Digital TV Converter Box Adventures

[Tannerman]

If you haven't heard by now, here in the United States, all TV signals are converting from analog to digital formats on February 17, 2009. What this means in layman's terms is that if you watch your TV using an antenna (vs. cable/satellite), your TV isn't going to show a signal after that date unless you take the right precautions.

TV Converter Box Coupon

The reason for this changeover is a technological one, having to do with freeing up some frequencies for other uses, while moving forward with a more efficient tool for broadcasting, which the rest of the world is already doing. In fact, other countries have already converted to digital rather smoothly.

I've been following the developments of this conversion for the past decade or so out of interest (remember, I did major in this TV stuff in college). So don't take it the wrong way when I say that here in the United States, we really are botching up this transition. It's such a mess that it's not even funny. From standards that are all out of whack, a goofy coupon program that has ridiculous rules, putting the burden of promotion on the non-accountable private sector, and leaving the rest to governmental groups that haven't a clue... I predict it's still going to be a mess on February 17.

Pretty simple box design

Nevertheless, back in February I ordered 2 coupons for digital TV converter boxes. The government is knocking off $40 for the boxes, which means that the manufacturers price it over $40. See how that works? 3 months later, my coupons finally arrived. Once your coupons are issued, you have to use them within 3 months or they expire -- dumb idea, but apparently the administration needed to save some bucks somewhere to fund that military event over in the Middle East.

Of course, what this really means is that if you get your coupons early, your selection of boxes will be much different from those who get their coupons closer to the deadline date. Better options might be available at that time, but why tell that to the public? Let's just make them buy a few pre-selected boxes in the meantime. (This from the same governmental authorities that thought the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was a good idea... ha!)

We bought the Insignia NS-DXA1

Anyway, since our coupons were expiring soon, I did some research and bought a converter box. I ended up selecting the Insignia NS-DXA1. It's Best Buy's store brand, but is actually manufactured by LG Electronics. The total cost was $65.54, minus $40 from the coupon, resulting in me paying $25.54. It's quite difficult to get good information about converter boxes out there, since everyone is jumping on the bandwagon by making their websites all search engine optimized to lure folks seeking information their way... for basically nothing useful.

However, I did find a couple of helpful resources, such as these two links from Consumer Reports as well as a guide from CNET and this handy table from Wikipedia. I initially only bought 1 box to see how it worked. I haven't decided if I'll use the 2nd coupon for an identical box or go with a different brand.

Converter box sitting on top of our TV

The kit basically consists of just a few items. There's the box itself, along with some cables, and a remote. That's it. The DTV converter box is more like an external tuner for TV channels. It sits between your antenna and your TV. You then use the converter box to actually change channels (while your TV is just accepting the input from the box, either via a VIDEO IN plug or Channel 3/4). Short term, the converter box is a decent solution. Long term, I can see it being a pain... while the consumer electronics industry salivates at all the new TVs and accessories they'll be selling soon.

Here in the Tanner household, we have a unique TV setup that involves a hybrid of cheap cable TV service (just the non-advertised over-the-air channels package via our condo) along with a "rabbit ears" antenna on top of the set for pulling in some over-the-air channels that aren't available via the cable feed. I could explain how I pull all this off, but you'd be bored. Let's just say that I've made many trips to Radio Shack.

Setup menu system for the DTV converter

Still, setup was rather simple. I basically unplugged the "rabbit ears" from the TV configuration and plugged it in to the back of the DTV converter box. Then I ran the output of that box, via RCA cables for VIDEO, AUDIO LEFT, and AUDIO RIGHT, back into the TV configuration. I powered up the box, navigated the quick start instructions via the included remote, and it preselected all the digital signals in the area. Luckily, here in Chicago, pretty much every station is already broadcasting a digital signal in parallel with their existing analog signals, thus I was seeing what I'd pretty much encounter when the transition happens next year.

Program information is available in the box

In effect, the box is now your main control panel for TV viewing. As such, there are some nice features that come with it that add to the over-the-air watching experience. For example, it includes a helpful feature that displays information (if provided) about the program you are currently watching. This functionality has been available for years with cable/satellite; it was just nice to see it as part of a free service. Additionally, the converter box we bought also had a pretty basic program guide that provided just a little information about upcoming shows on the various channels. When you shop for a converter on your own, features like those I just described are going to be the big differentiators... because converting to digital isn't really that hard to do.

