DTV SWITCHOVER IS NIGH

[grossaffe]

so I checked my TV today and the only analog channel remaining is NBC, but is broadcasting how to switchover.

Hugely frustrating problem, though. I can't find the remote to my digital converter box and there is NO other way to interface with it. It is currently off right now so all I can get on my TV is someone pedantically telling my how to changeover in English then in Spanish.

[Metallica Man X]

Higher quality picture? My rumpus.

Warning, rant material!

All I've seen of the digital stuff is just miserably compressed garbage. Even the "HD" stuff looks like crap compaired to what you got with analog. They really need to step up their performance.

My biggest beef with the switch tho, is all the peeps near or around me who actually do like to watch TV, can't. I essentially live out in the boondocks, and can't pick up any digital signal at all. I have friends who have converters in their homes out in the country, and can't get anything cause the signal is just too weak for them. With analog, they could pick up the weak signals and could still watch their shows (albeit fuzzy). With digital, you can't watch anything. The signal NEEDS to be strong for anything to come through.

But eh, what do I care...I never watch TV anyway...unless, of course, there's a football game on...theeeen I have to watch....but that's what cable is for lol.

[/rant]

[grossaffe]

I don't know what you get in your area, but everything analog around here has distortion patterns and static all over it. Digital TV is clear as day.

[bicostp]

Channels 7 (NBC) and 56 (CW) around here are the only ones still broadcasting analog, and after midnight tonight it's over. I'll probably record the last few minutes of 7's broadcast and throw it on YouTube for the hell of it.

All the other channels are on digital broadcasts now, including a few extra PBS stations and one other channel we don't get on cable. I have to admit, the digital broadcasts are clearer than Comcast's cable service. (Seriously. One local channel's tower was close and high-power enough to interfere with the copy of it coming over the cable.) I can't wait for FiOS.

[grossaffe]

Well I am unimpressed with this. I found my remote and here's what I can watch:

Fox (often cuts out because of weak signal) OR* MY20(formerly UPN)

*Depending on where I place my antenna

This sucks big time. I can't get NBC, ABC, CBS... I basically have two video-game displays in my room now and no way to watch Conan at night in my room

Part of what really makes this suck is its near impossible to properly set your antenna to get the strongest signal like you can with analogue because you can't look at your TV and see how reception is doing. Sure there's a signal strength thing, but it lags and is basically no use when actually trying to set the damn antenna.

[nevermind1534]

The power of the digital broadcasts isn't going to be stepped up for another two months, still. I think it's around August 20th.

[hotfootball2000]

there is a guide on youtube on how to make a converter box portable, which is very easy. So mini t.v.s may not go down that much...

[bicostp]

Do you have a DTV/UHF antenna or are you using rabbit ears? The 'DTV' antennas are designed to pick up the area of the UHF band that the signals are sent on, while rabbit ears do a mediocre job of picking up the entire VHF/UHF spectrum. Even those little bowtie UHF antennas are more suitable than old general-purpouse antennas.

[XCVG]

Here in Canada almost everyone has cable or even satellite. Satellite is digital I think. And we've had digital cable, even HD, for ages now. Unless you live in a big city like Vancouver all you are going to get is CBC.

In any case, we don't switch until 2010.

[AfroLH]

Here in Canada almost everyone has cable or even satellite. Satellite is digital I think. And we've had digital cable, even HD, for ages now. Unless you live in a big city like Vancouver all you are going to get is CBC.

In any case, we don't switch until 2010.

Thats how it is down here in Louisiana.
Nobody uses Analog or Digital.

Prolly because cable has everything down here and its actually affordable here.

[Harshboy]

Honestly, who doesn't own Cable these days? You all better have DSL or Cable Internet too!

What is this? The 90's?

[Black Six]

I don't have cable TV service, but that's because I choose not to. I actual get cable Internet access, but I didn't watch enough TV to warrant the overpriced cable bill. Hooray for Hulu!

[Basement_Modder]

Hooray for Hulu!

No! The aliens will eat your brains if you watch too much of that!

[Life of Brian]

I don't have cable TV service, but that's because I choose not to. I actual get cable Internet access, but I didn't watch enough TV to warrant the overpriced cable bill. Hooray for Hulu!

Wow - that's pretty much what I was going to write word for word when I started reading this thread. I don't watch enough TV to warrant getting cable or satellite, and stuff that I miss I usually am able to find online. I got a converter box coupon back when they first became available and have been watching digital since then. I get great reception even with a lousy little rabbit ear antenna in the Oklahoma City area

The power of the digital broadcasts isn't going to be stepped up for another two months, still. I think it's around August 20th.

I haven't heard anything about this. Does anyone know any more about it? It really does suck when your signal is too low and you just lose the audio or picture entirely.

[palmertech]

We lost ABC, and get sucky NBC. We live in a bad area for any kind of radio reception, though (On the very edge of coverage) so I am not too angry about it. Do you have any info on that switch to higher power digital?

EDIT: It has begun, Casio EV-680s with 3" active matrix LCDs are going for under $15 shipped on ebay.