This is one of the questions this is frequently asked by viewers calling the station or attending the DTV information sessions that IPTV is putting on throughout the state. As of this blog entry on June 6, 2008 there are currently 90 different models of coupon eligible converter boxes (CECB’s) listed by the National Telecommunication Information Administration’s at their official information website (https://www.ntiadtv.gov/cecb_list.cfm). I am in the process of acquiring one of each model so that I can test the units and see how well they perform. However, it is not my intent to create grade the CECB or recommend one over the other because from my testing so far, I have found that all of the boxes do what they need to do which is receive digital television, convert it to analog and output it so that an analog television can still be used. Certainly if I find a box that doesn’t do these basic functions I will let the people who read this blog or call the station or attend the information session know that there are problems with a specific unit but so far, I haven’t found one yet that fails to work.
So if they all work and there are 90 or so different models out there, how do you pick one? Well, there are a few “features” that I do recommend that you look for but keep in mind these “features” were not required to be included in the CECB but as I have gained more experience with various models I have dealt with a few issues. One of the first features I would suggest looking for on the box is a power switch. I realize that most of us wouldn’t consider the power switch to be a feature but it was not required and I have one box from Digital Stream that works very well but doesn’t have any control switches so everything must be done using the remote control. If you’re like me and you occasionally misplace the TV remote, at least you can get up and walk to the set and turn it on but with this particular unit, without the remote you cannot even turn it on. I’d also suggest that you look for channel up/down controls on the box for pretty much the same reason, if you’ve misplaced the remote you will probably want to be able to change channels as well as turn the box on.
Another feature to look for is called “antenna pass through” or “antenna bypass.” You probably already know about this but haven’t really known what it was. If you have a VCR hooked up so that you’re antenna is feeding into the VCR’s antenna input and then another piece of antenna line goes from the VCR to the antenna input of the television you have used this feature. This is what allows the signals coming in from the antenna to continue on to the television even when the VCR is turned off. Very few of the CECB’s (22 out of the current 90) have this feature so when the converter box is turned off, the antenna signals no longer continue to the television. What makes this feature important is that right now, full powered television stations are broadcasting both analog and digital signals and if you want to watch an analog service after installing a converter box, unless it has this pass through capability you must physically disconnect the converter box from the antenna and reconnect the antenna to the television. So is this a big deal after the analog shutoff? It may be, depending on where you live and what stations you watch. Although in February of 2009, all full powered television stations will stop broadcasting analog signals and only broadcast digital signal, there is whole group of television stations call low powered television or translators that may (and many probably will) continue to broadcast analog television services because the federal mandate for digital conversion is only for full powered stations. If you happen to live in an area where there is a mix of full powered and low powered stations, you may want to be able to receive both. The rules for the converter boxes required that they could only receive digital television so the boxes cannot receive and analog signal, including low power so the only way to watch them is to use the analog tuner in the television. Now at some point in the future, these low powered stations and translators will convert to digital operation but until that happens there will probably be a mix of services in many areas. In Iowa, IPTV uses 8 translators to service viewers in the northwest corner, the northeast corner and southeast corner of the state. Even though there is no requirement to convert our translators to digital, we will begin that conversion after the analog shutoff and should be 100% digital before spring. It is our belief that trying to maintain an analog and digital service will be very confusing for the audience and will prevent people receiving the analog service from getting all the additional programming that will be part of our digital multicast services.
I think there is some fallout from this feature missing since I have had a number of people tell me that they have visited stores that are now out of converter boxes. What I believe is happening is that a number of manufacturer that are planning on adding this feature have suspended production of their CECB’s that don’t do antenna pass through and are gearing up to begin production and delivery of converters that do have this feature. I have spoken to one manufacturer that has confirmed this and knows that a number of others are doing the same thing. However, there are a number of boxes out there that already have this feature and are available and more will be showing up pretty quick since.
