Digital TV is coming. Are you ready?

On February 17th, 2009, if you receive off air programming and have not upgraded your TV to receive digital TV signals, your screen will go black, and no, I do not mean it will only receive the Black Entertainment Channel.

On that date, almost all (not all, but most) regular, over the air analog TV broadcasts will stop (some smaller local channels will continue.) On that date, most channels will start transmitting a digital signal only, and NTSC TV as we know it will cease to exist. For many, that means without a digital TV, or a digital TV set top converter, you will not be able to watch TV. But there is more to it than that!

If you are a cable TV subscriber, or have a satellite TV system, you are OK, and do not need to change anything. Those systems will continue to feed your TV signals that they can use just fine. But if you receive any local over-the-air TV signals now, and want to continue, read on.

First off, digital TV does not mean High Def. Over the air High Def signals are sent digitally, but you do not have to have a new, high def TV to watch those shows. With a Digital-to-Analog Converter Box, you can continue to use your old TV and get amazingly great television over the air. The box “down-converts” the higher resolution signals to display on a regular TV. And here is how to do this:

First, the government, for a limited time, is offering each family up to TWO $40 certificates to discount the price of up to two converter boxes (subject to some limitations.) So, the first thing to do is go to DTV2009 and follow the steps there and request your coupons. They should arrive in the mail in a few weeks.

The next step is to select a converter box. Some very basic models start as cheap as $40, which means they are basically free with your coupon. Stores like Radio Shack and Walgreen’s sell these as well. I looked at a lot of boxes before picking two for my house, and your needs may vary, but I think I found the best one for just a few extra dollars, and I got a bunch of extra functions. However, there are a lot of things to consider, so I suggest a look at Consumer Reports list of boxes at CONSUMER REPORTS DTV RATINGS before deciding.

While I tend to respect Consumer Reports, I do not always agree with all their findings. The box I finally chose after looking at many was actually from Dish Network, called the Dish Network DTVPal Plus (NOT the DTVPal, but the PLUS box.) See it here at Dish DTVPal Plus

Ok, this is a terrible name, as at first I thought it meant it worked with PAL TV’s, but this device is for standard American NTSC TVs. While this box costs around $70, I think it was well worth the extra price. First off, the plus has one of the most sensitive tuners available. Why is this important? Well, digital TV signals require a strong, stable signal to get the digital image. And unlike old analog TV, if the signal fades, you do not get a fuzzy or snowy picture, you get nothing at all. This is known as the “cliff effect”, basically meaning when the signal passes the cliff point, it shuts off completely. So, a GOOD antenna is needed to pull in more signals, and a roof antenna is the best bet. Secondly, the more sensitive the tuner, the better it performs. While most converter boxes did not work well for me with rabbit ears, this one worked with just a piece of wire!

In my area, while other boxes found 20 or so channels, this one locked in on 38! And all with a piece of antenna wire out the back. Connected to the roof antenna, I got even more, but for a “rabbit ears” installation, this box worked incredibly well, and the more sensitive tuner really made a difference. Secondly, set up was trivial; simply connect it up (power, video, audio, antenna) turn it on, and have it scan automatically for channels in your area. Enter your ZIP code and time zone, and it also downloads (from off air sources if available) a small program guide. That was it, it was on-line and I had digital TV on my analog set.

As for operation, this box offers a real on-screen program guide to display program names for several hours on most channels (this is an off-air service, and may not be available in all areas.) The on-screen display looks a lot like my Dish TV satellite interface, with program name and info. There are no buttons on the very small box, but it comes with a full function remote. It even includes its own closed caption display, and the ability to change the aspect ratio of the image for best results when viewing letter box digital TV programs. Digital channels looked amazing, and High Def channels, while not High Def, could be displayed in a letterbox format, and also looked fantastic.

Unlike most other boxes, this box also contains event timers for turning on and tuning the box to a specific channel at a specific time. And if the program is in the guide, simply select it and press enter to create an event for that show. Other functions include parental controls, program guide search, and alternate audio selection.

I am already a Dish Network subscriber on my main TV, and I found this small, inexpensive box to be as easy to use as the Dish Network box, with much of the same look and feel for use and display. For $30 net, this was one very cool box, and made my crappy little office TV look amazingly good all of a sudden.

Although my main TV is already a digital set, and I use Dish Network for most TV watching, I still receive a lot of my local programming over the air. And because I have an analog TiVo, I bought the second unit to connect there as well. Now, my TiVo will be able to get digital signals, so it will not become obsolete when analog TV disappears. You can add a converter box to an older VCR as well to keep it running too. And while I am not yet sure if the TiVo’s remote control output will automatically tune this box, since I can set up timers on the converter box, this is not a concern right now.

So do not get left out in the dark when TV goes digital. Government coupons are limited, so get yours soon and be ready for the switch.

Lastly, digital TV has one more interesting feature: Each TV station can now send multiple programs over their single digital channel. In my area, PBS broadcasts as many as 5 channels at one time. This means you will get a lot more channels from off-air signals than you used to. Another benefit of digital TV.

A few notes: The $40 discount CANNOT be used for any converter box that outputs an HDMI or Component (read HD) signal. The coupon is for standard definition boxes only, connected via RF or RCA or S-Video connections only.

In addition, the government coupons expire 60 days from date of issue, so when you get them, use them quickly so you do not forget and let them lapse. They will not be reissued if they expire.

If you have questions on the digital TV conversion, post them here, or email me at orubin at mymac dot com, and I will do my best to answer your questions.