analog to digital converter box of their own, the RC-1010, which is retailing for $210. They are marketing this for RV owners whose TV sets for the most part will also be affected by the analog shutoff, and I do not feel are being counted in addition to analog TV sets in households, but should be. Winegard also has a marketing partnership with RV dealer Camping World, which has posted a nice instructional streaming video on the RC-1010 receiver and the advantages of over the air DTV.

So with two years left before analog signals shut down, some progress is being made, and the education is slowly but surely becoming available to the public. I hope to help out by linking to additional sources of information about the transition, some of which are already available in previous blog entries for you to browse, or in the banner ads. The NAB will in all likelihood begin to lay out their publicity campaign during their convention in Las Vegas in mid April, and I will be interested to see the initial PSAs.

2006-10-23T15:23:00.000-07:00

THE STAGE IS SET FOR THE FINAL DTV ASSIGNMENTS

On Friday October 20th, 2006, the FCC made public its proposed final table of DTV allotments for the over the air broadcast stations in the United States. The information will now indicate the channels where your local over the air broadcasts will be after February 17, 2009. The reports are available for free public download at http://www.fcc.gov/dtv in the 10/20/06 public report field of the page.

Appendix B, available in both Excel and PDF formats, lists the proposed table of allotments, organized by city and state of operation. The NTSC Chan column lists the current analog channel in use, and the adjacent channel lists the approved final DTV channel elected by the broadcaster using that NTSC channel. In order to get off-air availability for ALL channels in your area, use http://www.antennaweb.org/, and in the results area, use the analog stations only radio button to see your current analog channels and their operating cities, which should be coordinated with the FCC list. Then, note the final DTV channels that will be used by each station. The rest of the entries in each row will list the final DTV channel broadcast power in kW, the transmitter antenna height, and the GPS location of the permanent DTV transmitter. On antennaweb.org, the "show digital stations only" will list the CURRENT channels being used for DTV over-the-air broadcasts, but not all of them will be the final DTV channel after February 17, 2009; some broadcasts will revert back to their original analog NTSC channel. Currently, only the FCC reports will indicate what the final channels are; hopefully antennaweb.org will make this information available in the near future.

If all the final DTV channels are 14-51, then a UHF only antenna will suffice to receive all local channels digitally when the analog broadcasts end. However, many markets will require an antenna receiving VHF high band and UHF (7-51) to receive all local broadcasts over the air with a digital television for free. Some markets will require the common VHF/UHF combo to receive channels 2-51.

NOTE: this post is the promised update to my post from October 9, 2006, on improving the performance of an HDTV antenna.

2006-10-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

PIMP YOUR ANTENNA

With flat screen TVs, laptops, mobile devices, and portable digital entertainment players suddenly becoming purchased for style in addition to functionality, common off-air antennas have gotten a bad rap over the years, classified as being eyesores. Fortunately, indoor antennas have evolved to have looks almost as stylish as the flat screen TVs, and there are a few outdoor antennas that can be attractive outdoors, most notably those entirely encased in plastic. Such outdoor antennas are available from Winegard, TERK, Terrestrial Digital, and Radio Shack.

The nice advantage about the plastic housings is that they can be painted. One idea is to use a monochromatic color to match the color of your residential building, essentially "hiding" the antenna while keeping it outdoors, where the most off-air field strength can be received. The important thing to consider is when selecting a paint, make sure it is a paint with no metallic compounds, because any metal in proximity to the antenna will change its reception performance, and usually not for the better. The other consideration is to make sure you select a paint that covers well, and one or two thin coats are all that are needed. Multiple thick coats of paint might eventually start reducing signal received by the antenna a bit. A brand I personally recommend is Krylon Fusion, a spray paint available at several leading hardware, automotive, and paint stores, like Sherwin-Williams. That paint covers plastics well, and literally bonds with the plastic as long as the surface is dry and clean before applying.