Beyond what I have mentioned, I like to tell people that prior to going out and buying the converter, spend some time looking at your current television remote control. This is the user interface that you use the most to watch television. Look at what features your current remote control has that you use. If you ping pong back and forth between two channels like I do when watching football, the control that allows you to flip flop between channels may be important to you. If you’re using an indoor antenna, having the signal strength display as button on the remote control rather than buried in menus may be important. Being able to turn on and off closed captioning without going to a menu may be important to you. What I am getting at is that you should figure out how you watch television and then when shopping for converters, ask to see the remote control and make sure that the features that you want to have quick access to are on the remote. If they aren’t, that doesn’t make the converter box a bad unit but it may not be what you want so pick another one. The whole idea here is for you to be able to continue to watch television the way you currently do so minimize the amount of change you have to make.
Bill
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
45 comments:
While the pass through might be nice it won't help us that have coupons that aren't good for much longer. Would have been nice if they would have came staggered like they were supposed.
While it is true there aren't as many boxes with pass through as we'd like to see, there are a number of them available now. If you check the link that is part of the original post you can find a number of them locally and on-line. I have seen a few on-line sites that will let you use your coupons to pre-order a box that isn't yet available.
Bill
I bought a converter box and plugged it in but I can only get the unappealing commercial stations near my house. The PBS station I watch all the time is about 40 miles from my house and comes in very well with my rabbit ears and analog TV, but is non-existent w the converter box. What boxes will allow me to continue to watch PBS?
It is very difficult to answer a question like what boxes will allow you to continue to watch PBS. I have seen very little difference in the ability of the boxes that I have tested to receive signals so any box should work assuming there is enough signal at the receive location. Since I have no idea where you live or what PBS station you are trying to watch, I cannot really provide any meaningful answer. If you want to send me more specific information I will be glad to try and help you with your issues.
Bill
Several companies build a "wrap-around" OTA antenna that goes on a dishnetwork dish. Both the OTA antenna signal and the dishnetwork signal come down the same cable. When I hook up the converter I purchased, the dishnetwork signal won't get to my TV. I suspect an electrical current passes up the line on these setups as well. Will a converter with analog pass through help this?
The pass throgh issue is a major problem now. Many people want a box with a pass through function but have coupons that are about to expire... The government really messed this one up by having the coupons expire so quickly.
A converter with analog pass through does solve the problem of both OTA signal and dish signal comming down the same line. Since the OTA is digital and the dishnetwork signal is analog, both pass thru the box to the TV.
Dan,
My concern in regards to the use of the converter with pass through and the satellite service is that if the satellite recever is sending voltage back up the cable to power the satellite antenna, the converter box and the satellite recevier may be damaged. I doubt that the converter box was designed to prevent the power on the antenna line from feeding back into the box and a short could cause problems for the satellite receiver.
Bill
A feature you might be interested in having is an event timer. This feature allows you to schedule a time you want the receiver tuned to a particular channel. It's important for VCR recording purposes. If you want to tape an ABC program at 7:00 and an NBC program at 8:00, the event timer will change the channel otherwise you must do it manually which will be difficult if your not home or forget. Unfortunately, I'm aware of only one brand of box that has this feature. I've read it's got shortcomings of no channel controls on the box, no universal remote capabilities and possibly a weak tuner. My web research has lead me to the conclusion that with all the less expensive models the manufactures made tradeoffs on features to keep the price down.
I would be very interested in knowing the make and model of the box that offers the timer feature. I have not seen it on any of the 27 I have tested so far.
Bill
We live in Peosta & can get Channels 2,7,9,12 with analog. When we hook up the convertor box (RCA DTA 800B) we only get channel 40. We have a roof antenna with an amplifier & rotor. Can you tell us what we need to receive more digital stations? Might we need a larger antenna for a stronger signal?
We live in a rural area outside Dubuque and can usually get channels 2, 7, 9 & 12 with our roof antenna. We purchased the RCA DTA800B digital converter but when we connected it, we could only receive 1 channel, KFXB (40). We have a rotor and an amplifier for the antenna. We can't figure out what the problem is, could it be that we'll need a larger antenna to get better reception?
Hi Barry,
I suspect the problem that you are having is that you are using a VHF rooftop antenna and currently all of the DTV services are on UHF channels, including KFXB. The only reason you are receiving their digital service is that they are so close to your location that even though your antenna is aimed away from them and VHF, the strength of their signal high enough to overcome all of the losses.
