Last Friday, IPTV officially became an all-digital television network! We spent Friday and the weekend taking calls from viewers who needed help, as we've been doing for more than 18 months.
If you know of someone who is still having trouble receiving Iowa Public Television, or someone who needs help, tell them to call IPTV at 1-800-532-1290. We'd be happy to help them.
Meanwhile, enjoy IPTV, IPTV LEARNS, and IPTV WORLD. Thanks!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Why is IPTV continuing analog broadcasting past Feb. 17?
We've heard from viewers concerned about our decision to continue broadcasting analog signals past the original Feb. 17 shutoff date following the national delay approved by Congress. We've also heard from viewers grateful for a little more time to get ready.
Iowa Public Television is, at our core, a public service media organization. We believe it's important to serve all Iowans, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. And in the past year, we've fulfilled some of that public service role by assisting Iowans with questions and problems converting to digital television. We've conducted more than 100 town hall meetings around the state, aired 30 hours of information about the switch, and talked with thousands of Iowans having difficulty making the transition.
Though we did not advocate for the delay, we do see it as our role to take advantage of the extra time to provide information and assistance to those Iowans who aren't yet ready.
We have no doubt Iowans are aware of the switch - and we're not staying analog to help procrastinators. We believe, through our conversations and visits with Iowans, that most of those who haven't made the switch are having unanticipated difficulties with reception and antenna issues. Still others applied for converter box coupons and are now on a waiting list, or never received coupons to begin with.
There will be utility costs associated with staying analog for a few more months, and in these budget times taking on those costs was a difficult decision. We're finding other ways to save in these demanding budget times, because we strongly feel these costs are an investment in helping as many Iowans as possible be prepared for the switch. And of course, the individual contributions made by members will continue to go directly toward programming.
Iowans rely on television, not just for entertainment and a connection to the outside world, but for important public safety information. And Iowa's families - particularly those families in lower income situations without access to pay television or new televisions - rely on our service for safe, educational children's programs.
So though staying analog does incorporate additional expense, we feel the cost allows us to do the important public service mission with which we are charged - helping all Iowans through public media. It's why we were created, why we are supported, and it's our unique responsibility.
Iowa Public Television is, at our core, a public service media organization. We believe it's important to serve all Iowans, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. And in the past year, we've fulfilled some of that public service role by assisting Iowans with questions and problems converting to digital television. We've conducted more than 100 town hall meetings around the state, aired 30 hours of information about the switch, and talked with thousands of Iowans having difficulty making the transition.
Though we did not advocate for the delay, we do see it as our role to take advantage of the extra time to provide information and assistance to those Iowans who aren't yet ready.
We have no doubt Iowans are aware of the switch - and we're not staying analog to help procrastinators. We believe, through our conversations and visits with Iowans, that most of those who haven't made the switch are having unanticipated difficulties with reception and antenna issues. Still others applied for converter box coupons and are now on a waiting list, or never received coupons to begin with.
There will be utility costs associated with staying analog for a few more months, and in these budget times taking on those costs was a difficult decision. We're finding other ways to save in these demanding budget times, because we strongly feel these costs are an investment in helping as many Iowans as possible be prepared for the switch. And of course, the individual contributions made by members will continue to go directly toward programming.
Iowans rely on television, not just for entertainment and a connection to the outside world, but for important public safety information. And Iowa's families - particularly those families in lower income situations without access to pay television or new televisions - rely on our service for safe, educational children's programs.
So though staying analog does incorporate additional expense, we feel the cost allows us to do the important public service mission with which we are charged - helping all Iowans through public media. It's why we were created, why we are supported, and it's our unique responsibility.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
What about that DTV delay?
By now you've heard about the national delay in the required analog TV shutoff date - the date is now June 12, 2009.
Iowa Public Television will continue to broadcast in analog until the new shutoff date. Though there is additional expense for Iowa Public Television to do so, we want to ensure as many Iowans as possible are able to make the switch.
We're finding that many viewers who contact us are aware of the transition, and have taken steps to be ready. But when they try to make the switch in their homes, many are finding they have reception and antenna issues. So, we're glad to take advantage of this extra time to help viewers on the phone, on the air, and online.
If you're ready, you can watch IPTV's three digital channels right now! And be sure to help your neighbors, family, and friends with their switch.
