Over the air Digital TV . . . any PriusChatter doing it yet?

My experience with a digital converter box

(This is something I recently posted to an email list, so I thought I'd drop it in here, too: )

I went out and got a digital TV converter box and tested it out for a while. If you are in the market for this product (TV viewers who don't have cable or satellite), I would recommend getting it, although there is no big hurry to do so. Here is my report on everything you wanted to know about digital TV converter boxes.

Who should get a digital TV converter box

If you (or your elderly loved ones) get TV broadcasts using an antenna, rather than cable or satellite, then you are in the target user community. If your home has cable/satellite for some, but not all, the television sets, then it depends on how much you care about the antenna-using set(s). New televisions can receive digital broadcasts, so they do not need a converter box. If you use a VCR to record off-air broadcasts, you could probably use the outputs from a new digital-capable TV to supply the VCR (although I can only shudder to imagine the possible apocalyptic effects of the infinite loop that would result if your TV is then configured to receive its input from the VCR), or you could supply the input to the VCR from a digital converter box. But don't hold your breath waiting to buy a digital-capable VCR. (Note that you will always be able to play VHS tapes, no matter what else you do or don't do.)

Why should you get a digital TV converter box

The main reason is so that you can continue to use your old TV and/or VCR after February 2009, when the old-style analog broadcasts will stop in the U.S. (Except possibly for some low-power and "translator" stations in rural areas, which are not required to switch to digital.) Another possible reason is to improve picture clarity, compared to current analog broadcasts. And, if you are a fan of public broadcasting, you can receive more PBS shows than you can shake a stick at.

When should you get a digital TV converter box

On February 18, 2009 the current analog broadcasts won't be there any more, so you should plan to get a converter box (or new TV) before then. You may want to get a converter box even earlier, however, if you want to take advantage of the Federal gift certificates currently available. Supposedly the Federal program has only a limited number of $40 "coupons" to send out. On the other hand, some people are predicting that the price of converter boxes may go down next year.

How do you get the Federal gift certificates

Fill out the form at https://www.dtv2009.com/ApplyCoupon.aspx and then wait (possibly several weeks) to receive your gift certificates in the mail. They look like fake credit cards, but you can only use each card once. You can get up to 2 gift certificates for each mailing address. Note that the gift certificates expire 90 days from the date they are mailed to you (the expiration date is embossed on the fake credit card), so don't apply for them if you are not ready to buy a converter box.

Where do you buy a digital TV converter box

At a (brick-and-mortar) store such as Best Buy, Circuit City, Radio Shack, or Wal*Mart (not from their Web sites). If you have a Federal gift certificate, you hand it over at this point. I have no idea how this works if you end up returning the converter box, since I am happy with my converter box so far and have not wanted to return it.

How much does a digital TV converter box cost

The current going rate is $60, or $50 at Wal*Mart, before applying the $40 Federal gift certificate.

Which model of digital TV converter box should you get

The general consensus seems to be that all the models are pretty much the same, so it doesn't matter which one you get. (So far as I can tell, they all include a remote control and the needed cables and all have the same features.) The exception would be if you want to be able to receive both digital and analog broadcasts, but, as I understand it, this is only important for a miniscule minority of TV users in certain rural areas who wish to receive low-power broadcasts that are not converting over to digital; those users need to shop around for a more advanced converter box.

I got the Zenith-branded model (manufactured by LG) because I enjoyed the joke on one consumer electronics Web site about how this was aimed at the target demographic of "your grandma." The box even still bears the old, familiar slogan: "The Quality Goes In Before The Name Goes On ®".

What else do you need to get in order to use a digital TV converter box

Probably, nothing else. Presumably you already have an antenna connected to your TV or VCR via a coaxial cable. I have found that the "rabbit ears" style antenna works fine (in my area), with or without the UHF loop. You also need a place to plug in the converter box, so if you (or your elderly loved ones) have already used up both of the wall sockets, this might be a good time to get a power strip.

How do you install and set up the digital converter box

Installation is very simple.

1. Unplug the antenna's coaxial cable from the TV or VCR. Plug it into the converter box. Then plug in the 2-ended coaxial cable, supplied with your converter box, to the TV or VCR, where the antenna used to go, and plug the other end into the converter box. Be careful not to break the fragile little pin on the cheap coaxial cable supplied with the converter box. (For advanced installations, there is also a set of 3 colorful "RCA" cables that connect to audio- and video-out connectors on the box.)

2. Plug in the converter box to the power strip.

3. Here's the part that they glided right past in the instructions for the Zenith DTT900: press the Power button on the converter box to turn it on. You might think this would be obvious to a total idiot, but you would be wrong. Not only does the converter box (like many other modern consumer electronics products) consume power even when it is "off", but the Zenith DTT900 has an LED that is illuminated when it is off. (When you turn it on, it illuminates a different color.)

