How to use a converter box & antenna to get DTV

Digital TV offers potentially better picture quality and more channels than analog over-the-air broadcasts, but getting digital signals might not be as easy as plugging a converter box between your antenna and TV. Here's why.

Most analog stations are in the VHF band, channels 2-13, while digital signals are transmitted mainly over the UHF band, 14 and higher. (However, digital stations in some areas may move to the VHF band next February, when analog channels vacate their station frequencies.) The UHF band is more directional than VHF and more sensitive to obstacles (such as trees, tall buildings, and mountains) that lie between your antenna and the broadcast tower. So getting good UHF reception can be more difficult than pulling in VHF, affecting your ability to get digital broadcasts.

The all-or-nothing nature of digital broadcasts also comes into play. With analog stations, a weak signal can still yield a watchable picture—it might be snowy or have ghosts, but you'll get a continuous picture and uninterrupted sound.

If you're getting marginal reception of digital signals, both the picture and sound might freeze or break up to the point that it's not watchable. If you're really on the fringes—either too far from a tower or with too many obstacles in the way—you'll see a black screen that says "Weak or no signal."

You don't have to wait until next year to get an idea right now as to what kind of reception you can expect after the transition. Here's what you can do right now:

• If you have an analog TV but no converter box yet, you can test UHF reception for analog channels 14 and higher, provided any are broadcast in your area. That will give you some indication of the reception you can expect with digital signals. If they're fairly clear, odds are you might be OK. But if they're snowy, you might have trouble.


• When you get a converter box, try it as soon as possible. Most areas currently have access to at least a few digital stations, so see how well you can pull in digital signals. Reception is likely to vary by channel, depending on the location and broadcast power level of a given station.


• Even if you have a digital TV that's connected to cable or satellite, you might want to try it with an antenna to see whether you could get over-the-air broadcasts in the event of an emergency that shuts down other services.

With any of these scenarios, you should first try a basic indoor set-top antenna designed to pick up both VHF and UHF. If you're close to a broadcast station and there are minimal obstacles between your antenna and the tower, you should see a clear, continuous picture that might be better than what you get with analog. (Sound quality will be about the same, though.) Basic indoor antennas start at about $10, though some cost much more.

If reception isn't great, move the antenna around the room or close to a window. Most converter boxes indicate the signal strength you're getting as you adjust the antenna position. If you can't get a strong signal from any position, try a set-top antenna that has a built-in signal amplifier. No luck? Try an antenna mounted on your roof or in your attic. The most effective type of antenna is a rooftop model equipped with a rotor, which can point the antenna in different directions to pull in broadcasts from various towers. Basic outdoor models start at about $50.

You'll find information on antennas and more at www.antennaweb.org, www.hdtvantennalabs.com, and www.antennasdirect.com.

Unfortunately, there's a chance no antenna will work for you. Recent reports indicate that some households are in fringe areas with poor reception, and for them, off-air digital TV might not be a good option.

In any case, start soon. If you encounter problems, there will be plenty of time to resolve them before next February so you're not left out in the cold.

For more helpful advice and links to other DTV resources on the Web, check out our Digital TV Transition information center on ConsumerReports.org.

—Eileen McCooey

Comments

[Rex Ganymede]

so what you're saying is, if i got a regular television (purchased around 2000) and a converter that's telling me "no signal", i will also have to buy some sort of Antannæ?

really?

[everett whitney]

To: Marcie - 01 July -" Mom's TV will not tune to 3 or 4 ?"

Do you mean that her mechanical tuner is worn out / no longer works on those two channels?

Considering how old that HAS to be, the brightness, contrast and other attributes must be bad also.

NO, there are no special federal Coupon Converters.

Seriously consider giving up - return that Converter for whatever amount you paid above the Coupon & look at the available, cheap, digital tuner, fixed display, standard
digital resolution ONLY { there are SD and HD sets }
new TVs ... still being sold.

Do try Costco's IF you have that - they permit a longer trial / return interval.

[Marcie]

My mothers old tv will not tune to channel 3 or 4. Is there any brand converter box that would work on her tv? (no, it does not have a coaxial cable connection either, but I did buy a converter for that.) I just paid a tv store to come out and look at installing a Channel Master converter box, and that one could not be put on.
Thank you.

[everett whitney]

TO: Sherry - " 13 but where do I connect Cable?"

You only need to go to any Lowe's, H.D., Wal-Mart's, Radio Shack, etc., to find & buy a new, short Coax Jumper which DOES have Female, swivel ends to connect to that terminal you have.

