Wednesday evening at 8 PM I was involved in the broadcast our first live DTV call in show on CET. We got more than 160 questions and they are still coming in this morning. The program was ½ hour but could have gone for an hour or more and still not addressed all the concerns and questions.
To watch the program on CETconnect.org just point your browser to http://www.cetconnect.org/cetconnect_video.asp?ID=2997 It is about 30 minutes in length.
We plan to take the most “asked” questions and produce 30 sec. spots that will run on CET TV. Keep your questions coming. Send them to techinfo@cetconnect.org or just place a comment here on the blog.
We are considering of two or three more before Feb 2009. CET wants to make sure that the only “snow” you see on February 18, 2009 is on the ground, not on your TV.
Showing posts with label Pass Through DTV Converter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pass Through DTV Converter. Show all posts
Friday, June 20, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Answers To Some Common DTV Questions
I am going to answer a few questions which have been submitted by readers. They cover several different subjects.
The first question deals with finding a DTV converter that allows you to continue to watch local “low power” stations like Channels 25 and 38 after February 2009. The “low power” stations transmit programs using a fraction of the power required by the major stations like Channel 9 or CET. As a result, many households in our area are unable to receive them. So, you may not even know they exist. These two stations and other “low power” stations in the US will not be changing to digital next year. So, if you receive them now and you want to continue to watch them on your old analog TV set after February 2009, you will need a special DTV converter. Up until now these converters have been very hard to find, but you can now order them through many Radio Shack® stores for $59.99 retail. You can use the DTV coupons so the price is about 20 bucks. Ask for Zenith™ Model DTT901 Catalog # 15-193. If you don’t watch the low power channels, just go with a standard DTV converter.
I was sent me an email asking if even a very old TV, i.e. vintage 1960’s, will work with a DTV converter. (I told you, people never throw away TVs.) The answer is Yes! Of course the picture will not be very sharp and it will be in black and white, but it will display the digital channels. For older TVs you may need to purchase an adapter to connect the converter to the TV, since older TVs have two small screws on the back to which you connect the antenna or rabbit ears. The DTV converter uses what is called an “F” connector. You will need to get a “75 ohm to 300 ohm matching transformer” to adapt the “F” connector. They can be purchased at most electronic stores for about 5 bucks.
Another question came in regarding the need to get a new antenna and lead in wire if you were buying a new HDTV set and would not be using a cable or satellite service. My recommendation would be to wait until you get the new set and see how your current antenna works. In many situations the simple indoor set-top antenna may be all you need. In other cases the outdoor antenna that you already have installed and connected to your analog TV may work just fine with your new HDTV set. Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken!
I wrote about this a few months ago but it bears repeating. There is NO SUCH THING AS A DIGITAL or HDTV ANTENNA. There are antennas that are more efficient than others. Some have amplifiers. Some do not. The antenna itself and the lead in wire are exactly the same for analog reception and digital reception.
It is both amusing and irritating to walk through stores and see antennas for sale with the boxes labeled “HDTV Antenna” or “Specially designed for DTV use.” Many of these antennas will come with an inflated price tag because of the HDTV moniker.
Keep you questions coming. If I don’t know the answer, I have many colleagues much smarter than I am (thank heavens) who, for the price of a beer, will help me out.
The first question deals with finding a DTV converter that allows you to continue to watch local “low power” stations like Channels 25 and 38 after February 2009. The “low power” stations transmit programs using a fraction of the power required by the major stations like Channel 9 or CET. As a result, many households in our area are unable to receive them. So, you may not even know they exist. These two stations and other “low power” stations in the US will not be changing to digital next year. So, if you receive them now and you want to continue to watch them on your old analog TV set after February 2009, you will need a special DTV converter. Up until now these converters have been very hard to find, but you can now order them through many Radio Shack® stores for $59.99 retail. You can use the DTV coupons so the price is about 20 bucks. Ask for Zenith™ Model DTT901 Catalog # 15-193. If you don’t watch the low power channels, just go with a standard DTV converter.