A monochromatic color to match the house is a conservatively attractive and functional style. However, I thought why stop there with my own antenna? That is why I went a step further on a Winegard SS-2000 SquareShooter I own, and pimped my antenna, as seen in the picture. Okay I have never seen the MTV show, but I am very familiar with the custom tuner car craze -- one of my occasional diversions is going to custom car shows and checking out the stylish designs and modifications of custom rides, street racers, and drift cars, like the ones you have seen in the Fast and the Furious movies. Well, I don't have a monster garage to get into the hobby, but I did take the customized paint and body idea and put it to my antenna.

Here is what I did -- I removed the plastic cover of the Winegard SS-2000 so that I would not affect the active antenna elements inside. Then I painted the outside cover blue with Krylon Fusion paint. After letting the paint dry to touch as directed, I then applied automotive vinyl custom race stripes that I purchased at Auto Zone. I made a pattern design alternating barb-wire tattoo stripes and simple lines, applied directly to the painted housing. Then with everything set, I reassembled the cover to the antenna, and yes I still get my off-air DTV signals as expected.

So there you are -- a unique twist to turn an antenna into an outlet of self-expression. However, please understand that this idea is for PLASTIC HOUSINGS and not the antenna elements inside those housings. Again, this idea can be applied to similar antennas from Radio Shack and Terrestrial Digital. You can also paint the Winegard SS-3000 SharpShooter housing and apply labels to it, as long as you remove the antenna elements and circuit board inside the housing, and the reflector, before painting the housing, and you can also paint the plastic brackets holding the reflector. It may be easier to do the painting prior to assembling the reflector on the SS-3000.

As far as traditional outdoor antennas go, the elements can be painted, or "masked" as well if desired, provided you use a paint that is NON-METALLIC. You can try ou the paint by just getting a small disposable piece of aluminum sheet metal and try the paint on the surface first. So now in the age where cell phones, laptops, and home theaters have become an outlet of self-expression, off air antennas can do the same, and be part of a stylish and functional HDTV experience.

2006-10-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

CAN I IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF AN HDTV ANTENNA?

This time I would like to present a suggestion that might improve the performance of a few antennas in the the market for certain locations. Specifically, they are available antennas that are directional on UHF (frequency assignments 14-69) and bi-directional on VHF high band (frequency assignments 7-13). There are antennas out there that are branded as HDTV antennas, but if you see such an antenna to get off-air HDTV broadcasts, this branding is a serious case of "let the buyer beware". Several of these branded HDTV antennas that are small and attractive may really be nothing more than directional UHF antennas. While they may be great for getting off-air HDTV broadcasts on frequency assignments 14-69 that are coming in from about the same compass direction (this information for your specific location may be found by using http://www.antennaweb.org/), if you have available off-air DTV broadcasts on VHF frequency assignments 2-13, that so-called HDTV antenna may not get all your channels. Those small nice looking antennas are not tuned for 2-13, so their reception of such channels is very limited in terms of distance; they may get UHF channels from 50 miles out, but the best some can do for 7-13 is 30 miles, and even less for 2-6.

There is another issue -- suppose you do have one of these small HDTV branded antennas, and they are getting all your local HD broadcasts. Well when your analog off-air TV tuners stop working after February 17, 2009, those effective antennas may suddenly not get all your local off-air channels that are exclusively digital. Right now the FCC is allowing analog and digital over-the-air broadcasts from channels 2-69, and in some markets all the digital broadcasts are on UHF, but not all. The FCC has ordered broadcasters to select a final DTV frequency assignment from 2-51 that will be effective following the analog shutoff, so frequencies allocated for TV broadcasting on channels 52-69 (702-806 MHz, or the "700 MHz band"), will be freed up for new wireless applications, including for homeland security. So, some stations now using channels 52-69 for digital off-air broadcasting will HAVE to relocate their DTV channel. In addition, station broadcast engineers are willing to select a final DTV of-air assignment on VHF high band, channels 7-13, as those channels can cover a viewing area with less power than UHF stations. So, if you are using a UHF antenna only for off-air DTV broadcasts, you may want to check to see if 14-69 will be the final assignments, because if they are not, there is a chance you may need to replace that once functional antenna.

