Preparing for the US DTV Transition

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About ATSC Tuners

If you have a Digital-Ready TV, also known as a Digital Monitor, you won't need a DTV converter, but will need to buy an ATSC Tuner or Receiver. Although you can actually use a DTV Converter with a Digital-Ready TV you won't get the same picture quality as using a basic receiver because the image will be resized to fit an analog TV. ATSC Receivers aren't eligible for purchase with a voucher, so you'll have to pay full price for one.

The Cliff Effect

DTV broadcasts are on the same frequencies already reserved for TV, but there's one major difference from their analog couterparts. DTV signals suffer from what's called the Cliff Effect. While analog broadcasts that aren't perfect gradually lose quality until their unwatchable, DTV will look perfect, or near perfect, and then suddenly disappear if the signal isn't good enough. It's fine and then it falls off a cliff.

Your Antenna

Assuming moving to a different location for better reception isn't an option you may have to consider buying or building an antenna. Whatever you do, don't be fooled by advertising or salesmen who tell you that you need a "digital antenna." Just like analog TV, DTV is transmitted in the form of radio waves. The difference isn't how they're received, but what quality is necessary to get a picture. That's not to say you might not need a new antenna. Just remember it's a question of quality, not whether it's made for digital or analog.

Antenna Considerations

Whether you buy or build an antenna there are several things to consider. An antenna can be designed for good reception of a wide variety of channels, or better reception of channels with specific characteristics. If the signals you'll be tuning in are very good it probably won't matter. If your reception is questionable it might be worth more time and money getting the best antenna you can.

Locating DTV Broadcasts

Of course you may not know where the broadcasts you'll be receiving come from exactly, or whether they will be UHF or VHF. Fortunately the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) have a website where you can get that information. Simply enter some address information into their online form and they will provide you with a list of brodcasters, including the frequency they'll be broadcasting on and the distance/direction from your residence. The entries marked with an asterisk are the only ones you need to worry about because this indicates a DTV signal.

Frequency Specific Antenna

The colored column on the left groups current and eventual DTV broadcasts into frequency ranges. If all the channels for your area are in a particular frequency range (ie the same color) you could look for an antenna specifically designed for that range. While this would improve reception, it could come back to haunt you if another channel is added later that falls outside the range your antenna is designed for.

Directional or Omni-directional

If all the broadcasts you can receive come from a single direction (Compass Heading) you may want to consider a directional antenna. If there is a range of Compass Headings greater than 30 degrees a directional antenna will require that you realign it for different channels. Probably not a big deal if you are using an indoor antenna, but if your antenna is on top of your house you'll need to install a motor to rotate it (called a rotator) to reposition it.

Temporary or Permanent

You may find that a single broadcaster has 2 listings for DTV signals. One will be noted as post-transition, which is an indication that the channel is currently being broadcast on a different frequency than it has been assigned for the transition because the permanent one won't be available until February 17, 2009.

Don't Wait

Regardless of your situation it's important that you find out whether you need to do anything different to receive all the same channels digitally that you're used to watching now. According to the FCC your selection xof channels shouldn't change in the DTV transition, but engineers who have actually run tests aren't as optomistic. The only way to be sure is to get what you need and try tuning in each channel.

Obviously this may be problematic if one or more DTV channels in your area isn't operating on its permanent frequency or at full power. If you find yourself in that situation you should try to make an educated guess about reception and plan accordingly. If your reception is poor for analog channels assume it will be worse for DTV. If one channel isn't available in digital yet, but another at a similar frequency and strength is, use that to guage what you'll need.

Whatever you do, try to beat the rush and be ready ahead of time.

Preparing for the US DTV Transition

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Where to go from here If you're considering buying a HDTV it can be intimidating. Look through our HDTV guides for help understanding the technology and terminology so you can get the one that's right for you. Getting Started With HDTV A beginner's guide to understanding HDTV technology and how to make an educated purchase of a HDTV. AfterDawn HDTV Buyer's Guide A beginner's guide to understanding buying a HDTV. Introduction To Next-Generation Multimedia - HDTV Technology A basic overview of HDTV technology, including discussion of display types and signal standards

Version History
v1.0 Original version by Rich "Vurbal" Fiscus