Very cheap ... under $4.

[Sherry]

Can Someone Help
I have a 13 inch small panas..tv in one room
I got an insignia converter box however,on the back of the
tv there is only 1 place a coax cable looks like it should
go but the recepter is a male connector...the coax cable is
also male...I don't understand what to do ... Coax cable
has a male connector on both sides where do you plug it
in on the tv..I don't have an outside ant.. The tv gets
excellant color now..but I can't figure out how to plug the
converter In does it go directly into the set in the back?

Really confused..

[everett whitney]

TO: Debbie again -" Kitchen Converter needs antenna?"

I was not clear - all cable companies WILL install their cables within walls & out-of-sight ... it is an extra charge service - but - never "impossible."

Any satisfactory antenna + the Converter box will only provide the 4-5 major networks + PBS --- not the 60-70 various analog channels.

Indoor antennas may perform differently between clear weather & storms.

One more web site offering free shipping until the 29th is

www.antennasdirect.com

They also have that Picture Frame + other indoor antennas, allow for "returns", etc..

[everett whitney]

To Debbie -23 June - "DO I need the HD Amplified Antenna ..?"

That doesn't provide enough description to "look it up."

Yes, every single Converter Box Must have an antenna of some sort.

No, there's no situation that makes running your local cable connection to that kitchen TV - NOT free & perhaps, even a $100 fee by that cable company! But, it WILL continue to provide you w/ perfect analog pictures on that old TV set until the beginning of 2012. Plus, no extra monthly fee for the additional set.

BUT, you will spend that much quite possibly in buying / hooking up various antennas .... indoor varieties are Most problematic in reliable digital reception. And, NO, there's no such thing technically as a "HD" special antenna - there are only UHF ( channel #14 and up) & VHF - under that channel 14 or most Rabbit Ears, with the long "V" wires.

ONLY a small chance - this one can be returned but you will need to pay for that return insured shipping - is called a "Picture Frame" antenna. Includes a length of cable & needs to be moved to different walls to see if one would be better - here - $39.99 -

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=AD-PF7

[Debbie]

I purchased the Artec T3A converter box & tried to hook up this weekend. I got the no signal. I do have cable but not in my kitchen where the TV for the box is - too difficult to run to. I was told I needed the HD amplifier antenna. Before I hooked up the box I did get a few channels (not great - but I did get them). After the hookup - nothing. Is this antenna worth trying?

[everett whitney]

To: Pat - 18 June - " Have Roof Antenna now BUT ...."

Sorry to be so late - these "comments" are much more hidden than those @ the "FORUMS."

You haven't DONE anything improper - but - YES - all Federal Coupon Converters must have a UHF signal in order to function --- ability to pick up channels at # 14 and above.

Except for a very few markets - i.e.- Chicago + NYC, etc., - the vast majority of digital O.T.A. is currently broadcast in the UHF band only - so, one may buy / use an antenna strictly designed for that. One such would be a Channel Master # 4228, about the strongest (gain) available.

Others are DB-2, DB-4, DB-8 all being for increasing distances from those TV towers.

All "may" possibly work within the attic if not very far away.

All will also need to use a good quality coax cable, quad RG6 preferred. Very inexpensive-under $25 for a 50' already-prepared length.

http://www.solidsignal.com

is only one web site of very many.

[Pat]

We get great reception with an antenna on the roof. Does this antenna have to also be a UHF to beable to get the digital channels with the converter box? We have installed the converter box on two different tvs, and keep getting "no signal" message everytime we scanned for channels? What are we doing wrong?

[TBL]

To EWhitney 6/5/08 --
You respond to my inability to receive digital signals in my fringe area by writing, "Do be aware that most local cable companies will have two basic analog programs available now.." followed with detail about those cable offerings.

I meant what I said in my initial comment from 6/4. I'm only in my apartment for a few waking hours each day and I will not be paying a monthly bill to a cable/satellite corporation next February when my free TV goes black. I think that if the proponents of this DTV transition bill had been honest about the fact that the range of broadcast signals would dramatically decrease, it would not have passed (as it was, it only passed the Senate by 51-50 on 12/21/05, with Dick Cheney being vote #51). If one senator had called it the "Death of Free TV" bill, we casual TV viewers would not be losing our fuzzy but acceptable analog service early next year.

[ML Walker]

To: Everett Whitney 6 June 2008

Thanks. The digital converters were for two existing analog TVs.