One thing the public really hasn't been educated on is how the numbering system for digital TV works. It involves decimal points and subchannels. You see, each station is given a predefined signal size that can hold X amount of data. In the analog TV world, that signal could just hold the data for one TV broadcast. However, in the digital space, it can actually be subdivided to created multiple "channels within channels"... or subchannels.

A simple program guide; note the channel numbers

Originally, the digital move was going to bring high definition TV to everyone. However, when the signals were assigned to all the stations (for free, I might add... costing the U.S. government a ton of potential revenue from corporations), there were no stipulations put on how the signal should be used. Thus, instead of using all the space on the signal for a high quality broadcast, most broadcasters are choosing instead to subdivide their signal into smaller, lower-quality channels. More channels = More revenue potential via additional advertising inventory!

So, let's explain how this all looks when you are watching the TV itself. We've written a lot here on the TannerWorld Junction forums about a local independent broadcaster, Weigel Broadcasting, that runs a few channels in the Chicago market, so I'll use them as an example.

Right now, they have WCIU (Channel 26 - The "U", general independent programming), WWME (Channel 23 - MeTV, nostalgic programming), and WMEU (Channel 48, MeToo, more nostalgic programming). As you can see, their channels are all over the dial, with various availability due to different antenna strengths.

MeTV is no longer channel 23... it's 26.2!

However, in the digital TV world, all these channels are grouped together around one main channel, 26. The primary programming from The "U" is found on 26.1, MeTV on 26.2, MeToo on 26.3, and foreign language programming on 26.6. Think that will be confusing enough when it comes to promotion? This is why you've seen the trend in recent years of stations moving away from promoting their actual channel number, and rather market a brand tied to their station (for example, Fox Chicago vs. Fox 32) -- along with those annoying "bugs" in the corner with their logo. (This commercial is a good example of the "where do I find this?" issue taking place.) Numbers haven't really mattered in cable/satellite for years; that becomes far more evident with the over-the-air transition to digital locations.

After just one night of using the DTV converter, there are some good things and bad things. On the plus side, in some cases, you get TV channels you didn't have before. For example, here in Chicago, our NBC station runs a weather-oriented subchannel. The same with our ABC station. Our primary PBS station has a couple subchannels, one devoted to more widescreen/HD-type programming (WTTW-D, downconverted for us standard definition TV folks), one for the home & garden crowd (WTTW Create), and one for the Hispanic audience (WTTW V-me).

This is what our CBS station looks like

However, on the negative side, there were a couple channels we couldn't pull back in, like our CBS station. Since, we have this via cable, I wasn't too worried, but still, I think I lot of folks will be shocked to lose some channels. In the case of our local CBS station, they've always been a pain to pull in namely due to their channel position (2). VHF signals at that part of the dial are challenging, and Channel 2 has struggled with this for years. It might improve with the transition due to some interesting maneuvering. Right now, they are analog channel 2 and digital channel 3. However, after the transition, they are moving to digital channel 12, but will still show up as channel 2 due to the way the digital tuners can present this data. Hopefully their signal improves when they make the move to 12.

Built-in meter shows each station's signal strength

It should also be noted that if you have a VCR or DVR hooked up to a DTV converter box, the channel select functionality is still tied to the box itself. Thus, if you program your VCR/DVR to record a certain show, you actually have to set your DTV converter to that channel. If you program your unit to record two shows on different channels, you are stuck, because the DTV converter box will need to be changed manually as well. (Some DTV converter boxes offer the option to have it automatically change channels per program, so watch for that feature). Like I said before, while the converter box will keep the signals coming to your home, when it comes to convenience, I see a lot of folks purchasing replacement electronics down the road.

Just some observations as the Tanners shift to digital with the rest of America! Have you converted yet?