Of the stations on your list, all of them except channel 2 will be returning to their VHF channel for digital broadcasting after the February shut down of analog service. Channel 2 will stay on their existing UHF channel. So if you do not make any changes to your antenna, most of the services will probably be receivable at your location because they return to their VHF channels but you will probably not get the channel 2 DTV service without a UHF/VHF antenna.
Now my analysis is based on my belief that you are using a VHF only antenna, and that is based on the fact that you only list the VHF analog services and there are at least three UHF analog services on channel 28, 32 and 48 that are also available and they will all continue to operate on UHF channels.
You might want to take a look at your antenna and confirm that it is VHF only and it might be time to buy a new antenna and discover that you have a whole lot more television viewing options with digital service.
If you go to www.antennaweb.org, that site will help you figure out what you need for an antenna.
I hope this helps.
Bill
I believe the Dish Network DTVPal should have the event timer feature. At least I hope so as I am ordering it today since my coupons expire in a week.
Hello to Peosta,
I noticed that in your list of analog channels, you only list VHF channels. This leads me to suspect that you have a VHF only antenna. The amplifier may also be VHF only since I don't know how old it is. Do you receive any of the analog UHF stations from the Cedar Rapids/Waterloo area?
Currently, all of the digital services in your area are on UHF channels and the reason you aren't getting them may be that the antenna and amplifier won't pass them. The only reason you are probably getting the digital service from channel 40 is that they are so close to where you live that enough of the signal get through the antenna that the converter can decode it.
A lot of the local stations will be going back to their analog channels after February but I know that channel 2 is not so in order to get their service you'll need an antenna that does both VHF and UHF signals. If you go to www.antennaweb.org, this site will help you figure out what antenna you need.
I hope this helps.
Bill
I don't know if the DTVPal will have that feature. I am not real happy with those folks since they announced their first converter box at the Consumer Electronics Show in January that was priced at $39.99 which made it free but discontinued it before it was ever made available for sale. I hope it works for you.
Bill
I have a large house that is wired for multiple TVs with a single antenna input. Is theree a digital/analog converter that has a UHF Remote so I can use one converter to feed my whole system?
Hi James,
I am not aware of any coupon eligible boxes that would do that. I have seen some after market products for setting up home media centers that allow for the devices to be located centrally with remote control available in various rooms. As I recall, they were quite complex and somewhat expensive.
Bill
i live in polk city and purchased a digital converter box from Radio Shack. When i connect to my non-digital tv i get a message on the screen "weak signal" .However when i go back to the rabbit ears i can get the regular channels.
In Polk City, you should be getting plenty of signal. Since you are using rabbit ears, the first question I would ask is if your rabbit ears are for both UHF and VHF reception. If your rabbit ears only have the two straight telescoping pieces they are not for UHF, only VHF. If they have a small metal loop or metal bowtie assembly, that is the UHF part and you will need that since all of the digital television channels in the Des Moines area are on UHF channels. Does that help?
Bill
My friends have been picking up digital IPTV on channels in the 12.x range. But I watch IPTV through the airwaves on channel 18. Will there be digital channels in the 18.x range as well?
I just hooked my parents DTV box up and they are so disappointed they no loner receive Iowa Public TV. They live in rural Nauvoo Il and have always been able to receive this station with no problem. Now they get a lot of different public stations (maybe national stations?) but not Iowa. Is there any thing we can do to pull in Iowa from the new box or are we just out of luck?
I think I know why you're parents in Nauvoo, IL don't get IPTV since they hooked up their converter box. I suspect they were receiving our service from our translator in the Fort Madison area which is on channel 28 or our Keokuk translator on channel 45. Translators unlike full powered television stations do not have separate digital channels assigned to them and in reality don't even have to stop broadcasting in analog on February 17th of next year. The conversion mandate doesn't apply to television translators or low powered television stations. Since the DTV converter boxes only receive digital service, I suspect your folks are picking up the digital service from either the PTV station in Quincy, MO or Moline, IL. But tell them not to despair because there are a couple of things that are going to happen. IPTV has a full powered station in the Quad Cities and although it is currently operating at low power due to license restrictions from the FCC, we have applied for a power increase which should improve the service from that site so if they are getting the service from the Quad Cities, our station will be there. If on the other hand they are getting service from one of the translators I have mentioned, IPTV plans to convert all of its translators to digital operation very quickly after the February conversion and Fort Madison will be one of the first translators that we change. Let me know if this helps or if they are getting service from a different IPTV source.
