According to a new federal law, on February 17, 2009 all full-power television stations will halt their analog broadcasts and begin broadcasting on in the new digital format. Currently, most broadcast stations in the United States are broadcasting in both formats. If you have one or more analog televisions that receive free over-the-air television programming with an outdoor antenna or “rabbit ears” on the TV, you will either need to purchase a digital television (one with a built in digital tuner) or purchase and connect a “digital-to-analog converter box” (which converts digital signals to analog signals for viewing on your analog set) in order to continue to watch programming from full-power broadcast stations. This article provides information on digital TV antennas and on what is needed for good quality reception of digital broadcasts.
Don’t Buy Without Trying Your Existing Antenna First
If your television currently receives good quality reception on analog channels 2-51 with a broadcast antenna, then it should be able to receive digital television (DTV) signals, including high definition television (HDTV) signals, without a new broadcast antenna. You do not need to purchase a “DTV antenna” or an “HDTV antenna” to receive DTV or HDTV signals. However, you should be aware that if you use a digital-to-analog converter box, you will still need to use an antenna to receive DTV signals.
Before making any changes to your current antenna or antenna system, you should first check to see if you can receive the digital signals being broadcast in your area. First, connect your existing antenna to either a digital TV converter box or a digital television TV. Make sure your TV is set up to receive over-the-air broadcasts (as opposed to being connected to a paid provider such as a cable or satellite TV company). It may also be helpful to perform a “channel scan,” in which your TV will automatically check to see which stations it can receive. In many cases, this is all you will need to do to watch digital television broadcasts.
For Help With Reception Problems
If you are currently experiencing reception problems, the following information and tips may help to improve your reception for digital broadcasts.
- During the transition to digital TV, many stations will be operating at temporarily reduced power levels. If you are not receiving certain digital TV stations, this does not necessarily mean there is a problem with your antenna or receiver. Check with the TV station to find out whether they are planning changes that will improve reception.
- When an analog TV signal is weak or receives interference, you will often see static or snow on the screen, but you can watch the picture through the noise. Digital broadcasting can provide a clear picture even with a weak signal and in the presence of interference. However, if the digital signal falls below a certain strength level, the picture can suddenly disappear. This is known as the cliff effect. This “cliff effect” means that if you typically watch analog TV stations that have a lot of static and distortion, you may need to adjust or upgrade your antenna to get a reliable signal for digital broadcasts.
- Your television reception can be affected by factors such as trees, buildings, terrain, the weather (rain, wind, humidity), and damaged or deteriorating equipment. You can usually improve your digital reception just by changing the location of your current antenna. Try moving it away from other objects and structures, or placing it higher to improve your reception.
- Many antennas need to be oriented or aimed a certain wy to get the best signal from the desired station. For indoor antennas, you will need to do this manually by trial and error. For outdoor antennas, you may purchase a rotor that re-orients the antenna can improve performance, particularly when trying to receive stations that transmit from different locations.
- Television stations that are broadcasting in digital use both the UHF band (channels 14-51), and the VHF band (channels 2-13) and . Many indoor antennas use “rabbit ears” for the VHF band and a “loop” or “bow-tie” antenna for the UHF band. Make sure you are using an antenna that covers both the VHF and UHF bands and have connected it properly.
- Simple indoor antennas, such as rabbit ears, provide minimal performance that may or may not be suitable for your location. If you are unable to obtain satisfactory reception with your current indoor antenna, you may wish to obtain an indoor antenna that includes features for better reception of UHF signals and/or an amplifier to boost the received signal (often referred to as an active indoor antenna). Note that you should first try relocating the antenna before making a purchase. You can often move the antenna to another location and substantially improve your reception.
- Usually, an outdoor antenna will get better reception than any indoor antenna. If you already have an outdoor antenna and are currently getting good quality reception from UHF and VHF channels, your antenna should continue to work fine for digital television.
- The performance of outdoor antennas can degrade over time due to exposure to the elements. If you are having problems, you should first check for corroded or loose wiring, any broken antenna elements and that your antenna is aimed in the right direction.
- There is signal loss in all cables, so try to keep the length of wire between your antenna and television as short as possible for best reception.
- While you can use a single antenna to provide digital broadcasts to multiple TVs in your home, you must remember that each analog TV connected will need its own digital-to-analog converter box to view digital broadcast programming.
- “Splitters” that are used to connect a single antenna to multiple receivers reduce the amount of signal available to each receiver. This signal loss can cause reception problems. If you are having problems, check to see whether reception is improved without the splitter. In many cases an “active” splitter that includes an amplifier can solve the problem.
- If you are near a station’s broadcast tower, reception of that station, as well as other stations, can be impeded by signal “overload”. In this case, you should consider using an “attenuator” or removing any amplifiers to improve your reception.
- If you do decide to replace or upgrade your outdoor antenna, you can use a website such as AntennaWeb.org to provide information on the locations of broadcast towers in your area and the types of outdoor antennas appropriate for the stations you wish to receive. If you require other assistance with upgrading your antenna system, please check with a local antenna retailer or antenna installer.
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