If you aren't ready, there's no need to wait. Give us a call at (800) 532-1290 and we can help you make the switch in your home.
We're committed to making sure as many people as possible are ready for the analog shutoff.
Iowa Public Television will continue to broadcast in analog until the new shutoff date. Though there is additional expense for Iowa Public Television to do so, we want to ensure as many Iowans as possible are able to make the switch.
We're finding that many viewers who contact us are aware of the transition, and have taken steps to be ready. But when they try to make the switch in their homes, many are finding they have reception and antenna issues. So, we're glad to take advantage of this extra time to help viewers on the phone, on the air, and online.
If you're ready, you can watch IPTV's three digital channels right now! And be sure to help your neighbors, family, and friends with their switch.
If you aren't ready, there's no need to wait. Give us a call at (800) 532-1290 and we can help you make the switch in your home.
We're committed to making sure as many people as possible are ready for the analog shutoff.
Friday, January 9, 2009
2009 Consumer Electronics Show - Day 1
I am attending the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and I am looking at a few very specific items. As I have been doing DTV information sessions throughout the state of Iowa, I have had an opportunity to listen to and answer many questions. However there are many more questions that still need to be answered and I have used those issues to determine what I am looking at.
Primarily there are four specific issues. First is recording over-the-air digital television. Many peopl who have purchased converter boxes have discovered that they make using existing VCR's very difficult. I am looking at what items are available to replace the analog VCR. The second area is indoor antennas. Although I am not a fan of indoor antennas because of the problems associated with indoor reception it is clear that many people want to continue to use them. I will be reporting on what is happpening on this front.
The third issue is about what is happening in display development. There are some exciting new technologies being unveiled at this year's conference. Many people are looking at new televisions and want to be sure that what they are purchasing is the right choice for them.
The fourth issue is audio. You don't have to watch too much digital television to recognize that there are some unresolved audio concerns. Audio/video synchronization is an issue and a number of vendors are offering the consumer some options for correcting these problems. And if you change channels you'll notice the other issue which is loudness or more precisely the inconsistent audio levels between channels. I will be reporting on what is happening on this front as well.
I will be filing my first report later today.
Bill
Primarily there are four specific issues. First is recording over-the-air digital television. Many peopl who have purchased converter boxes have discovered that they make using existing VCR's very difficult. I am looking at what items are available to replace the analog VCR. The second area is indoor antennas. Although I am not a fan of indoor antennas because of the problems associated with indoor reception it is clear that many people want to continue to use them. I will be reporting on what is happpening on this front.
The third issue is about what is happening in display development. There are some exciting new technologies being unveiled at this year's conference. Many people are looking at new televisions and want to be sure that what they are purchasing is the right choice for them.
The fourth issue is audio. You don't have to watch too much digital television to recognize that there are some unresolved audio concerns. Audio/video synchronization is an issue and a number of vendors are offering the consumer some options for correcting these problems. And if you change channels you'll notice the other issue which is loudness or more precisely the inconsistent audio levels between channels. I will be reporting on what is happening on this front as well.
I will be filing my first report later today.
Bill
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Beware of High Definition Hype
I recently had a question from a viewer who was receiving our digital signal and was quite happy except for the fact that occasionally he had what he described as “digitization” in the picture. Probably anyone that has watched any television for some period of time has noticed this artifact. It is sometimes called “pixelization” or “mosaic tiling” or “blockiness.” The professional term for it is macro-blocking and it is what happens to the picture when the digital decoder in the receiver starts to run out of data. Is it the edge of the abyss we call the digital cliff. The digital cliff is the reason why I stress taking all the steps possible to deliver as clean a signal to the receiver as possible. Those steps increase the margin or distance between the received signal and the cliff and the greater the margin, the better.
The viewer lives in a three story home with an outdoor antenna and uses splitters and cable runs to distribute the signal to five different television receivers. He had done some research regarding splitters and sent me a couple of links to websites that he had looked at and was wondering if there was any merit in the claims made about these splitters and if installing them would improve the reliability of his signal. I visited both websites and one was quite accurate in describing the splitter’s capabilities and function, although I am not sure why a splitter needs a “precision die-cast 24k gold-plated chassis.” Gold-plating the connector contact improves connectivity which gives some improvement in performance but I don’t know how gold-plating the outside of the splitter helps.