[Wally]

We are in the midst of decision making for this whole thing. We just got our converter coupon in the mail. Our local selection of electronics is primarily WalMart and they only sell one converter box. However, since I bought our TV 10 years ago from a hotel that was getting rid of the TVs because they were too old, we have been considering a TV upgrade instead of buying a converter box. In addition, upgrading to a new TV would mean an increase in screen size and dimensions, which will be welcome for widescreen movies which make our screen that much smaller. Any thoughts on when to buy a TV? I am thinking that the sooner we buy it the better, as many people will probably go the route of buying a new TV, meaning the supplies will drop and prices will skyrocket. However, I might be wrong and they will go on great sales as stores try to unload inventory at an opportune time.

Our big question and concern is whether we will get any channels at all once the transition occurs. We get a local ABC channel fairly clearly, so we should be able to maintain that one. However, our only other local channel is a Fox channel that can be fuzzy on good day with the amplified set-top antenna that we use. The digital transition will most likely kill their signal. We have contemplated buying a roof-top or mast-mounted antenna to pull in signals from stations that are 75-100 miles away, but I am guessing that the weakness of digital signals compared to analog signals will mean that we probably won't be able to get them afte the transition. Anyone know of a way to figure out what channels we could get with a rooftop antenna without actually buying one and mounting it on the roof? There are several websites with predictors and none of them make it sound very promising.

[Folkerts]

I used www.antennaweb.org and was quite surprised at how accurate the channel strengths and direction were. We purchased a Indoor/Outdoor low profile antenna (Mant950 and have been very happy with the results. My only frustration is when the signal is not consistent, instead of having fuzz, you completely loose everything and there is skipping on the screen. I may have to buy a signal booster to up the signal strength for a few channels, especially since we are a minimum of 30 miles from the nearest towers.

And yes Wally, we did buy ours from Wal-mart, since they are really the only ones in town that sell that type of equipment.

[Childs]

We have digital cable. So we have a box already. My television is getting old, the remote doesn't work, and we may be in the market for a new one eventually. Not sure what to get. For now, though, we'll stick with what we have.

[Tannerman]

As far as the "should we get a new TV?" question and timing, I sort of think that the fall/winter season this year would probably be a good time to get one. Prices are bound to be good for holiday sales, compounded with the push for folks to get new TV sets before the digital conversion. You just know that there's going to be a heavy push... so I would guess that inventories will be pretty solid.

It's also important to point out that this upcoming holiday shopping season will be the first since the high definition DVD war has been concluded (Blu-ray won, HD-DVD lost), which also means that customers will be far more inclined to invest in new DVD players, and in association, new TVs.

So, the demand will be quite strong, I think. And I believe the supply of units will be strong as well. The issue is whether you'll be able to get a good deal... that's an unknown at this point.

[Kidologist]

OK, dumb question (I didn't major in TV in college) if i already have cable, i don't need a converter box, right?? so i miss out on the $40 from my generous government?

[Tannerman]

Originally Posted by Kidologist

OK, dumb question (I didn't major in TV in college) if i already have cable, i don't need a converter box, right?? so i miss out on the $40 from my generous government?

If you get your TV from a source other than an antenna (like cable, satellite, etc.), then you don't need a converter box. Your television provider will automatically convert the signal prior to it entering your household.

[Wally]

We decided to be good Americans and use some of our tax refund check to buy a new TV with a digital tuner.

Although our local station claims to broadcast in DTV, we can not bring in their signal. We may have to get a better antenna than the amplified set-top one we currently have - we will have to check out the one that Folkerts has recommended.

[Folkerts]

Originally Posted by Wally

We decided to be good Americans and use some of our tax refund check to buy a new TV with a digital tuner.

Although our local station claims to broadcast in DTV, we can not bring in their signal. We may have to get a better antenna than the amplified set-top one we currently have - we will have to check out the one that Folkerts has recommended.

I wanted a tv, but we bought a heat pump instead (way more than the refund check)

One note about the antenna, I would try and mount it outside. Mine is pretty spotty recently; however it is in the attic. As soon as I can get in the sauna of an attic, I will move it to the roof.

[Childs]

My refund went straight to the student loan companies.

[Tannerman]

Following up our conversation regarding TV prices rising/falling, I thought this post from the NY Times Bits Blog to be insightful -- basically, research is indicating we'll see a drop in prices

[Wally]

Go figure.

Anyway, we figured out how to bring in our local channel on DT and the high-def NASCAR races (and other shows) are amazing!