It's encouraging to know that there might be improved signal strength after the switchover. I understand that the broadcasts from the towers are high-powered - they're trying to cover a large geographical area from a single point. Seems to me that small towers, spaced to provide complete coverage, wouldn't require a huge net increase in power needed. Maybe I just don't understand the minutiae of the physics involved, but TV signals are just radio waves - so couldn't transmitters be co-located on cellular towers?

[donna]

I realy think our goverment is forceing people to choose which cable or dish netwert to watch T.V. this should be free to the poor americans out there but it no longer is.If your poor you are screwed.

[everett whitney]

To: M.L. Walker -06 June - " Converters & All or Nothing reception " ....

You did not need Converters with that new digital TV.

No, there is currently no other means of getting signals other than OTA w/ antennas , satellite or local cable - nor is there going to be. Digital bandwidth is too costly.

You are experiencing the "differences" associated with our massive switching from analog to digital.

One is the 100% perfect displays or zero & blank screen whenever the digital signal is too weak for the TV's tuner to "lock on."

Another is the not-widely published fact that dependable UHF band reception (channel 14 & above) for the vast majority of digital signals is much more difficult to achieve than analog.

Our existing digital stations are not now sending out full power, because they are still required to do both analog as well as digital simultaneously -- electrical power is costly for them, so, after the one is "killed" next Feb, there will be stronger digital transmissions.

No antenna inside ( set top or attic, etc.) will be as effective as one mounted outside, as high as possible on the roof. The construction materials of timbers, wooden decking, asphalt roofing all immediately bring about losses of 40%-50% --- heavier construction types or sheet metal totally eliminate proper reception.

You may not recall the '60s, prior to the onset of cable services - but - if one looked out of an airplane while landing, our entire view was one of a "jungle" of metal antennas! To obtain proper O.T.A.-HD dependably, that is exactly where we're heading yet again.

Your digital reception @ (4) miles distance - even with hills & trees - will be improved after next Feb & relocating the antenna outside. However, the repetitive maintenance of the antenna & limited programing of only the 4-5 major networks + PBS will soon become quite tedious in comparison to our accustomed appetite for CNN, ESPN, HD Movies, & all the various programing offered on the
150 + odd channels of cable or satellite.

[ML Walker]

We just bought two digital TV converter boxes and a small digital HD TV and are completely frustrated by the "all or nothing" signal we're getting. We're near downtown Portland, OR, and all of the TV broadcast towers are clustered in the same area, about 4 miles away; but the Portland metro area is quite hilly and forested. At times, TV is totally unwatchable because of weak signals; at best, the signal is randomly intermittent or produces a scrambled picture. This is true of the television that is connected to an attic antenna and those connected to amplified "rabbit ears." The best reception is on the public television channel (bless them).

My question is: can digital television be delivered the way cellular telephone or wi-fi service is delivered, via smaller towers/repeaters scattered around to provide complete coverage? Would the power requirements of a cellular television system prohibitive?

I can't believe that this wasn't better thought out, and have no confidence that this significant bug will be worked out in time for the transition to entirely digital television broadcasts. It is unacceptable that subscribing to cable television is the only solution to this problem. People living in areas of marginal television reception or in areas without cable service are going to be absolutely out of luck unless they have the means to sink a bundle into a satellite system, and even that may not be an option in heavily wooded areas.

This switchover will be a boon to cable companies (in my more angry and paranoid moments, I've considered that this might be a conspiracy designed to empty our wallets into theirs), and free television will be a thing of the past.

[everett whitney]

TO: Heather - 01 June -" .. get usual channels only if I disconnect the Converter ..!"

You are still able to get all the normal channels when that connection goes straight to the TV (w/o Converter) because analog broadcasting still is "going" until next Feb..

That antenna unit is either the incorrect type { VHF channels 02 - 13 only } or not sufficiently strong to "pick up" the digital signals - UHF channels 14 & higher .

You need a new UHF band antenna .. www.solidsignal.com
is only (1) of very many places which has info, etc., about different ones for O.T.A. - UHF antenna.

Some are DB-2, DB-4, Channel Master #4228, etc..

[everett whitney]

TO: Sharon Wilson - 02 June - " SILVER (inside) digital Antenna for Converter ?"

This Comment section doesn't have live or blue "links" - so, just copy this verbatim & it will show you what one looks like / where it may be purchased.

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?main_cat=03&CAT=&PROD=ZHDTV1

Do know that indoor digital antennas may Not do as well as did your previous "rabbit ears" or other analog set-top unit.

