Making the jump to digital TV

Remember how your parents used to tell you, "No TV until you do your homework"? Well, you're never too old to relive those good old days, thanks to the federal government.

Washington has dictated that TV broadcasters must stop transmitting their old-fashioned analog signals on Feb. 18. And if you rely on an antenna to get your TV (and in some cases, even if you don't), you've got some homework to do before the digital TV transition to make sure your set doesn't go dark. Or that you don't run into the problems that Charles Wolfe of Sylmar, above, encountered when he made the switch to digital recently. (Hint: that blue box on his TV screen that says "weak signal" is not good, and it's something that many people in Los Angeles could experience, as I noted last week.)

Here's some more digital TV homework: a story we ran Sunday that can help you make the transition. It covers such tips as how to figure out what your pay-TV provider has planned for you and how to land two $40 coupons from the federal government to help purchase digital-to-analog converter boxes (on that other common parental theory that it's never good to wait until the last minute).

I'll be doing an online chat, archived here, at 1 p.m. today to answer questions about the conversion. But several readers already have e-mailed with an excellent one about whether their VCRs and DVD players...

... will continue to work after they hook up an analog-to-digital converter box to their TV. After checking around, I can tell you that the answer is, well, "sort of." The converter box will allow you to record a program you are watching or even one airing when you're not home, as long as the converter box is tuned to the channel you want to record.

Here's some info the National Assn. of Broadcasters sent today from a FAQ that it's been handing out (but isn't yet posted online.)

Will my VCR or DVD player still work after I plug a converter box into
my TV?

Yes. However, after the digital transition, the analog tuner in your VCR
will not be able to pick up over-the-air programs for recording.
Instead, the input to the VCR must be connected to the output of the DTV
converter box. You must set the converter box tuner to the channel you
want to record prior to the start of the timed recording programmed in
the VCR.

But that means that recording one show while watching another, or programing your VCR to record shows from different channels, won't be possible after the analog signals are turned off. About.com also offers some handy advice on using a VCR with a converter box. The DVD question is a little trickier. Newer DVD players have a tuner inside that allows them to receive the digital signals, so they should be able to record two programs at once. But you'll need to check your manual to see if your DVD player has a digital tuner. If not, then the DVD player will have the same limitations as a VCR.

-- Jim Puzzanghera

Puzzanghera, a Times staff writer, covers tech and media policy from Washington, D.C.

Photo: Charles Wolfe, 65, holds a converter box that he purchased for his analog TV that allows him to receive the new digital broadcast signals at his Sylmar home. But after installing it, he now receives fewer TV stations than he did without the converter box, often getting instead a "weak signal" message. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[antennayguy]

Jim:

People need all the information they can get about the digital transition. You might consider discussing the need to upgrade older Off-Air antennas to get the best and most digital reception now.

There are many converter boxes on the market, with more coming. As with any new technology, their quality, efficiency and price vary considerably. So the selection of a converter box will be an important variable to desired digital reception.

But an even larger variable is the choice of the right digital antenna.

Most TV consumers think of antennas as low-tech devices, but there is more behind some of the newer antenna designs than just bent metal and plastic. Many of the TV antenna designs on the market today, such as the Yagi and rabbit ears have technology roots going back 30 to 50 years or more.

The switch to digital broadcasts however is bringing consumers back to Off-Air reception and the increasing sales are providing the motivation and investments necessary to develop new models and new technology. The fact that most designs on the market now were developed prior to the advent of much of the computer technology, software and algorithms in common use today, left open numerous avenues to improve upon tried and true designs and develop new ones. Additionally, recent regulations and standards are opening new doors for antenna engineers to develop smaller antennas with improved performance and aesthetics.

The correct antenna, installed and aimed properly (considering obstructions) will receive desired local stations it’s aimed at up to 70 miles or more, including multi-cast programming and several in HD, almost completely uncompressed, not necessarily available from cable or satellite. Some viewers may even be able to receive some or all of available out-of-town channels, carrying blacked out sports programs or network broadcasts not available in home towns.

As an added benefit, an OTA antenna provides reception for second sets in homes not wired for whole-house signal distribution.

While cable and satellite program providers will continue to serve the great majority of homes as the primary signal source, missing HD local reception, compression issues, higher costs, billing add-ons, service outages, contact difficulties, in-home service waits and no shows have left many of these subscribers looking to OTA antennas as alternatives and backup.

Depending on the level of desire to receive an excellent digital picture and multiple broadcast signals, considering the investment in TV entertainment already made by many viewers, they should consider up-grading to a new Digital Off-Air Antennas.