You can get a heads up on which channels will be the final digital TV assignments by going to http://www.fcc.gov/dtv which is a DTV page that has notices on the broadcast TV transition to digital available for public viewing and use at no charge. You can download the MS Office or Acrobat notices on the page, whichever format you prefer. There are three rounds of final channel elections that took place over the past year and a half. The tentative final assignments for the first and second rounds are listed on the documents dated 5/23/06, while tentative assignments for round 3 are listed on the documents dated 8/29/06. You will need to use http://www.antennaweb.org/ and pay attention to the city the station is located -- there is a chance that a few local stations are based out of your state of residence. For instance, WPWR, the My Network TV affiliate out of Chicago, is actually based in Gary, Indiana. Another example is WWOR out of New York, which is actually based out of Secaucus, New Jersey. As I said, these post-analog shutdown channel assignments are TENTATIVE, and a few stations, including WABC, the ABC affiliate from New York, are still disputing their final elected channel with the FCC. Once al these issues are resolved, which hopefully will be by year's end, the FCC will release a "final table of DTV allotments" which should have the official secured list of the station assignments for exclusive digital broadcasting, and once I see that table posted, I will let you know in a future blog post.

So, suppose you realize that you need an antenna for channels 7-69 as a long term solution, so that after February 17, 2009, you can simply rescan your DTV tuner to get all your broadcasts instead of readjusting your antenna. Here now I offer a few truths and a couple tricks. First, it is possible that some UHF antennas can get that one or two VHF high band (7-13) frequency assignment DTV channels. I have found that the popular bowtie UHF antennas, like Channel Master's 4228 and Winegard's PR-4400 and PR-8800, do have bi-directional VHF reception on 7-13, although with less mileage range than UHF. By "bi-directional" I mean the antenna can receive signals from both the front of the antenna, and the backside of the antenna, but not off the sides. Bi-directional antennas may be good in open areas with little obstructions, but in areas where ghost-causing signals may come in off the back, that may be a problem, as these signals will break up DTV pictures.

Meanwhile, the highly lauded Silver Sensor is a good UHF directional antenna which great rejection of unwanted signals from behind. However for VHF high band, this antenna has an issue. The antenna has a phase line inside the antenna that pretty much cancels any chance of receiving unwanted UHF signals from behind that could cause picture breakup. However, I have found that the same line can receive VHF high band, but unlike some UHF antennas, the Silver Sensor can only receive frequency assignments 7-13 OFF THE SIDE, which means in areas where DTV signals are on 7-13, a user may need to turn the antenna just to get those channels, and that could become a tiresome inconvenience.

As a result, TERK, a division of Audiovox, took the Silver Sensor design concept and added a fixed dipole for channels 7-13 for their HDTVo model for outdoor and attic installs, and a telescoping "rabbit-ear" like adjustable dipole for their HDTVi indoor antenna, as well as good VHF/UHF isolation between the elements. By the way, there is also an amplified version of the HDTVi available, the HDTVa. Philips appears to be selling a similar concept to the TERK HDTVa, the model PHDTV3, with a more attractive and low-profile design and a 10 dB amplifier. I would personally recommend indoor antennas with a gain no more than 15 dB, as higher gain versions may deliver saturated or overpowered signals into your DTV tuner. Radio Shack also has an attractive amplified model for outdoor and attic installs, model 15-2187, that is directional for UHF and bi-directional and tuned for frequency assignments 7-13. Finally, there is the simple yet tried and true Winegard Sensar III "batwing" antenna (GS-1000 nonamplified, GS-2200 amplified) that is bi-directional on 7-13 and directional on UHF 14-69 with a wide look angle for outdoor and attic installs.