Bill
Thank you for your Iowa DTV Answers Blog . I'm from Galesburg and I've received IPTV on channel 27 several times recently. KSIN-27is in Sioux City, 324 miles away; my equipment is good, but I can"t pull in Sioux City as often as I'm seeing it. Does IPTV have a new translator on channel 27?
Christopher
Hi Christopher,
We do not have any DTV translators on channel 27. Our only channel 27 is in Sioux City. There is a channel 27 in the Cedar Rapids/Waterloo market but it is not ours. It is possible that the reason you are seeing the station is a phenomenon called atmospheric ducting where atmospheric conditions create clearly defined boundaries that act as a duct (like we use for routing air conditioning around) and this allows a signal to follow the curve of the earth rather than just straight line into space. It typically doesn't last too long and only happens when the atmospheric conditions are just right.
Bill
I'm not very techie. I would like a converter box that has pass through and can change channels for VCR taping. From reading on the internet, it appears as though that is possible. Are there indeed boxes that do that, and if so, which brands? I'm guessing that I would have to order online, as stores here have 1 model of box per store - not multiple to compare. My coupon has about a month left. Thanks a lot.
Greetings Non-Techie,
In theory you don't have to be technical to buy and install a converter box. If you follow this link (https://www.ntiadtv.gov/cecb_list.cfm) it will take you to the most current list of converter boxes. There are over 150 models out there and about 80 of them do the antenna pass through that you have heard about. The ones on the list that do pass through are marked with an asterisk.
Purchasing on line is a good option and this link (https://www.dtv2009.gov/VendorSearch.aspx) has a number of on-line retailer that accept coupons. I hope this helps.
Bill
Thank you, Bill. Are any of those boxes able to change the channel so a VCR can tape from different stations without viewer intervention? And, is the DTVPal only for use with the Dish Network?
I have heard that some boxes have the ability to be programmed for a channel change but I have not confirmed this nor have I found it on any of the boxes that I have tested. Others who read this blog may know if there are boxes that do this and which models they are.
There are a couple of new VCR's on the market that have a DTV tuner in them that would be under the direct control of the VCR and would therefore function like a traditional VCR when it comes to programming channel changes and such. However, they would not qualify for the coupons.
I have not tested the DTVPal but in order to be a certified for the coupon program, the box would have to work with any analog television.
Bill
Prior to installing a converter box, we received five analog channels with a roof top antenna (UHF/VHF). With the converter box hooked up, we get only one digital channel.
The analog and digital channels come about 52 miles. I've been told that we may be at the fringe of the digital broadcasts, and, unlike the analog signal, a digital signal is either there or not. i.e., there is no such thing as a "snowy" digital signal.
If this is true, we have lost our ability to receive free TV. Is there any place to appeal this situation?
While it is true that there are no "snowy" digital signals, I wouldn't be so quick to jump to the conclusion that you have lost your "ability to receive free TV." The fact that you are getting one digital channel is an indication that you can receive DTV service. The question now is why are you only getting one digital when you used to get five analog stations. In order to answer that question I would need to know what analog stations you did watch and what town you live in. From your e-mail I cannot tell if you live in Iowa where I am or somewhere else but in any case, I can probably help you trouble shoot the situation and hopefully correct it.
The fact that the signals come from 52 miles out does not necessarily put you outside of digital coverage. In traveling the state of Iowa I can regularly receive digital services from stations at distances of 90 miles or more. In addition to distance, terrain, foilage, antenna height, antenna gain and many other factors influence how well a signal is received and the greater the distance from the transmitter, the more critical these factors become in insuring or preventing reception.
If you'll send me some general information like the town where you live and the analog and digital stations you are receiving I can probably give you some simple ideas of things to try to insure that you get digital service.
Bill
We live in northwest IA two miles from the channel 33 antennae and cant receive IPTV after installing the converter.Will they convert to digital?
Great article - thanks for helping to east the digital tv transition! I'm on the east coast (NC), not far from the DTV test taking place in Wilmington, NC.
