WJFW-TV has partnered with Ogren Electronics, one of Wisconsin's largest independent custom electronic teams, to bring consumers answers to questions about Digital Television, HD (High Definition), and the issues surrounding the time remaining for analog television.
Q: I've been told that I better buy a new TV soon or I will no longer receive TV including all my favorite programs. Is that true?
Ogren Electronics says: NO!!!! This is by far the most asked question we receive. If you are a satellite TV or cable TV customer the switch from analog to digital will not affect you at all. If you rely on a traditional "through the air" TV antenna exclusively for your TV service you will need a converter box that will soon be available. If your TV is working fine and as we said you use satellite TV or cable TV to receive all of your favorite channels including traditional networks you need to do nothing. A very good source of unbiased information in regards to this entire situation is www.DTV2009.gov
Q: I live some 50 miles from Rhinelander and receive a very good channel 12 signal with a traditional TV antenna. Does that mean that I will also be able to receive the digital signal?
Ogren Electronics says: No one knows for sure how the digital reception out at the "fringe" areas will perform. Many variables play a part in reception quality. Distance to the channel 12 tower, type of antenna that you use, are there many trees around your home? Are you located on a hill or in a valley? If a traditional antenna is your only source for TV reception you may want to purchase one or two of the converter boxes and test the signal.
Q: Now that the new services are on the air will I see a difference in my picture right away?
Ogren Electronics says: If you have a TV set with a digital/HD tuner and the necessary reception equipment you will see a much more defined and sharp picture.
Q: Why do I need a UHF antenna when I know that Channel 12 is VHF
Ogren Electronics says: As part of the ultimate switch to digital/HD the FCC assigned UHF frequencies for the new services. Your digital/HD TV will show 12, 12.1, 12.2 and up to 12.6 as programming is available but the new digital signals are really UHF 16. We have seen some services using as many as 6 different programs at one time. One channel but your choice of six different services.
Q: I checked online and found out that there are many different types of UHF antenna. What will work best for me?
Ogren Electronics says: This is where things can get a bit tough as there are many variables when it comes to UHF antenna selection. Some of the major variables include distance from your location to the Channel 12 tower. The closer you are the easier it is to receive their signal. How high above ground can you install the antenna? Generally the higher the better. Are there any trees close in to your antenna? Trees in northern Wisconsin? Our 20+ years of antenna experience tells us that no two installations are the same. If you are close enough you may be able to use a rabbit ears type antenna that can be as little at $15 to $20 or a large UHF antenna that can cost over one hundred dollars. Also be leery of antennas that are sold by "mileage". Just because an antenna is listed as a "100 mile" antenna and you only live 50 miles from Channel 12's tower you are not necessarily going to have great reception.
Q: I have everything that I need to pull in Channel 12"s digital/HD signal but I was watching my favorite game show the other morning and the picture wasn't near as good as Law and Order last night. What's up?
Ogren Electronics says: The only programming carried by WJFW in true HD is most NBC prime time programming in the evenings and much of the NBC weekend programming. Weekdays, the TODAY show, and NBC Nightly News is now in HD.
Q: When I am looking at new TVs I see strange numbers. What is 720p, 1080i, and 1080p? Which one has the best picture? Overall is one better than the other for Channel 12's digital/HD?
Ogren Electronics says: These numbers refer to the lines displayed on the TV Screen. The number tells you the amount of lines the screen has from top to bottom, and the letter at the end tells you if your TV has interlaced, or progressive scan. For example, if you have a TV that is rated at 720p, you would see all 720 lines drawn on the screen 60 times per second. If you have a 1080i you would see only have the lines drawn each time. (Odds, then evens.) And if you have a 1080p, you would see all 1080 lines drawn every time. To keep it simple what this means is that the more lines, the better the picture will be, but that any of them will look better than the old analog system.
Q: What is the difference between HDTV and Digital TV?
Ogren Electronics says: Simply put Digital refers to the way the signal is broadcast to your television (Analog vs. Digital), where as HD is referring to the quality of the digital broadcast you receive (Screen Resolution). Not all Digital broadcasts need to be in High Definition, but all High Definition broadcasts need to be in Digital. (HD can't be broadcast in Analog.) For example if you are watching a program that was recorded in standard definition, you can still view over a digital broadcast, it just won't be in HD.
Q: What is the benefit of Digital TV if it is not in high definition?
Ogren Electronics says: When the you receive a digital broadcast vs. an analog broadcast, you are able to more information to your television. What this means is that you will get a better picture and sound than you would with analog. You will also be able to get more channels in the future, as the broadcast station (WJFW) will be able to have as many as 6 channels broadcast simultaneously
Q: What is all of this talk about existing TV and Digital TV?
Ogren Electronics says: Most TV sets are now receiving an "Analog" signal. The same type of transmission that has been used since TV started to become popular in the 1940s. Analog TV signals are very similar to AM and FM radio signals and can be subject to interference, snow and ghosting. Digital TV signals are transmitted as data bits of information in a way similar to computer data or the way music is written on a CD. A Digital signal either works or it doesn't. No fading or interference. It is either on or off. Plus a Digital signal can carry much more information than existing Analog signals.
Q: What is going to happen to my existing TV when all TV signals become Digital?
Ogren Electronics says: While full implementation to Digital was originally believed to happen in 2006 it is now thought that Analog signals will end in 2009 but set top converter boxes are available now and will be available at a reasonable price in the future. These boxes will convert Digital back to Analog to enable older TV sets to still be used.
More questions and answers will be posted soon
Want to ask a Digital Television or HD question?, Ask it Here! |
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Digital television (DTV) is a telecommunication system for broadcasting and receiving moving pictures and sound by means of digital signals, in contrast to analog signals used by analog (traditional) TV. DTV uses digital modulation data, which is digitally compressed and requires decoding by a specially designed television set or a standard receiver with a set-top box.
Digital television has several advantages over traditional analog TV, the most significant being that digital channels take up less bandwidth space. This means that digital broadcasters can provide more digital channels in the same space, provide High-Definition digital service, or provide other non-television services such as pay-multimedia services or interactive services. Digital television also permits special services such as multicasting (more than one program on the same channel) and electronic program guides. As well, digital television often has a superior image, improved audio quality, and better reception than analog.
High-definition television (HDTV) is a television broadcasting system with a significantly higher resolution than traditional formats (NTSC, SECAM, PAL). While some early analog HDTV formats were broadcast in Europe and Japan, HDTV is usually broadcast digitally, because digital television (DTV) broadcasting requires much less bandwidth.
HDTV is also capable of "theater-quality" audio because it uses the Dolby Digital (AC-3) format to support "5.1" surround sound.
The term "high-definition" can refer to the resolution specifications themselves, or more loosely to media capable of similar sharpness, such as photographic film.
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