However all the models I listed in the paragraph above are bi-directional on 7-13, and that may be a problem in areas of high ghosting for those particular channels. As of now, the one antenna I know of that is directional on channels 7-69 is the Winegard SharpShooter SS-3000, and Winegard is now about to come out with a kit for outdoor installation of this antenna, which has a 10-12 dB amplifier, just the right amount of amplifier gain when needed. But what about the other antennas I mentioned? Well, here is a trick you can try to make bi-directional antennas on 7-13 directional, which would reject ghosting from behind, and possibly pull in stronger 7-13 signals. For the models used for outdoor or attic installation, if your home has aluminum sided walls or the walls have foil-backed insulation, you could mount the antenna with its backside 7 to 8 inches from the wall, or, for an attic install, place some aluminum material, even aluminum foil, or metal meshing, behind the antenna. The material would have to have a rectangular geometry width a length at least 10% longer than the width of the antenna, and at least 10% higher than the height of the antenna. Again, the material would be placed 7 to 8 inches from the back of the antenna. The metal material would then become a reflector of energy on channels 7-13, and it would block unwanted signal from behind while increasing reception from the front. It is just like a lens on a flashlight focusing light in a single direction. For the antennas I listed, there should be little effect on the UHF performance since the antenna design is already focusing its energy on UHF 14-69 reception regardless of what is behind the antenna.

For the indoor antennas, if there is a metallic backed cabinet or wall that the antenna can fit in, but NOT on a metallic shelf, then you could try the antenna in that space, and if there are telescoping elements, try the elements fully retracted and parallel to the floor first. Again, make sure there is a 7 to 8 inch space between the metal backing and the telescoping elements, which are for VHF reception, for best results. Finally, it would not hurt to use the existing analog antenna tuner to check for picture quality from channels 7 through 13, because if they look good with little ghosting, your current antenna should be all set to get the exclusively digital broadcasts after February 17, 2009.

Now I need to finish with a disclaimer -- what I recommended is for areas with TV signals generally available from a single direction for receiving frequency assignments 7-69. At last check there are about 50-60 stations in the United States looking to use channels 2-6 as their final DTV assignments. In addition, there are markets with DTV broadcasts currently available from 2-6, so I do recommend using http://www.antennaweb.org/ and paying attention to the "frequency assignment" column in the results, as well as looking at the FCC reports for your area. If you need 2-6 reception, there will be other issues to consider that will be addressed on a future blog entry -- until then, you may need to do some more research -- and be willing to use a large antenna.

2006-09-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

COULD NOTEBOOK PCs BECOME PORTABLE HDTV SETS?

If you have a portable handheld TV with a telescoping antenna with an analog NTSC tuner, I have bad news. It will be worthless and not functional on February 17, 2009 unless the analog shutoff date changes, or it can pick up a low power station with programming only four people care about. But if you have a high end laptop with a fast processor, a lot of memory, and a lot of disk space, it is very possible that you can turn that laptop into a portable HDTV set.

First of all, let me tell you about the screen resolution of most laptops. For a TV monitor to be HDTV, it needs to be widescreen (16x9 aspect ratio), flat, and have at least 700 lines of vertical resolution. Resolution on TV sets are specified as the number of horizontal pixels by the number of vertical pixels, and there are laptops available with a widescreen LCD display. A display specified as WXGA widescreen has a resolution of 1280 x 768 or 1280 x 800, and that arguably qualifies such a monitor as a 720p HDTV! There are also monitors available with a WXGA+ resolution with 900 vertical lines or more, which is almost ideal for watching 1080i HD broadcasts, although you can see them on 720p monitors as well at the expense of a bit of resolution.

Now in order to enjoy the DTV broadcasts, you will need to keep in mind that broadcast HDTV uses an MPEG-2 stream of 10 Mbps or more. So without a fast processor and much memory, the video streams will be very jumpy, and freeze quite often. You will also need an off-air ATSC tuner, which can either be an internal aftermarket card, or a USB tuner with a BDA driver. Some USB tuners do not need an external power supply, they are powered by the laptop power pack or battery. You will have to be aware though the battery usage may be limited to jut a few hours. Then you will need software, and there are several options. You can purchase a laptop with Windows XP Media Center Edition with Service Pack 2. Another option is that you can just get a widescreen WXGA or WXGA+ laptop with Windows XP with Service Pack 2 without Media Center, and instead purchase a third party media center software. There are also packages available with a tuner and media center software available as a bundle. One such third party Windows XP media center software I have tried is BeyondTV by Snapstream. Here is a link to a page which has a list of recommended DTV tuners and PC requirements for a good HDTV experience: http://www.snapstream.com/products/beyondtv/hdtv-setup-center.asp. You will also have to have a good, fast video card for smooth HDTV video, just like the kind recommended for gaming.