I'm wondering if you've seen any numbers in terms of specific models CECB's sold? I get a lot of questions on this issue, and have a standard response, but it'd be great to get a different perspective.
Hello William,
Thanks for the kind words about the article. I haven't really seen any information regarding which specific boxes are selling the best. I basically tell people that the boxes all do the required features equally well. The big difference is the user interface. The only thing that has changed from when I wrote the original post is one of my first CECB's failed. It was the MicroGEM unit and I have been concerned because the unit always ran hotter than any other box that I tested. Heat always concerns me so I am not comfortable recommending that model.
Bill
Hi Northwest Iowa Resident,
You are watching IPTV off of our translator licensed to Sibley, IA. You ask a very good question and it points out the need to know if your converter box has a feature called analog pass-through. This feature allows the signal from the external antenna to pass through to the television tuner when the converter box is turned off, like a home video cassette recorder does when it is turned off. Since the converter box only has a digital tuner and the translator is an analog service, just like the analog tuner in your TV can't figure out the digital signals, the DTV tuner in the converter box cannot figure out the analog signal. Here is a link to the converter boxes that are approved by the NTIA https://www.ntiadtv.gov/cecb_list.cfm. Converter boxes that have the pass through feature are marked with an asterisk. If your box has the feature, then when you turn the box off you can tune to channel 33 using the television tuner.
The second question is will channel 33 be digital? The answer to that is yes. We are in the process of rebuilding all of our translator sites and some time next year, after we get all of the work finished at the full powered sites done we will be converting all of the translators to digital. My best estimate is that it will be during the summer.
Bill
WE have just purchased our box we use rabbit rars for the antenna do we still need to use them to get a single when we hook the box up like it says we get the weak singnal sigh on the TV If we have to use the rabbit ears wher do we hook them to?
You will always need an antenna to receive over the air signals regardless of whether they are digital or analog. In order to hook your antenna up to the converter box you need to disconnet the antenna from the television, connect the antenna to the antenna input on the converter box and then take the piece of coaxial cable (black round wire) that came with the box and connect one end to the RF output on the converter box and the other end to where the antenna used to connect to the television. You then tune the television to channel 3, turn on the converter box and scan for channels. I hope this helps.
Bill
I have cable from Time Warner so I don't need to use my Digital TV Converter Box for this purpose, but will I have to hook up the box to my old VCR to be able to record come February?
If your VCR is also hooked to cable, you will not need a converter box since the VCR, like your TV is using the cable and not an antenna to receive service.
Bill
Dear Bill -
We live just west of Fairfield, IA. We have cable service through Rural Cable in Batavia. The cable signal itself is, I believe, received through the antenna on top of the house and fed into the house through a cable.
The Batavia cable people said we will only need a converter box for IPTV and Fox, that the other channels we receive through the cable box are already converted from digital to analog by whatever they do at their station.
Yesterday we bought a converter box at Target (RCA model STB7766G1, which did not have an asterisk on the list that came with the coupons but which DOES say "Analog pass-through for Low-Power stations - supports non-digital over-the-air TV broadcasts" on the box and which we were told by the people at Target was better than the OTHER model which DID have an asterisk on the list. We tried to hook it up and got nowhere.
I apologize if you have already answered this question but I am rather non-technical and I can't make it all the way through all the posts and your (I'm sure) very wonderful and thorough answers without getting a headache!?
Anyway - it SEEMS that the way the machines are currently hooked up is this:
The cable from the roof antenna comes into the house and is hooked up to the company's little cable box. That box is hooked up to the VCR (so that programs can be recorded) and the VCR is hooked up to the TV.
We currently change channels by using the cable box remote. We are receiving IPTV as Channel 18 (on the cable box) though the cable company says that we are actually receiving it by virtue of the little circular antenna that is attached to the back of the cable box.
The question is (and the cable people say they don't know the answer) is how and where exactly to attach the converter box?
We tried putting the "cable" cable (the one coming into the house) into the converter box as the antenna signal, and then attaching the converter to the cable box (which in turn is attached to the VCR and the TV.) That lost us all the channels.