I was sent me an email asking if even a very old TV, i.e. vintage 1960’s, will work with a DTV converter. (I told you, people never throw away TVs.) The answer is Yes! Of course the picture will not be very sharp and it will be in black and white, but it will display the digital channels. For older TVs you may need to purchase an adapter to connect the converter to the TV, since older TVs have two small screws on the back to which you connect the antenna or rabbit ears. The DTV converter uses what is called an “F” connector. You will need to get a “75 ohm to 300 ohm matching transformer” to adapt the “F” connector. They can be purchased at most electronic stores for about 5 bucks.
Another question came in regarding the need to get a new antenna and lead in wire if you were buying a new HDTV set and would not be using a cable or satellite service. My recommendation would be to wait until you get the new set and see how your current antenna works. In many situations the simple indoor set-top antenna may be all you need. In other cases the outdoor antenna that you already have installed and connected to your analog TV may work just fine with your new HDTV set. Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken!
I wrote about this a few months ago but it bears repeating. There is NO SUCH THING AS A DIGITAL or HDTV ANTENNA. There are antennas that are more efficient than others. Some have amplifiers. Some do not. The antenna itself and the lead in wire are exactly the same for analog reception and digital reception.
It is both amusing and irritating to walk through stores and see antennas for sale with the boxes labeled “HDTV Antenna” or “Specially designed for DTV use.” Many of these antennas will come with an inflated price tag because of the HDTV moniker.
Keep you questions coming. If I don’t know the answer, I have many colleagues much smarter than I am (thank heavens) who, for the price of a beer, will help me out.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Pass Through DTV Converter Impressive
I had a chance to test the Digital Stream (Model DTX9950) DTV converter available from Radio Shack® stores. John Kiesewetter, Radio and TV Writer at the Enquirer brought one by the station yesterday morning. This is one of the first converters I have seen available locally that has the “pass through” feature. Many of the standard DTV converters, once connected to your analog TV set, will effectively block out any analog reception. If you want to continue to watch the area’s low power stations like Channel 25 and 38, (neither will be converting to digital in February 2009) you will need a “pass through” DTV converter.
I have to say that I was impressed with the unit. We were able to pull in all the major analog stations with the unit attached and set in the “pass through” mode, i.e. effectively “turned off.” In this mode you use the tuner in your TV to tune in the analog stations. On the digital side we received perfect pictures from all the local DTV stations plus three stations from Dayton. Since we were using a small inexpensive set top antenna and the TV was located in CET’s Central Parkway lobby -not an ideal TV reception location - one could presume that the unit will function well in a more ideal setting.
One warning however…the digital signals can be somewhat erratic so there is no assurance that your reception will be perfect. Sometimes a difference in the location of your TV of only a few feet can make the difference between a perfect picture and no picture at all.
I can say that is one of the most sensitive DTV receivers I have tested and well worth the $60 price tag. Use one of the DTV coupons and the price drops to $20.
I am always interested in your experiences. Let me know about your DTV reception using your DTV converters and TV sets. I will share them here on the blog.
I have to say that I was impressed with the unit. We were able to pull in all the major analog stations with the unit attached and set in the “pass through” mode, i.e. effectively “turned off.” In this mode you use the tuner in your TV to tune in the analog stations. On the digital side we received perfect pictures from all the local DTV stations plus three stations from Dayton. Since we were using a small inexpensive set top antenna and the TV was located in CET’s Central Parkway lobby -not an ideal TV reception location - one could presume that the unit will function well in a more ideal setting.
One warning however…the digital signals can be somewhat erratic so there is no assurance that your reception will be perfect. Sometimes a difference in the location of your TV of only a few feet can make the difference between a perfect picture and no picture at all.
I can say that is one of the most sensitive DTV receivers I have tested and well worth the $60 price tag. Use one of the DTV coupons and the price drops to $20.
I am always interested in your experiences. Let me know about your DTV reception using your DTV converters and TV sets. I will share them here on the blog.
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