Finally you can enjoy off-air HDTV broadcasts with an antenna, and a portable UHF antenna, although it may not get all the off-air channels, may get you several outside your residence, although outside you will have to be restricted to a nonamplified antenna. It will not be too much of an inconvenience, however, if you use a short piece of RG-6 cable, since there is very little signal loss through RG-6 cable lengths of under 25 inches. Remember that amplifiers are really intended to offset signal losses through long cable runs or splitters.

However bringing an antenna and USB tuner, especially one that can drain your laptop battery, understandably may not appeal to you. Well, if you travel often with a laptop and need to kill some downtime on a plane, a train, or in the hotel, you could use the media center software and an antenna at home to record off-air HDTV to watch later during those times. If your laptop has a 100 GB hard drive or more, you can record 10 hours of HDTV programming. The programs are stored as video files that you can easily access in the media center software, and you can use it to schedule a recording. Then you can disconnect the antenna or USB tuner, and take a recorded HD show with your work. The picture quality would be superior to subscription video podcasts or videos from iTunes that are meant to be watched in full screen on video iPods, and best of all, off-air HDTV shows are free! Keep in mind, however, that most recorded HDTV shows on PCs will be file protected, so you likely cannot be able to copy or redistribute the file to someone else. If you have a portable video player, you can convert the HD show to a lower resolution and enjoy on the portable device with the right software and some patience, and the conversion process takes time depending on the length of the program.

If you do record at home, even though the files are protected, if the laptop is connected on a Ethernet or 802.11g based (54 Mbps) wireless home network, the files could be accessed on a Media Center PC or extender, like on a high-end XBox 360, on the home network, and enjoyed on a big screen HDTV. So, you could either send high quality HDTV through a home network using a small indoor antenna, or the laptop DTV tuner can be connected to a wall plate on a MATV system hooked up to an outdoor antenna.

So if you are thinking about getting a laptop to do work and send emails and documents on a WiFi network, check the specs and consider adding on a DTV tuner and antenna, and with DTV recordings as well as on-demand broadband services like Akimbo, Movielink, and CinemaNow, all of whom can provide pre-recorded HD programs themselves, you can have great entertainment that suits your needs, and you will need to explain a pay-per-view purchase on your travel expense report.

2006-08-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

WHERE ELSE CAN I GO TO GET SOME GOOD OFF-AIR DTV ANTENNA INFORMATION?

I must confess that I don't read the message boards (http://www.avsforum.com/ is one of the leading ones) where members are giving advice and help on how to get the right antenna for their area. I can say they do help, if you look at them for a given market you might get some advice, but everyone has their own opinions.

There are two independent Web sites that I can recommend that can provide some great information. There is a retailer in Michigan who sells antennas in his area but also online. The site is http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/ Denny is a fantastic and knowledgeable source for an unbiased opinion because he sells off-air products from both Winegard, where I work, and our leading competitor, ChannelMaster. His "HDTV Antennas: Fact or Fiction" link is a definite read, and he posted similar truths about HDTV reception to my own. I must confess, however, that he has posted some great comments from himself and his customers on the SharpShooter antenna, which I helped design. And I do feel that this indoor antenna has an edge because unlike most indoor antennas, this one is directional on both VHF high band (frequency assignments 7-13) as well as UHF, where most HDTV is broadcast, and will be in most markets when the analog broadcasts end in 2009. Denny is also aware of the analog shutdown date, and he notes it on his site. It is so refreshing to see an antenna installer and seller who actually knows how antennas work!!! Definitely visit this site, and reward him by buying an antenna from him!!