4. Tune your TV to channel 3. (Not in the documentation, but obvious If you connected the digital converter box to a VCR, then set the VCR to channel 3.

5. To set up the digital converter box, you have to use the remote control, even if you never want to use the remote control in normal operation. Detach the battery condom (possibly the hardest part of the whole process) and install the battery in the remote control. The TV should, by now, be displaying the welcome screen, so you probably don't even need to read the installation guide to go through and accept all the default options. (In the case of the Zenith DTT900, the manual does point out that, where the online instructions tell you to press the non-existent "Next" button, this really means to press the ">" button on the remote control.) You can always change the options later. The main thing that has to be done during setup is for the converter box to seek out and discover all the great new broadcast signals you will soon be enjoying. To emphasis the importance of this, they have a step in the setup sequence where nothing happens until you press a key on the remote control to initiate the discovery process. It only takes a few seconds, but it's exciting to watch the count of available stations go up and up. (There's a slight delay, so don't panic at first when the count still says 0 for a second or so after it has ostensibly already finished scanning all the VHF channel numbers.)

Do I use the TV and/or VCR differently after installing the digital converter box

The main difference in TV usage is that you have to change channels using the converter box, either using its remote control or (if you are like me) by walking up to the converter box every time you want to change the channel (I am not a big fan of remote controls).

Also, you have to remember to turn on the digital converter box. I don't know about other models, but the Zenith DTT900, by default, turns itself off after 4 hours of inactivity, such as if you fall asleep while watching television, and/or you sit through the entire pre- and post-game sequence for the Super Bowl or Oscars without changing the channel. Even if you don't indulge in multi-hour couch sessions, this will also cause a problem if you schedule your VCR to record a program when you are not around. I did manage to configure the converter box to override the default, but, in an example of the bad user interface that you are likely to encounter for anything beyond the basic operations, I had to set "Auto Off" to "off".

To try to counteract the disadvantage of adding yet another remote control, the Zenith DTT900 lets you control (lower) the volume, assuming that you are willing to have the TV volume turned up high. (Which will probably drive you nuts the next time you try to play a pre-recorded movie on your VCR or DVD player.) And you can even program the converter box so that the remote control can turn your TV on and off. (The instructions for doing this were bizarre, but it actually worked on the one TV where I tried it.)

How is watching digital TV different from watching the old-style analog TV

Whether you get a new digital TV or use a converter box with your old TV, you will notice a few differences, mostly for the better:

1. Reception quality: If you are currently getting less-than-perfect broadcast reception, you will probably notice an improvement. With digital TV reception, it is generally all or nothing: either you get a crystal-clear picture, or you get nothing. (However, I have found that, if you move your antenna to a position of borderline reception, you can get a situation of intermittent digital reception, where the audio disappears and the video freezes up and/or cubes up like a bad JPEG.)

2. On-screen TV guide: I'm pretty sure that all the digital converter boxes, and I'd hope that any digital-capable TV, can display a "TV guide", showing the current and next program on each channel.

3. Closed captions: are now available with digital broadcasts, at least on the couple of programs I tried it out on.

4. More channels: Due to the more efficient use of broadcast spectrum, each digital TV channel can have between one and four different broadcasts, called "sub-channels". For example, instead of having just channel 2, you have "channel 2.1", and you might also discover that there is a 2.2, 2.3, and 2.4 . In particular, PBS has seized upon the availability of sub-channels to try to prolong its relevance, with new offerings branded "PBS World" and (less grammatically) "PBS Create". But I wouldn't get too excited about sub-channels, unless you are a big fan of PBS. It goes downhill from there. I looked at the digital broadcasts in Cambridge, Massachusetts and in Stowe, Vermont. (In Stowe, the big advantage, having nothing to do with digital technology but just that they moved the transmitters, was that NBC and Fox, whose analog transmitters were too distant, were now available. It was a bonus surprise, though, that the Fox channel also had a sub-channel for the CW network.) In both Boston and Vermont, the NBC affiliate had a secondary sub-channel for a "Weather Plus" broadcast, showing the current conditions and 5-day forecast at all times. WCAX, the Burlington, Vermont CBS-affiliate known for its local news, had their own weather channel, but they also used it to broadcast the 6 o'clock news when CBS was carrying a basketball game. In Boston, there was some annoying analog shopping channel that is now two annoying digital shopping channels. And, again in Boston, on channel 68 - brought to you by ION, formerly known as PAX (and, somewhat tangentially, linked to John McCain) - what used to be one "what-the-hell-is-that" analog channel has blossomed into four "what-the-hell-are-those" digital channels. In Burlington, Vermont, ABC affiliate WVNY set up a second sub-channel, apparently thinking ahead, but, for the time being, they have no content, so they show a 24-hour test pattern (yeah, I'm showing my age here that I'm nostalgic for test patterns).

