Digital Television Information from MCJWeb
About the switch to digital television
More information is coming soon - please stay tuned!
Under legislation passed by Congress – the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 – full-power over-the-air broadcast television stations are required to turn off their analog channels on February 17, 2009, and continue broadcasting exclusively in the digital format.
If you receive your television signals from a cable provider (such as Charter, Comcast, USCable, etc.) or one of the satellite services (such as Dish or DirecTV) the WILL NOT affect you. Cable and satellite services will continue to function the same before and after the "switch".
If you receive your local television signals from "rabbit ears" or an antenna in your attic or on your roof top, then you MAY need to make some adjustments to continue to receive these "over the air" broadcasts after the "switch". The "Questions and Answers" below relate to those who receive local television broadcasts "over the air".
Questions and Answers
Q: Will I need a new TV?
A: NO... If your television has a digital tuner (many made in the past year or two do and most "widescreen" TVs do) you definitely don't need a new television and you do not need any additional equipment. The type of tuner you need to have is commonly called an ATSC tuner - check your set or contact the manufacturer to see if you have an ATSC tuner.
If you have a television set that does not have a digital tuner, it will still work, but you will need to have a digital set top box (STB) to continue receiving over the air (OTA) signals after the switch. The set top boxes are now available at many electronics retailers and many are $40 or under. The federal government has authorized millions of $40 coupons whichcan be obtained to off-set the cost of the STB's. Again, you only need this if your television set does not have a digital tuner and you get local broadcasts using an antenna. You can go to https://www.dtv2009.gov for more information on the coupon program.
Q: Will the antenna I have work?
A: Maybe... If you currently get a quality picture on most of the channels you watch, then your antenna will probably work. Check the higher numbered channels as a good test. If you have a poor picture ("snow," interference, etc) then you may need to get a better antenna or repoint an existing antenna to successfully receive digital signals. You can find out more about antennas at: http://www.antennaweb.org
Q: What's so great about digital TV?
A: It depends on your point of view... A digital picture is generally much clearer on any kind of television set - whether it is an older set or a newer "HD" set. Digital pictures are not affected by interference, so it is either there or not - a "perfect" picture if it is there and nothing if it is not.
Many television stations now broadcast in High Definition. If you have a set capable of receiving a high definition picture and sound, then there will be a noticeable difference in the picture and sound quality.
Many television stations broadcast multiple channels in the digital format. Therefore, you may receive more channels once you are able to receive digital broadcasts.
See the websites below for additional information.