Another good site to visit not just for antenna information but also information on HDTV home theater equipment is http://www.hdtvexpert.com/, a site managed by Peter Putman, a consultant based in the Philadelphia area. Peter has reviews of HDTV antennas and equipment, and he goes to the trade shows religiously to find out the latest. Peter wrote a review on our SquareShooter antenna, which is primarily a UHF antenna that is a very well matched broadband antenna compared to traditional UHF antennas. Unfortunately Peter ended up giving a mixed review of this antenna because DTV tuners have become more advanced with bit-error correction circuitry to improve picture streams when the simplest of antennas are used in high-ghosting areas. Early 1st and 2nd generation tuners had problems decoding signals affected by multipath, and a well-matched broadband antenna like the SquareShooter initially seemed like the best solution. But then the 4th and 5th generation DTV tuners came along to work better with traditional antennas. Still, people are enjoying the look of the SquareShooter outdoors, and that has made it a seller. There have been other antennas I have found that are now packaged in attractive plastic packages.

So again after exploring the archives in this blog, go to http://www.hdtvexpert.com/ to check out the home theater equipment, and then to http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/ for an unbiased guide on getting off-air DTV, and then buy that antenna!! And if you post on the AVS forums, tell them about the sites, too -- believe me, I'm sure they get at least one or two posts a week saying "where can I get some GOOD antenna information??!!!"

2006-07-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

SO WHY BOTHER PROMOTING GETTING BROADCAST TV WITH AN ANTENNA?

I suppose you may be one of those people stumbling across the blog and wondering to yourself, "Why is this guy blogging and making a living working with of-air television antennas? I mean, who isn't get their TV from cable, satellite, or maybe even their phone company which is offering a lot of channels to choose from?" Well, from what I have observed and experimented with lately, I have quite a few arguments that support that there are others like me who still believe in the terrestrial broadcast TV model. I will list these arguments here in this entry.

1) Off-air broadcast television, analog or digital, has NO MONTHLY FEE. You don't need to shell out over $40 per month to a digital cable, satellite, or telco provider for HDTV from your local broadcaster. The right antenna an a DTV tuner is all you need. In addition to the HDTV, you will also get the multicasts from the broadcast stations for no monthly fee. In some major markets, you will get multicasts such as family-friendly channels, live weather and radar information (i.e. from your local news or NBC Weather Plus), and now even music videos. A new music video channel, The Tube Music Network, is available in some markets on a local station's multicast, over the air for free. Let me say that as a fan of quality music, The Tube is a blessing. For the moment, there are no advertisers, and this nationwide network provides nothing but music videos from GREAT TALENT from classic seminal artists like the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, to '80's videos from when we actually wanted our MTV, to great new artists like Beck, Coldplay, Modest Mouse, David Gray, Norah Jones, etc. No reality shows, no gossip, no over-commercialized fluff. Now while The Tube IS available from some digital cable providers, again, this multicast is free over-the-air with an antenna and DTV tuner where available. To see if The Tube is available, visit http://www.thetubetv.com/ and click on the "Where To Watch" link.

2) Because off-air reception is, if anything, a great backup source of information when cable or satellite service goes out. Yes, cable service still goes out once in a while, and with satellite you sometimes have to contend with "rain fade" or even re-adjusting the dish. But if that happens, if your antenna is getting the signal, then you can switch to the antenna tuner and either see the game you are trying to enjoy, or maybe there is important emergency information from the local news that you may need to know. Recently I looked through a pamphlet published by our local radio station about how to be prepared for weather emergencies, and one recommend is to have an off-air antenna should the cable or satellite go out so you can stay informed of developments and the latest information.

3) Off-air HDTV looks better. Cable and satellite providers do need to receive the broadcast signal, but then they need to re-route the data on their bandwidth, and unfortunately, that does result in some bit errors. Like making a copy, it is not quite as good as the original. By getting the digital data over the air, if the antenna is positioned optimally, you are receiving the bitstream broadcast from the station -- think of it as eliminating the middleman and increasing efficiency as a result.