UHF digital reception is more problematic ! You would be better off ( IF possible ) with a different unit in the attic instead - some are the DB-2 or DB-4 and the Channel Master # 4228. All may be seen at that same web store
above.

[everett whitney]

To Joel Kershner - 03 June .." Will basic cable still need a Converter ? ..."

Of course, this'll just be another "conflicting opinion!" - but - go to any of those www.dtv.org , etc., government-sponsored web sites or the many listed here as well for tie breakers !

NO - local basic analog cable is guaranteed to be available until the start of 2012 --- even longer IF your company happens to be one of those 2,900 low power or private analog cable ones, which will struggle onwards until they do "go bankrupt."

Channels may be somewhat lacking - now 02 thru usually channel 75, but some are gradually leaving for the other signal only.

By that date, you may find that you DO want to buy a new HDTV, to enjoy all the new colors, sound, added channels!

[everett whitney]

To -TBL - 04 JUNE --"... Too little TV to have Cable ..."

Do be aware that Most local cable companies will have two basic analog programs available now --- one specifically for Seniors, with only the 4-5 major networks + PBS and another, with the more traditional / customary channels 02 thru 75 or so.

These DO work on any TV without an extra box of any kind as well.

Analog service is guaranteed thru the start of 2012 --- my Mom's is $15/monthly for her Senior Service.

Even the other analog cable is not very costly --- under $40 in most cities.... no installation charges, too.

[TBL]

You write: "Unfortunately, there's a chance no antenna will work for you. Recent reports indicate that some households are in fringe areas with poor reception, and for them, off-air digital TV might not be a good option."
I fall into this position of getting "No Signal" for every New York station with my new converter box and my existing indoor antenna (I can get all of their analog signals -- usually with sigificant snow, and sometimes only in b/w).
I cannot add an outdoor antenna to my apartment building and I don't watch enough TV to justify a cable bill. It's interesting that this wasn't advertised in Congress as the "Death of Free TV" bill, but that's what it will be for many of us who are only casual watchers.

[Grungebob]

First of all, sorry but there is no such thing as a 'digital antenna'. You receive an ANALOG UHF radio wave signal that carries digitally encoded TV information. In theory the right piece of wire, with an optimum orientation, and connected properly to your converter box, might work just fine if you are near a strong enough signal. The UHF Band of 'radio' frequencies (Ultra High Frequency, channels 13 - 83), is just above the VHF Band, channels 2- 12 (which is just above your FM Radio Band). Chances are you have an old UHF antenna around your house and don't even realize it - the round loop of wire about 10" in diameter, or the famous 'bowtie' shape about the same size. Signals are not that strong for us 35 miles NW of Denver, but my little bowtie 'analog' antenna works just fine when pointed in the right direction. I wouldn't pay more than $10 for any UHF antenna - salvage something, maybe at a Garage Sale.

For FAQs, go to www.dtv2009.gov Remember, if you have Cable TV now, you don't need to buy a converter!

Additional Note: we have a portable 7" screen DVD player that won't spin DVDs anymore - not worth fixing. However the display still works, and when its Aux input is hooked up to the DTV converter box output (with correct 3-wire cable), you can watch DTV on this little player!

[Joel Kershner]

I subscribe to Basic cable,which does not require a cable box. I have gotten conflicting advice about whether I need to buy a converter box. I have been told that having cable is sufficient even without a box of any kind, but I have also been told I need a 2-way converter box. I have been able to identify only 1 brand(Insignia) of 2-way box, which was not well reviewed.

[Sharon Wilson]

Installed 2 RCA converter boxes, get one channel, actually 3 related to the one. Another channel cuts out really bad, would rather have a snowy picture, at least could watch. PBS channels ok, other two channels won't come in at all.
Have re scanned and re adjusted atanea to the point Hubbie not Happy....
In the instructions it says if cannot recieve channels, after all the above will need a "Smart Antanea" problem is No One, knows what this is.
Help. tell us what it is! Is it going to be something exceptionally high priced when all is said and done, or will most of us only have one channel?

[PatD]

Hooked up my 2 Insignia converter boxes (Best Buy's brand)and COULD NOT be happier! OMG the picture is just so much better than it ever came in before! Living in Queens, NY between 2 airports always gave distortion on one channel or another. NOT NOW!!!

I am reading that so many of you are having serious issues and I'm sorry for you. The closer they get to full conversion, the better it will be... hang in there folks.

[DTV Help]

Great article on DTV and antenna's! Thanks for the info, I've linked to this particular article on my website.