DTV and HDTV... the FAQ
Digital Television (DTV) is not only on the way, it's
here! And it will become the American broadcasting standard on
February 17, 2009. That brings up many questions:
Q: Will I lose my TV signal?
Only if you get all of your TV over the air (by antenna), on an older set with only an analog tuner.
Q: So what happens on changeover day, in February 2009?
With
your old TV and antenna, you won't see any signals, unless you buy a
converter box. That will grab the digital signals and convert them to
analog for your TV set.
Q: What if I can't afford the converter box?
The federal government is making money available to help you buy a box. Click this link to get the information you need on the DTV coupon program.
Q: My TV set is pretty old, but I have cable--what happens to me?
Nothing. The cable company converts the signal for you.
Q: I too have an old set, but I get my TV from satellite--what happens to me?
Nothing. The satellite company converts the signal for you.
Q: I have a new TV with a digital tuner. How do I get NewsWatch 12's digital signal?
It's FREE over the air with an antenna (see more details below), or
available from Charter Cable in the Rogue Valley and Klamath Basin.
Charter does charge an additional fee for the "HD tier" of channels.
Ashland TV provides it for free.
Q: Is digital TV the same as High Definition TV (HD or HDTV)?
No. DTV is just plain Digital TV; basically your old TV picture, just delivered as Ones and Zeroes.
HD or High Definition TV is a snazzier DTV signal that packs in a lot of detail to make a much prettier and wider picture.
Understand too that DTV allows broadcasters to deliver more than one
channel from a transmitter. In our case, we offer our HD channel and a
Standard Definition (SD) channel with the same programming.
Q: Are all the shows on the HD channel in HD?
Good question. And the answer is... not yet.
ABC offers much of its programming in HD, and we run that.
All other programming is still in SD; not all programs are offered in
HD yet, and we still have to buy some equipment to get HD programs on
the air.
Q: I'm ready to watch; how do I tune you in over the air?
First, take a deep breath... this can be tricky and lengthy, so please be patient.
First, get very familiar with your new TV set. Chances are it has a "Channel Set-up" or similar function.
This lets your TV scan the airwaves looking for TV signals.
When it finds digital signals, it will display them by our OLD
analog channel numbers--our transmitter includes that information on
the signal.
Q: How's that again? Your set will find us in the Rogue
Valley on DTV Channel 38, but your TV will display our HD channel as
12-1 and our SD channel as 12-2. It even confuses some people who work
here, but it's for a solid reason: when February 2009 rolls around,
we'll actually broadcast our digital signals on good old Channel 12.
For the Klamath Basin, we're actually on DTV Channel 29, but your set will display 31-1 and 31-2, our current analog channel assignments.
Q: Okay, I get it. Why are you running so many ads and screen-bottom crawls on TV explaining the change? We still need to educate viewers about the change, and the FCC requires it. The ads run up to three times a day, and the crawls three times a day as well.
Happy viewing!
Glossary of Terms:
DTV.................................Digital TV, television delivered as Ones and Zeroes.
HD, HDTV or High Def......High Definition TV, the DTV picture with the most detailed picture.
720p, 1080i, 1080p...........Types of HDTV, referring to the number of scan lines from top to bottom.
16 x 9...............................The screen ratio of HDTV, 16 units wide by 9 units tall.
SD or Standard Def...........Standard Definition TV, a "normal" TV picture (meaning NOT High Def).
4 x 3.................................The screen ratio of "old" TV.
Converter Box..................What you'll need to receive DTV on an older set.
DTV Answers...................Another web site with lots of explanations.
Our HD programming is sponsored by Larsons