Then we tried putting the cable-bearing-cable back into the regular cable box but plugging the little circular antenna into the converter box instead of the cable box, since we apparently are pulling IPTV and the Fox channel from Ottumwa in just on the strength of that little internal antenna, and keeping the converter box attached to the cable box. That gave us back the regular channels and we got lousy lousy reception of IPTV.
In frustration, we ended up putting everything back the way it was and watching, with the relatively clear picture that we get that way, the show about the great apes, hoping that somehow this would all go away and the conversion would somehow not really ever affect us...Heads firmly stuck in sand, in other words.
Argh. Can you help? Sorry to be such an idiot.
Mosie in Fairfield
I bought a converter box, hooked it up according to directions. I have an indoor newer antenna, but the only message I get after the screen says it's scanning is that there is "no signal." After three hours of trying everything I can think of, nothing works. I was lead to believe this was an easy set up, but after calling around I was told that maybe the indoor antennas don't work so well depending on where you live. I live in the Des Moines area on the third floor of a condo complex. Why would I not get a signal? AND, will I get a signal at the time of the switch over.
Hi Mosie,
First off, you are not an idiot. You happen to live in one of the areas that many of us in broadcasting have been concerned about since the FCC first mandated the conversion to digital television. The channel 18 service that you receive is from our translator that services the Ottuma area. A translator is a low powered television transmitter that receives service from a full powered television transmitter and rebroadcasts the service on a differnt channels. In this case the Ottumwa translator receives channel 12 out of Iowa City and rebroadcasts it (translates it) on channel 18.
Now here is the screwy part. When the FCC mandated the digital conversion they did not factor into the plan low power television and translator services so none of these services were granted second channels for digital broadcasting. To further complicate the problem, the FCC also exempted these services from the requirement to shut down their analog transmissions when all of the full powered analog transmitters shut down. What this means to you is that in Fairfield is that your Fox and ABC services come from full powered local stations whose analog service will be discontinued but your PBS, CBS and NBC service which come from translators will stay on analog.
In that situation to use the over the air services, you would have the converter box turned on to watch the digital only service from ABC and FOX out of Kriksville, MO and Ottumwa, IA resepctively. You would tune your television to channel 3 and use the converter box to tune the digital services. To watch the other services, you would turn off the converter box which would then pass the antenna through the box directly to the back of the television and then use the TV tuner to select the channels (like 18 for IPTV.)
I am confused by the cable company explanation since it appears that they are saying that FOX and IPTV are coming in via translators when FOX has a full powered station in Ottumwa. Be that as it may, I am would try hooking up the box this way. Disconnect the over the air antenna from the cable box and connect it to the converter. Take the output of the converter and connect it to the cable box where the over the air antenna was connected. In order to watch the digital services from the over the air antenna you will need to tune the cable box to channel 3 since that is what is coming out of the converter box. To watch the over the air analog services you'll need to turn of the converter box and tune the anaolog service using the cable box tuner.
I hope this works.
Bill
I cannot overemphasize the fact that indoor reception is worst choice for receiving television, digital or analog. The reason being is that in addition to all of the external impairments that may be happening to the signal on its path from the transmitting antenna to the receive antenna, placing the receive antenna indoors adds a multitude of additional potential impairments to the signal. In the analog domain, these impairments will be noise or ghosts in the picture. The same impairments acting on the digital signal disrupt the ability of the decoder within the digital receiver to recreate the picture. In digital what this means is that the decoder runs out of data and fails do the picture and audio fail. This is the digital cliff that we talk about. For reliable reception it is important to put as much distance (fade margin) between the signal and the cliff as possible and we do this by reducing the impairments to the signal. In the case of your 3rd floor condo, I suggest placing an antenna on your patio as one possible solution to eliminate the losses associated with penetrating the walls and bouncing around in the room.
Bill
I would like a digital on translators update please. While we enjoy mainstream programming on channel 25 up here in Rock Rapids, when I'm elsewhere I really enjoy the programming on PBS World (For that matter, "Create" and PBS HD have entertaining and informative programming as well). Just curious when we will be able to get "PBS World" on the Rock Rapids translator.
Hi Radioboy,
We will be completing the conversion of the translators during the spring and summer of this year.
Bill
Post a Comment