Comments on: Fallout from the DTV Transition

By: Angela

Angela — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:09:30 +0000

I’m trying to get off Dish Network and hook up my TV to an off air antenna and the internet (hulu.com and pbs.org).
I have a Dish DVR 501 with antenna in and out. Can I rig this up to record via a digital tuner box I bought. I get clear reception, I just want to record and be able to access the internet via my laptop with a remote.
BTW…I’m a network admin/geek and I’ve been buying parts for my old PC, and I can get reception through an old TV Tuner PCI card, but I think the old PC would burn too many watts to leave on all day. So I’m looking for that elusive all inclusive internet/off air antennae solution.

Many thanks!
Angela

By: red

red — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:00:25 +0000

I formerly received all of the local tampa bay area VHF stations as ATSC signals without an issue. I am basically 30 miles from each antenna. The rabbit ears can no longer pull in the VHF signals that are now digital. Oh well, not much of a loss without NBC, CBS, and FOX. ABC sucks just as bad as the others, but at least I can still receive that station because it is UHF.

Was there any warning that the digital signals do not travel the same distance as the analog do?

By: Boris

Boris — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:22:00 +0000

“Oh, yeah, and by letting them go back to VHF, doesn’t that mean that the spectrum isn’t freed up, negating the real public benefit of the conversion?”

The spectrum grab was in the 700 MHz band, not VHF, and I’d opine that any public benefit is purely incidental–in effect, public-safety interests were recruited to make the overall deal more palatable to legislators. (Similarly to what happened with the 800 MHz band in 2002.)

Of the 60 MHz reclaimed, 24 MHz goes to public safety, basically UHF channels 63 and 64 (and this doesn’t mean private concerns won’t be making money off this block). The thinned-out VHF-lo spectrum isn’t quite empty, so it will probably be allocated piecemeal if there are any takers. In my neck of the woods, channel 6 is now a low-power FM smooth-jazz station broadcasting NTSC still pictures.

By: William C Bonner

William C Bonner — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:44:50 +0000

I still don’t understand why some stations switched their ATSC back to VHF from UHF after the changeover.

The two frequency ranges require different antennae. Many people who have bought “digital TV” antenna during this past few years have bought ones optimized for UHF, since that’s where every ATSC broadcaster was located up to the switchover.

Here in the Seattle Area, Channel 9, 11, and 13 all reverted back to VHF. Luckily my antenna is VHF/UHF but I’ve been considering a new external antenna for permanent outdoor installation and if I’d bought it before the conversion I’d have been looking at a good multi direction Bow Tie antenna. Now I’m not so sure what I need to purchase.

Oh, yeah, and by letting them go back to VHF, doesn’t that mean that the spectrum isn’t freed up, negating the real public benefit of the conversion?

By: Roger M

Roger M — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:43:24 +0000

I do miss listening to the TV audio via the TV band on my radio.

By: rob

rob — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:30:45 +0000

The confusion really came in stations that didn’t let people know early enough they were going back to VHF from UHF all those people that went out to buy new antennas that were for UHF now are trying to figure out what to do. Here in the SF DMA we have many stations that are moving their antennas on Sutro Tower and that won’t be complete until Oct of this year! I don’t understand why a lot of this wasn’t taken care of before the switch. I lost 2 OTA stations that came in strong before, they changed their frequency and I can no longer watch them. Luckily for me the channels were mainly just watched via the Sling ProHD as D* supplies my regular channels. But, I do enjoy OTA for the channels people like D* don’t offer to customers (Universal Sports, weather, RTN). I also like being able to get neighboring DMA’s that OTA offers.

By: John

John — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:02:56 +0000

I’m out near Manassas and can get the most of the locals in HD. The problem I’m having is with AFD: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1148095 on my DTVPal (got if for Slingbox). NBC shows look really squished.

By: Todd

Todd — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:54:00 +0000

Dallas TX – I gained a bunch of OTA channels, and most stations now broadcasting in 16×9. Only issue I had was the converter box I bought in Dec of last year did on me the day before the transistion ( Apex ). The new box dosen’t have the tv guide style listins.

Also, I am crrently in Austin and the local network stations are really struggling. Only CBS is in 16×9 and Fox keeps runnning ads apologizing their transmission power is too low for the digital broadcast to reach all areas that used to be covered by analog. WTF?