The other site was much more worrisome since it was full of misinformation. It started off with this statement “These 1080p rated 2, 3 and 4 Way, 2 GHz RF high definition splitters are solely designed for high definition systems.” Where do I start? An RF splitter’s function is to take an RF signal from an antenna or cable system and divide it equally. 2, 3, and 4 way splitters divide the single input into 2, 3 and 4 outputs respectively. They work with the radio frequency (RF) signal and therefore do not care if the content on the signal is digital or analog, high definition or standard definition. RF splitters have been employed since the very early days of broadcast so it is doubtful that this splitter was solely designs for high definition systems and 1080p is a high definition video display format and has nothing to do with the performance of this or any other splitter. The advertising copy went on to make numerous claims of performance of this splitter and inaccurately relating it directly to high definition television.
I have said it before, but what makes digital television digital is not the RF signal, but the content that is on the RF signal. So until the content is removed (demodulated and decoded), the DTV signal works pretty much just like the analog signal. In the RF domain, there is no such thing as a digital antenna, a digital splitter, or digital wire. These passives components are agnostic to the content and only care about the RF signal. To be sure, having good components will improve reception but the same good components will improve analog or digital reception. Don’t fall for the marketing hype.
Bill
The viewer lives in a three story home with an outdoor antenna and uses splitters and cable runs to distribute the signal to five different television receivers. He had done some research regarding splitters and sent me a couple of links to websites that he had looked at and was wondering if there was any merit in the claims made about these splitters and if installing them would improve the reliability of his signal. I visited both websites and one was quite accurate in describing the splitter’s capabilities and function, although I am not sure why a splitter needs a “precision die-cast 24k gold-plated chassis.” Gold-plating the connector contact improves connectivity which gives some improvement in performance but I don’t know how gold-plating the outside of the splitter helps.
The other site was much more worrisome since it was full of misinformation. It started off with this statement “These 1080p rated 2, 3 and 4 Way, 2 GHz RF high definition splitters are solely designed for high definition systems.” Where do I start? An RF splitter’s function is to take an RF signal from an antenna or cable system and divide it equally. 2, 3, and 4 way splitters divide the single input into 2, 3 and 4 outputs respectively. They work with the radio frequency (RF) signal and therefore do not care if the content on the signal is digital or analog, high definition or standard definition. RF splitters have been employed since the very early days of broadcast so it is doubtful that this splitter was solely designs for high definition systems and 1080p is a high definition video display format and has nothing to do with the performance of this or any other splitter. The advertising copy went on to make numerous claims of performance of this splitter and inaccurately relating it directly to high definition television.
I have said it before, but what makes digital television digital is not the RF signal, but the content that is on the RF signal. So until the content is removed (demodulated and decoded), the DTV signal works pretty much just like the analog signal. In the RF domain, there is no such thing as a digital antenna, a digital splitter, or digital wire. These passives components are agnostic to the content and only care about the RF signal. To be sure, having good components will improve reception but the same good components will improve analog or digital reception. Don’t fall for the marketing hype.
Bill
Monday, December 15, 2008
IPTV DTV Information Sessions
In the coming months, Iowa Public Television's DTV experts will conduct free information and Q&A sessions about Digital Television. UPDATED JANUARY 23
And remember - if you'd like an Iowa Public Television staff person to speak to your community or civic group, please let us know! Contact Jennifer at 800-532-1290 or at jennifer.konfrst@iptv.org to schedule a session in your community!
And remember - if you'd like an Iowa Public Television staff person to speak to your community or civic group, please let us know! Contact Jennifer at 800-532-1290 or at jennifer.konfrst@iptv.org to schedule a session in your community!
Upcoming Free Digital Television Information Sessions
- Cedar Rapids Public Library - Westdale Mall - Wednesday, January 28 at 6:30 p.m.
- Ericksen Center - Clinton, Iowa - Thursday, February 12 at 1 p.m.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Why Does Digital Reception Behave Differently
As the February 17, 2009 analog shutoff approaches there has been a huge and very successful push to increase the public awareness that something is happening regarding television in the USA. When I first began explaining digital television to viewer in the mid 1990's the focus was on telling them what they would need to do to receive digital services. Television signals, whether digital or analog, essentially travel the same way so how the signal gets to the receive antenna is more a factor of what television channel and band (VHF or UHF) the signal is on rather then whether the content riding on that signal is digital or analog. The real observable difference to the end users is in the performance of the digital decoder in a DTV receiver.
