TV stations around the U.S. try analog shutoff drills

Las Vegas, Orlando and most recently, Wilmington, NC have taken a new approach to preparing viewers for February’s analog shut-off–they’ve pulled the plug early. To illustrate what television will be like for those not yet equipped with digital tuners, these stations simulated a one minute analog shut-off, showing 60 seconds of static followed by a list of phone numbers viewers could call to get ready for the real transition date, just 172 days away.

Wilmington, NC will make the full transition to digital six months before the rest of the country. On September 8th, all of Wilmington’s major broadcasters will shut off their analog signals to act as a test market for other stations. The FCC will monitor their switchover closely and try to work out any kinks before February 17, 2009.

Read more about analog shutoff drills here.

Viewer tip for those using an Insignia or Zenith converter box

If you currently use an Insignia or Zenith model converter box and are experiencing trouble picking up KETC’s digital stations, here is a tip submitted by a Channel 9 viewer that you can try before adjusting your antenna:

Using the converter box remote, bring up the menu that allows you to scroll through all of your channels. Scroll to Channel 39 and select it, even if it says “no signal”. Program Channel 39 into your channel list.

By adding “39″ (this is what’s called KETC’s RF assignment), the viewer was able to bring in all four digital channels without making any antenna adjustments.

If you have a tip to share, please let KETC know! Call our DTV hotline at (314) 512-9617 or e-mail asmith@ketc.org.

Transición de Televisión Digital de Información

A recent article in the Washington Post says that nationally, more than 40 percent of Spanish-speaking households watch over-the-air television and are still unprepared for the switch to digital TV in 2009.

In order to help spread the message about the DTV transition to Hispanic viewers, Channel 9 produced the video below. Please share this valuable information with others.

El 17 de febrero de 2009, la televisión se emiten sólo en digital. KETC/Channel 9 proporciona información importante sobre la transición DTV.

OASIS and KETC/CHANNEL 9 OFFER DTV CLASSES

Beginning in September, OASIS will offer DTV information sessions for community members who would like to learn more about TV’s upcoming transition from analog to digital. Learn the basics of DTV, see a hands-on demonstration of how to install a converter box, and ask specific questions about how the transition will affect you.

The sessions will be led by Channel 9 staff member Angela Smith, whom has assisted KETC’s viewing community with the digital transition since February 2008.  

Call OASIS at (314) 539-4555 to register or for more information.

Times and locations:

Monsanto YMCA, 5555 Page Blvd: Monday, October 27, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Herbert Hoover, 2901 North Grand: Tuesday, Nov 18, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

About OASIS

OASIS is a national nonprofit educational organization designed to enhance the quality of life for mature adults. Offering challenging programs in the arts, humanities, wellness, technology and volunteer service, OASIS creates opportunities for older adults to continue their personal growth and provide meaningful service to the community

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30% of St. Louis Homes are not dtv ready

Article originally published on August 11, 2008, in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By Gail Pennington

For almost a year, public service announcements have cautioned: “Some TVs need an upgrade to get digital. You could even lose your signal. Get the facts.” The informational campaign has been so extensive, including radio and cable spots, on-screen crawls and newscast segments, that some viewers complain about sky-is-falling overkill.

But St. Louisans who still get TV via antenna either aren’t listening or aren’t rushing to act. If the switch took place today, 14.68 percent of St. Louis area households — or about 182,674 homes — would lose all television reception, Nielsen says. And an additional 16.1 percent, or 202,957 homes, would lose the signal on at least one set. More than 30 percent of St. Louis area homes, or 385,631, are unprepared in some way.

To view the entire article, visit stltoday.com.

More about antennas

As viewers begin to install converter boxes, some are experiencing trouble pulling in all of the digital channels. Because the new UHF signal is subject to more interference than analog’s VHF signal, the type of antenna you have matters more than ever.

Here are some tips issued by PBS and the National Association of Broadcasters for both indoor and outdoor antenna users to best receive DTV:

Indoor Antennas/”Rabbit Ears”:

Generally, indoor antennas are not the best choice for maximum digital signal pick-up. The walls of your house, movement of people in the room and inaqedequate height of the antenna work against good reception. However, an outdoor antenna is not always practical for some. If you plan to stay with your indoor antenna, here are some recommendations from the National Association of Broadcasters:

• Make sure your indoor antenna has UHF capability. This usually comes in the form of a loop or bowtie structure attached to the antenna.
  

  Examples of UHF capable indoor antennas

 

• If you can’t upgrade to an outdoor antenna, the Zenith ZHDTV1Z antenna is recommended for indoor use.

Outdoor Antennas:

• Choose the type of outdoor antenna based upon the TV station farthest away from your home that you want to be able to watch.
• Depending upon where you live, TV stations could be located far apart from each other and in different directions. Use an antenna rotator; a remote controlled deAvice used to turn the TV antenna toward your desired station.
• Always use coaxial cable for connecting the antenna to the converter box or TV. Twinlead, a less expensive alternative to coaxial cable, does not protect against signal strength loss like coaxial cable does.

Twinlead vs coaxial cable

 

To read the full publication, which includes more helpful advice about UHF signals, please visit

http://www.tvantenna.com/support/tutorials/uhf.html

con artists prey on digital tv conversion confusion

From the New York Daily News:

Con Artists Prey on Digital TV Conversion Confusion

Thursday, July 17th 2008, 4:00 AM

Early next year, most television stations nationwide will change the way they broadcast their signals. They’ll eliminate analog broadcasts in favor of all-digital programming. Most TVs will handle the switch just fine.

But consumers who receive their signals just from an indoor or outdoor antenna could lose their reception after Feb. 17, 2009, unless they buy a digital-to-analog converter box. The federal government is offering affected households $40 coupons toward the purchase of up to two converter boxes, which retail for about $60 to $70.

Many consumers, however, remain confused – and questionable companies are capitalizing on their misunderstanding. Just last month, the Better Business Bureau issued a warning about a Canton, Ohio-based company that claimed it was giving consumers up to two free digital TV converter boxes – and wasn’t even asking them to send the government-issued coupons.

But the company, Universal TechTronic, also requires consumers to buy a five-year warranty for $59 and pay shipping and handling fees. The Better Business Bureau said that brings the cost of each box to nearly $100 – or 400% more than the discounted price using the government issued coupon in an electronics store.

“These ads confuse and mislead consumers,” BBB spokesperson Steve Cox said. Universal TechTronics calls its offer “an alternative” to the government program and denies the ads are misleading.

Misleading or potentially deceptive ads for TV converter boxes are likely to increase this year because of confusion about digital TV conversion.

Telemarketers have reportedly tried to sell some consumers a device that turns analog TV into HDTV. But no such device exists. There is a difference between high definition TV, also known as HDTV, and digital television. Although a digital-to-analog converter box converts the digital signals to analog format for display on analog TVs, it does not turn an analog TV into an HDTV.

Other con artists have tried to sell consumers “converter box installation packages.” But industry experts say there’s no need to pay someone to install the converter box because the process is extremely easy.

Consumers can get $40 coupons to buy converter boxes by Phone: 1-888-DTV-2009; TTY: 1-877-530-2634 (English) or 1-866-495-1161 (Spanish); Online: www.DTV2009.gov; by Mail: PO Box 2000, Portland, OR 97208; or Fax: 1-877-DTV-4ME2.

Asa Aarons is an Emmy award winning consumer reporter. His special Daily News column appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Send your questions to Just Ask Asa, PO Box 3310, New York, NY, 10116. You can also contact him on his website at Just Ask Asa! (www.JustAskAsa.com) or email Asa@JustAskAsa.com.