DTV transition help: A new guide and an updated FCC web site
If you still need some help preparing for the June 12th digital TV (DTV) transition, when all analog over-the-air broadcasts will stop in the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission has updated its DTV website. There's also a new DTV guide, produced by Consumers Union (parent company and publisher of Consumer Reports) with assistance from the FCC.
The 15-page booklet, DTV Made Easy, is an informative guide that provides five simple steps to upgrading to digital TV, helping those who continue to use analog TVs with over-the-air antennas select the right converter box, connect it to an antenna and TV, scan for digital channels, and fine-tune it for the best possible reception. Included in the guide are detailed color diagrams for connecting a standard converter, as well as models with analog pass-though and VCR control.
The improved, easier-to-use FCC web site provides answers to the most frequently asked questions about the transition, including information about applying for a convert box coupon, choosing and installing a converter box and tips for getting the best reception. You'll also find a search tool that can help you find a local retailer stocking converter boxes.
There are several ways to get a copy of the DTV Made Easy guide. The FCC will be distributing it at walk-in centers and through its in-home assistance program. They will also be offering it to local broadcasters for distribution. In addition, Consumer Reports has teamed up with Barnes & Noble to make the guide available at more than 700 Barnes & Noble superstores starting the first week of May. The guide will be displayed along with the June issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
You can also get the DTV guide as a pdf download from the FCC's DTV website, or by calling the FCC at 1-888-Call-FCC (1-888-225-5322) to have one mailed.
For more information about the DTV transition, visit our online Guide to the DTV transition, where you'll find buying advice, recommended models and free DTV converter box Ratings.
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Posted by: everett whitney | May 1, 2009 7:59:58 AM
A (p.s.) for "SALLY" . . . .
Using the latest FCC info site, you DO have a fantastic, amazing array of DTV stations !!
Just DO put up the outside antenna, very high & in plain sight, properly-installed & all WILL be seen - absolutely!
Here are yours - - - http://www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/
" IF " this link is not co-operative, simple input your ZIP & it'll re-generate, listing ALL the national networks + many, many others! The most I seen for any TV Market!
everett
Posted by: everett whitney | Apr 29, 2009 12:14:39 PM
TO: Sally - " Good Luck w/ finding an antenna?"
NOT so at all !
No - late this Fall will NOT provide far stronger DTV signaling!
www.antennaweb.org ... or that latest, new FCC site should ALWAYS be step #1.
Simply input ONLY your zip - leave all else blank, check 'digital' (of course) & listed will be all the data / info necessary to make an informed selection about an appropriate antenna specifically for your area / TV Market!
Then use any of many web sites to buy one ---
www.solidsignal.com
has about every antenna imaginable.
About the sole decision(s) to be made by YOU would be that zero { o.k. - 98% } of the "HD AMPLIFIED SUPER-DOOPER INDOOR" units are generally not recommended at all for totally-dependable, in-all-weather DTV reception! Their inconsistency IS why these are never rated / reviewed / recommended! Far too much constant "fiddling" with weather and / or channel changes.
UHF signals are Very, very Tough to achieve 100% of the time!
Then after understanding that it MUST be outside -as high as possible atop your roof for ALL to see - there's the matter of who is going to climb out there / do the work!
Lastly, use Quad RG-6 Coax not spliced to strictly (1) HDTV and/or Converter.
" IF " all this seems like too much or not worth the trouble, simply re-post, with your ZIP & answers will be forthcoming - including .." No, your situation can NOT have O.T.A-DTV" ....Many, many households on the outer fringes, behind a hill, within dense hard wood trees, shadowed by a nearby taller building will NOT have free TV signals come 13 June - guaranteed!
everett
Posted by: sally | Apr 28, 2009 7:04:40 PM
All these DTV transition guides focus on those converter boxes. That is only the easy half of the problem. For many people, the real problem is tuning their antenna (or buying a new antenna) to receive digital broadcasts. In my area (San Jose, California), some of the digital signals are on frequencies outside the range of older VHF/UHF antennas. Others are weaker than the same station's analog signals. The stations say they will start making improvements in frequencies and power levels during the summer, but the changes won't be complete until November 2009. Until then, good luck in figuring out what antenna you will need and how to install and tune it.