5. Wider broadcasts: Many digital broadcasts use a wider aspect ratio, intended for display on high definition TVs. You obviously won't be seeing high definition on a non-high-definition TV, but what you will probably see is a "letterboxed" image, slightly shrunken so that you can see the full width. It's not clear whether this is an improvement over receiving a broadcast whose size was designed to fit the proportions of your old TV. The digital converter box has an option to truncate off the leftmost and rightmost extremities, while keeping the middle at full size, but I haven't tried this out.

What with the multiplicity of bonus/useless channels and the online TV guide, it's practically a poor man's cable TV! If you're willing to struggle through the bad user interface on the Zenith DTT900, though, you can remove the chaff from the Circle Of Channels, after the novelty has worn off.

Should I get the converter box now or should I wait?

Unless you are unhappy with your current TV reception, or you are eager to get the new bonus PBS channels, the closed captions, or the online TV guide, there is no big hurry to run out and get a converter box. The Federal gift certificates are still going to be available for a while, and some people predict that the price of converter boxes might eventually go down (although not so convincingly that I would count on it). You might find the converter box to be a minor nuisance, one more thing to have to turn on and off, and one more remote control. Recording programs on your VCR is definitely a nuisance with a converter box. And maybe you'll end up getting a new TV by February, 2009, in which case you won't need the converter box.

 

DVD recorders with HD tuners (both ATSC & NTSC signals supported) are hitting the market now.

So if you are looking for the VCR type recording that's high-quality widescreen digital, along with DVD playback upconvert, that can be had for about $249.

This is another option available for those looking beyond just the basic converter boxes.

.

 

Thank YOU, at least there is one other person on this planet that has not been sucked into this HD crap!!!!!

All you need is a simple UHF Yagi antenna. Its still the same RF frequencys, its just transmitting 0's and 1's. Not analog NTSC!!!

Smart man!!!

I also have 2 of the converter boxes, the Zienith 9900. Works fine!!

73 de Pat KK6PD

 

we have no real over the air option where i live. i had an aerial on my 2 story house, i lived at the apex of the Evergreen Valley, and i could get a total of 3 stations...only one clearly.

so a "digital" antenna will not work any better than anything else.

**off topic warning**

i recently got a "netflix" box. its a converter working on Wi-Fi that allows you to stream movies to your TV with your high speed internet connection. it was a one time $100 purchase and you have unlimited access to their "instant viewing" selection which is very limited right now at around 11,000 titles (mostly older movies, and a lot of TV shows) but is being expanded rapidly.

a note about Netflix...its true they were sued because it was determined that the unlimited movies was not actually unlimited. they simply manipulated the delivery schedule so you could not do more than like 18 or so movies a month on the "3 at a time" .... but they are one of the most fairest companies i have ever dealt with.

recently, they had an issue with the issue and delivery system for 3 days. because of that, they gave a 15% discount on this month's subscription. (i had not really noticed the 3 day lag since i was on vacation at the time but not sure that any other company would have offered that without a significant discussion first. the decision to give the 15% discount happened the same day deliveries resumed).

also, something else happened...not sure what it was, but it caused netflix to upgrade everyone one notch for a month for free... i now have "4 at a time" for the $16.95 "3 at a time" price.

i have been a member for 5 years... (yes i signed up when their DVD selection was around 14,000...they now have over 100,000) have probably had 20 DVD's that would not play, using the online reporting system, a replacement was always shipped out the very next day. shipment time for me is less than a day since their distribution warehouse (one of many) is 20 miles down the road from me. but several times i have reported online around 7 pm of a bad disc and received the replacement the very next day

the best part is the access to the instant viewing catalog is provided free if you have the 3 or more at a time subscription or higher.

** off topic warning**

as far as DVD playbacks. i have both a DVR thru comcast and a upscan DVD recorder... i like the DVD recorder since there is no monthly fee and like the DVR i can record one thing, watch another...it has automatic commercial skip function (VERY VERY NICE!!) and there is no real storage limit other than buying another pack of DVD's right? and the 1080 upscan for commercially recorded DVDs is noticeable IF the DVD recorded at a high enough quality to make a difference. (most new ones are, most old ones are not, especially TV shows...)

the DVR is good because i can watch something while its being recorded. i can record series automatically, it does not have time limit based on the recording quality i set. but i have to fast forward thru commercials making stopping at the exact right time a highly desired but difficult to attain skill, it does cost more than my netflix subscription (14.95 or maybe 12.95 plus a $5 extra converter box fee per month) and i wouldnt do it except my SO absolutely has to have it. (i think its a waste of money since most of what she records can be seen on On-Demand)

now that i think of it, my digital access costs are outrageous. between, cable, internet and cellphone, i am paying over $500 a month....i must be crazy.