I try to explain it to lay people this way. In analog television there is a direct connection between the quality of the received signal and the quality of the displayed content on that signal. Weak signal means noisy picture. A signal receiving self-interference (called multipath) has visible ghosting or after images in the picture. These and other common signal impairments are easily visible to the end user because although they are impairments to the television signal, they show up as impairments to the displayed content.
What makes DTV behave so differently is that when the content is created, before it is ever placed on a television signal, the content is digitized and from that point on we are not working directly with the content but rather with the numbers that represent the content. Those numbers can be manipulated and shipped around over many different forms of electronic transportation and as long as the number that gets to the decoder (this is what turns the number back into the content) are readable, the picture can be recreated perfectly.
So if we think back the things that impaired the analog television signal and recognize that the digital television signal travels those same paths, it makes sense then that those same impairments would happen to the digital television signal. And just like with the analog service, those impairments show up on the digital content (the numbers) but since the numbers have to go through the decoder before the content can be displayed, the direct connection that existed between the signal and the display of content no longer exists. Instead what happens is the decoder sees the noise from a weak signal but since all it has to figure out what the numbers are, even if they are noisy it will recreate the picture without showing any problems. If the numbers have ghosts it doesn't matter as long as the decoder can figure out the numbers it will recreate the picture.
So when digital service fails, what is really failing is the decoder not the receiver. What has happened is that the impairment to the signal has gotten so great, the decoder can not get enough of the number to recreate the picture. In the analog world this would show up on the screen as a picture that is so noisy and or ghosted that it would be unwatchable. The display would unlock (picture roll) or distort diagonally or be too noisy to make out any images. Digital receivers just can't display that.
So one of the fundamentals that people need to understand about digital reception regardless of whether it is via a new digital television or a coupon eligible converter box is that even though the same things impact the both the digital and analog television signals, the receivers will behave differently and essentially the same things that make analog reception work better (outdoor antennas, high quality wire, etc.) will make digital work better.
Bill
I try to explain it to lay people this way. In analog television there is a direct connection between the quality of the received signal and the quality of the displayed content on that signal. Weak signal means noisy picture. A signal receiving self-interference (called multipath) has visible ghosting or after images in the picture. These and other common signal impairments are easily visible to the end user because although they are impairments to the television signal, they show up as impairments to the displayed content.
What makes DTV behave so differently is that when the content is created, before it is ever placed on a television signal, the content is digitized and from that point on we are not working directly with the content but rather with the numbers that represent the content. Those numbers can be manipulated and shipped around over many different forms of electronic transportation and as long as the number that gets to the decoder (this is what turns the number back into the content) are readable, the picture can be recreated perfectly.
So if we think back the things that impaired the analog television signal and recognize that the digital television signal travels those same paths, it makes sense then that those same impairments would happen to the digital television signal. And just like with the analog service, those impairments show up on the digital content (the numbers) but since the numbers have to go through the decoder before the content can be displayed, the direct connection that existed between the signal and the display of content no longer exists. Instead what happens is the decoder sees the noise from a weak signal but since all it has to figure out what the numbers are, even if they are noisy it will recreate the picture without showing any problems. If the numbers have ghosts it doesn't matter as long as the decoder can figure out the numbers it will recreate the picture.
So when digital service fails, what is really failing is the decoder not the receiver. What has happened is that the impairment to the signal has gotten so great, the decoder can not get enough of the number to recreate the picture. In the analog world this would show up on the screen as a picture that is so noisy and or ghosted that it would be unwatchable. The display would unlock (picture roll) or distort diagonally or be too noisy to make out any images. Digital receivers just can't display that.
So one of the fundamentals that people need to understand about digital reception regardless of whether it is via a new digital television or a coupon eligible converter box is that even though the same things impact the both the digital and analog television signals, the receivers will behave differently and essentially the same things that make analog reception work better (outdoor antennas, high quality wire, etc.) will make digital work better.
Bill
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