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Why is this digital change over happening?The 'off-the-air' TV we watch in Canada now is all analog, a system designed on a standard set in 1941 - obviously ancient technology. It's been "patched" and extended several times to add things like colour, stereo sound, closed captioning, and second audio programs, but it can't be taken much further. Digital TV is a relatively new concept for broadcasting in Canada, with lots of room for expansion. As well as all the features of analog TV, on the good side, digital TV offers a much clearer picture, the ability to broadcast high-definition pictures, program guides, and many more nice features, like "multicasting", where one station can broadcast several different programs at the same time. On the bad side, the digital signal does not seem to travel as far, or with as much strength, as analog signals, a very good receiving antenna is needed, and the position of the receiving antenna is much more critical with digital TV than it ever was with analog. There's also the nasty possibility of a Broadcast Flag which would let movie studios, networks, and the government control what you are allowed to watch, record, and how long you can keep a recording of a program. Here is a explanation in plain English. There's also the prevalent myth that Digital TV and high definition TV are the same thing, which is not true. Some digital channels do broadcast in high definition, but many are in standard definition format. Even standard definition (SDTV) is usually better than analog TV, and is capable of wide-screen and surround sound. When is the digital change over happening?With very few exceptions, analog TV will all go off the air on February 17, 2009 in the USA. In Canada, this will not take place until August 31, 2011, but since many of us near the border can receive American TV, February 2009 affects us too. There are presently about 16 digital program channels available in my area, all from Detroit, Michigan. Canadian broadcasters seem to be taking their time, having over 2 more years to do the upgrades. I can't find any Canadian digital TV signals in my area. Update: Obama's new government have loused this up, trying to force yet another extension to June 12th. Many broadcasters complained. (They pay phenomenal bills for electricity to run analog transmitters every month) So now each broadcaster can switch whenever they want between February 17th and June 12th. |
There's a lot of confusion out there about the new digital TV, even with all the advertisements being run by the stations themselves. Much of the misinformation has come from salespeople, and other self-declared experts, so I'll try to clear up some of the myths and rumours. Whether you are affected or not by the change over is determined by the source of the signal used for your TV viewing: Satellite: Signals received from satellite systems, whether Bell Expressvu, Starchoice, FTA (free-to-air), C-Band, or even the pirated units will not be affected by the change over. Those signals are already digital anyway, and the equipment you have now will carry on working fine with your existing TV. Cable TV: Cable is an area of confusion, as each company seems to make their own rules and agenda. Some cable providers have already made the move to digital cable, and have provided new 'cable boxes' to their customers. In this case, the cable box is probably already doing the digital conversion for you, but that depends on your cable provider. In some cases, the cable providers are converting the signals from digital to analog for you at their end, meaning you have nothing to worry about. In a few cases, cable companies are telling customers to purchase a digital converter box for their house. Off Air, Tower Antenna, or 'rabbit ears': All these are affected, but contrary to what salesmen may tell you do not need to buy a new TV, and you do not need to buy a new antenna. There are some special needs for both the antenna and the television, but these can be easily addressed. As far as your antenna is concerned, the digital signal looks like a narrowly focused UHF signal. Your regular outdoor antenna that you've been using for UHF analog TV (channels 14-69) will probably work fine for digital reception. Mine does. The need for a rotator cannot be understated. Analog signals will come in if the antenna is pointing somewhere near the general direction of the broadcast tower, but for digital reception, even 5 degrees out can make the difference between a great signal or none at all. As long as you have a good UHF antenna with a rotator, and possibly a regular antenna booster (depending on your area) you have everything you need outdoors. Once that signal gets to the TV, a special tuner is needed to bring in the digital channels. If your TV is new enough, it may have a digital tuner built in. If you have an older TV, you can get a digital converter box, which hooks up to the TV just like a DVD player, and brings in the digital channels, along with the program guide and all the other DTV goodies. These converter boxes are a sensible way to add DTV capability to your existing TV. Check the New Equipment page for available models and pricing. Even if you have a digital tuner in your TV, you might still need a converter box if you record programs with a DVD recorder or VCR that has no internal digital tuner. Also, some newer televisions are being marketed as "HD ready". These sets are sometimes lacking a digital tuner, but otherwise are capable of displaying high definition pictures. These sets still need the converter box to receive digital TV. |