DCist: FCC: D.C. Area Behind in Digital TV Conversion

Krisa

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:25:21 -0500

Stu, here's the use that I endorse. http://www.psst.org/index.jsp

Disco Stu

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:38:50 -0500

Right! What I want to know is: what are They going to do with all the extra airwaves? There will be all that extra space that won't be used to broadcast TV. And, how best to use it to serve the public good? I'm all for digital telepathy, myself...

Hillman

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:26:21 -0500

This is how the Illuminati is going to take us over.

Disco Stu

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:38:50 -0500

Um, pay in cash? You totally made me paranoid to use my card Sommer... Oh wait, I was already paranoid. Ahark, you could do a nifty art project with your rabbit ears? You still have those things?

HCE

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:11:20 -0500

I got one of the Zenith-branded boxes at Circuit City with my $40 coupon, and it works great. The difference in picture quality between analog and digital is amazing, even if it isn't true HD.

mgt

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:28:03 -0500

Thanks Sommer. I haven't played around with it that much yet. I'll have to check that out when I get home.

Politburo

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:36:38 -0500

SY: You may need a powered antenna or "smart" antenna.. but I only just got my coupons, so I may not know what I'm talking about.

SY

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:28:07 -0500

I've converted mine as well, with similar Radio Shack problems as mentioned above. The picture quality is a lot better, but I do some times get tons of pixilation on some channels, even when using rabbit ears in addition to the converter. Any advice on how to get rid of it? We have to unhook the box to watch PBS and sometimes Fox.

the_heckle

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:09:26 -0500

I cannot wait until February whatever, when my tv set goes dead. You can bet I'll be sending angry emails to Marion Barry about this. You pay your $21; I'm gettin' a $5000 tv and cable for free. It's the least the City can do for me.

Politburo

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:59:42 -0500

Am I the only one disturbed (and amused) by the fact that the DTV converter website has a relatively detailed statistics section?

monkeyrotica

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:42:28 -0500

Well, maybe they wouldn't be poor if they spent less time watching those twin bobbleheads Giada and Rachel, and more time working. I don't touch anything unless it's timeshifted or torrented. The last broadcast show I watched with commercials was the Preparation H Cavalcade of Comedy Hour on the Dumont Network.

Sommer Mathis

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:37:53 -0500

I bought the antenna because I used to have cable and never had an antenna for one of my TVs. Obviously, you wouldn't need to buy a new one if you already have a set of rabbit ears.

LiliMoon

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:30:54 -0500

Why did you buy a new antenna? I went to the DTV website and ordered from one of the companies they list as selling the converters. I did some research and picked a brand that got high ratings. With the discount card, it cost $21 including shipping.

MrTinDC

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:28:43 -0500

I had pretty much the same smooth experience you did, only purchased mine at Best Buy instead of Radio Shack. The picture is nice and clear, and the extra weather channels are nifty. Best of all are the extra PBS channels (PBS Create, PBS Kids, a couple others). Best $23 I ever spent, coupon included. It's like free cable!

Sommer Mathis

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:26:59 -0500

Spookiness, my converter remote allows me to program it so that I can control my TV set as well, so I only need one remote now. It's the box made by "DigitalStream."

spookiness

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:22:24 -0500

I installed two of them for my parents this past spring. I dreaded it at first, but it was fairly simple, and the improvement in picture quality alone was well worth it. (They live in a rural area, and over-the-air is the only way to get local channels) I got two for myself. I don't watch TV much, and I refuse to buy a new one. My only complaint is that the box I got has yet another remote. So you have to change the channels with the DTV remote, and volume with the TV remote. By now I would hope that there are other models on the market that have a universal remote, or that makes the codes known so that another universal remote can recognize it.

ahark1pd

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:20:55 -0500

when people see the rabbit ears on my tv, they say "you do know that you have to convert to digital soon, RIGHT?!!?" like the world is going to end. i have until february. i'll convert at some point, but i'm not in any hurry.

Sommer Mathis

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:18:47 -0500

mgt, have you tried changing the aspect ratio? the converter boxes generally allow you to choose from 4 to 5 options on the size and shape of the image.

tomaloisi

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:16:51 -0500

wha? I was holding off, since I didn't think there was any benefit to doing it before the switchover. Nice to learn of the free additional channels! I'm one the MANY people in the DC who CHOOSE not to pay for TV; I don't really fit in their idea that only poor, old and immigrant people don't have cable. (You should SEE the number of Direct TV set-ups in the ghetto!) I learned a while ago that I can have a lot more fun with the extra $1,200 bucks in my pocket each year- which also keeps me from getting sucked into the idiot box.

RJ

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:16:42 -0500

Only TVs that only get its signal from "bunny ears" need conversion. If you have cable, dish, fios, or leprechauns your are fine and don't need the conversion.

mgt

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:13:20 -0500

I had a similar experience except that I got the boxes at Best Buy and had no problem with the transaction. They do make the screen smaller on some channels which is sort of annoying. I already have a small tv, so I'm not psyched that the screen is only partially filled now, but oh well. I don't watch much tv anyway.

cooter

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:02:04 -0500

You may want to revise the language in your first step. Not all non-HDTV's are analog.