4) Are you actually watching the channels you are paying for? Interestingly enough, with broadband Internet becoming more available, people can now be informed and entertained on their own time with different methods other than getting it from cable and satellite, and just "surfing channels". Here is my personal take -- for now I don't have satellite TV, and the cable video service I'm getting is just a $15 per month basic broadcast package with the broadcast channels, and that is a backup to my free off-air DTV reception. And in reality, I'm paying $5 per month for the backup because I'm getting a $10 discount by combining it with my high-speed Intenet service through my cable system. With my broadband Internet, I have actually been getting news and information that fits me through video podcasts, most of them for no additional charge, through my Media Center PC. I have it hooked up to an analog TV through the S-video, and these podcast vids are of pretty decent video quality, and I am watching the HD shows through the built-in ATSC tuner on my PC, and recording the content to watch later. If I feel like watching something and I'm all caught up with what I got over the air, I can get additional on-demand content that actually interest me with few to no commercials for free to $5 with on-demand content services like iTunes, Akimbo, and Cinemanow. Okay maybe I'm missing out on some original dramas on cable, but I really don't have the time or interest in them personally. Where I live, I'm within a short drive or even bike ride to Fun City (http://www.onefuncity.com/) where I can watch live ESPN and satellite TV sports watchable all over the place because it has over 100 HD monitors. So I can enjoy live NFL action there, listen to the audio with a little receiver, and actually socialize with people. I am single and live alone, so these great methods suit me well and give the time and money for other things. And with the price of gas the way it is, at least I can swing the cost of getting to work or an occasional road trip. By saving on cale bills, I've got my Media Center PC all paid up now, and I'm happy to say I'm living the debt-free lifestyle, and I am able to put a bit of money away for an annual getaway, and for the future.

5) Do you have the time for all those channels? Again, I don't with my lifestyle. I find myself online quite a bit chatting and swapping emails, pictures, and videos with friends and family, even entertainers whom I've become fans of. So broadband Internet and these popular online social sites has actually helped personalize my entertainment, and the time I've spent of it has pretty much denied time to just sit and surf channels. Oh, and of course I'm taking a bit of time blogging about what I do because I do like helping out and being someone instead of being a lazy couch potato. In fact, I read somewhere that in the UK, more people are spending more time online than watching TV. Being online gives people unlimited choices in on-demand video if you know where to look.

6) Off-air DTV is mobile! And now laptop PCs are being made with built-in DTV tuners, so if you bring one out with a small off-air antenna, you can watch live TV anywhere, and for free. Of course as I mentioned in a previous entry you will soon be able to watch live TV on your mobile phone, but those services will likely cost you. Off-air DTV on the right laptop in the right place? No charge.

And one more thing, I mentioned that I am watching digital content on a Media Center PC hooked up to an analog TV set via S-video. That is how I am enjoying off-air DTV. You really don't need an HDTV set to enjoy free DTV, a Media Center PC or even an affordable terrestrial set-top-box with an ATSC tuner will suffice in watching free-to-air TV with incredible digital picture quality. However, you will need an HDTV monitor to experience the true HD resolution, but me personally, I can do without it for now, so I choose to hold out for the monitor prices to continue to drop.

So there you go, this is why I do what I do for a living. Those who have great fulfilling lives are the ones who make a living doing what they love and having a passion for it, and a reason for that passion. And now you have just read my reason for my passion. I do hope that people will become more aware of the DTV transition and the benefits of free off-air DTV. Maybe as 2009 nears this will become a more talked about issue. We shall see, but with broadband Internet connecting a lot of people and producing the ability to unleash do-it-yourself content, and on-demand libraries continuing to grow, a paradigm shift may be happening soon with broadcast media. Maybe soon people will just watch live TV events and breaking news and get the rest of their entertainment on-demand online, and if that is the case, some may just choose to do so for free with an off-air antenna. They just need to be aware that free off-air DTV is here, and the means to get it effectively.

For additional information, visit http://www.myfreehdtv.org/.