To put it mildly, web sites belonging to local digital (and analog) television stations in Northern California are nearly all but useless, when it comes to finding helpful information, especially of a technical nature. With the sole exception of our local DTV PBS affiliate KEET, most local TV stations look as if they haven’t had a major website redesign in years, or have farmed-out web development to some third-party who has no interest in providing the community with any information at all.

Local NBC TV affiliate KIEM, has not made any major changes to their website in years. Last I checked, their only contact e-mail was being directed at the now-defunct local ISP Humboldt Internet. I have attempted to contact them in the past for information via e-mail, but have never received any type of reply. At first glance, it looks as if the station might be moving into the 21st century by offering streaming video of their nightly newscast. However, newscasts available on the site are usually outdated, often not adding any new material for several days at a time. To make matters worse, the station seems to be relying on some trashy third-party called VEOH to provide its streaming services. Why trashy? Just try clicking on the menu to watch any of KIEM’s previous newscasts. You’ll immediately be transported to a page that seems to specialize in streaming soft-core porn clips. As of last night, next to KIEM’s footage on VEOH are clips from the Marilyn Chambers hardcore XXX rated porn movie Behind the Green Door as well as nightly clips from The Naked News. Every single time I have viewed any of KIEM’s news broadcasts on this site, I have been bombarded with thumbnail images of pornography. The only part of KIEM’s website that seems to be updated regularly is Jim Bernard’s weather forecast. I’m guessing that Jim probably has to upload everything himself. There is also a link on the homepage to a video describing how to hook-up a DTV converter box. When you click on it, there are thumbnail previews of video clips titled “Two Girls, One Shower” and “How To Breast Feed“. Other than that, there isn’t much useful or up-to-date information to be found on the DTV switch, or anything else.

KAEF-TV, Channel 29, by contrast, offers nothing. No website. No technical information. Nothing. Their sister station KRCR in Redding has a website, but that is it. This local ABC affiliate is pretty much just a signal pumped-in from out of town, and they seem to have little to no interest in the local community or its viewers. If you want any information on DTV, HDTV or the digital television transition, you’ll need to keep looking.

This brings us to Eureka Television Group, which for some reason the Federal Communications Commission is allowing to own the majority of broadcast television stations in Humboldt County. ETG operates KVIQ (CBS), KBVU (Fox), KUVU (The CW), KEMY (MyNetwork) and KEUV (Univision). As of today, the site’s information page on the digital TV transition was last updated “Wednesday, 18 June 2008″. Yes, it’s been almost a year since they have added any new information. The rest of the site is pretty much useless. Some TV programming listings and what looks to be some syndicated, national news that is automatically added to the site via an RSS feed. No e-mail links or contact info, other than phone numbers. The “about us” page was last updated in 2006, and gives a brief bio of the station’s current owner Chester Smith. The only problem here is, Smith died in August of 2008.

The last stop on this mind-numbing journey through Humboldt County’s DTV broadcasters is local PBS affiliate KEET. Fortunately, KEET seems to be the exception to the rule among local digital TV broadcasters. Besides updated programming listings and offering wealth of information about PBS programming, you will find full contact information, along with updated news on the local DTV transition. Strangely, they even reply to e-mails! Going even further than that, KEET has actually gone out of their way to educate the public on DTV issues and seems to be the only broadcaster in the area that makes an effort to keep viewers and the local media informed as to what they are doing. Seeing as they are reliant upon public donations, one would expect them to want to keep the public tuned-in. It’s sad that they seem to be the only local broadcaster going so far out of their way to keep local residents informed though.

In closing, the Internet provides a fantasic opportunity for local television stations to keep the public informed on the DTV transition, as well as many other subjects. In most TV markets, stations take full-advantage of this fact. Updating a website is certainly much cheaper than providing airtime on their stations. Alas, KIEM is the only DTV station in the area that even bothers doing a local newscast anymore, so it appears that most local stations are not very interested in providing viewers with much more than straight “entertainment” these days.

UPDATE: As of this writing in mid-December of 2009, KIEM-TV’s website seems to be abandoned. The last newscast that was uploaded to the site was on October 12th. That was over two months ago. The contact e-mail address for the news department is now a @hotmail.com address. There are some error messages on pages due to broken scripts. I haven’t watched any of the local TV channels in months now, so I have no idea if they are even still on the air. Nothing surprises me anymore in Humboldt County.

“He’s basically a living legend,” said Don Smullin, general manager of Eureka Television Group. Smith was the owner of a media empire that spanned from Bakersfield to Oregon and that included the local Fox, Univision, CW, My Network and CBS stations.

While Smullin said he didn’t yet know who would take over as owner of Eureka’s five stations, he assumed it would be someone in Smith’s family, but added, “I’m not privy to that information.” Until a replacement is named, Smullin said he has no worries for the television group’s future. “A lot of the blessings we have is that Chester left the company in very strong financial shape,” he said. “We have no debt.”

Channels listed as “Digital” are transmitted via the cable system using a proprietary, encrypted digital signal format that can only be (theoretically) decoded by one of the company’s authorized cable tuners/converters/descramblers. The channel numbers shown on the display are not necessarily associated with a station’s original broadcast channel or frequency.

SuddenLink uses fiberoptic lines to carry their signals from one utility pole to the next. Once reaching the utility pole nearest your home it converts these pulses of light into a digital radio frequency signal that is directly connected to your cable box via coaxial cable. Internet and telephone service from SuddenLink reaches customers via digital signals that are carried along with TV signals on the same lines.

Channel No. Channel Name Type
2 KBVU-FOX 29 Eureka, CA Basic
3 KIEM-TV (NBC) 3 Eureka, CA Basic
4 Suddenlink Homesource Basic
5 KEMY-LP MNT 33 Eureka, CA Basic
6 KVIQ-CBS 6 Eureka, CA Basic
7 KAEF-ABC 23 Arcata, CA Basic
8 Local Education Basic
9 KUVU-LP CW 17 Eureka, CA Basic
10 California Channel Basic
10 Local Access Basic
11 Community Channel Basic
12 Community Channel Basic
13 KEET-PBS 13 Eureka, CA Basic
14 USA Expanded Basic
15 CNN Expanded Basic
16 CNN Headline News Expanded Basic
17 MSNBC Expanded Basic
18 CNBC Expanded Basic
19 Fox News Channel Expanded Basic
20 ESPN Expanded Basic
21 ESPN 2 Expanded Basic
22 Comcast Sports Net Bay Area Expanded Basic
23 QVC Expanded Basic
24 The History Channel Expanded Basic
25 The Learning Channel Expanded Basic
26 Animal Planet Expanded Basic
27 Lifetime Television Expanded Basic
28 TNT Expanded Basic
29 Home & Garden Television Expanded Basic
30 Discovery Channel Expanded Basic
31 Lifetime Movie Network Expanded Basic
32 VH-1 Expanded Basic
33 MTV Expanded Basic
34 CMT Expanded Basic
35 Arts & Entertainment Expanded Basic
37 Telemundo (satellite) Expanded Basic
38 Spike TV Expanded Basic
39 The Travel Channel Expanded Basic
40 E! Entertainment Expanded Basic
41 Sci-Fi Expanded Basic
42 Bravo Expanded Basic
43 FX Expanded Basic
44 Comedy Central Expanded Basic
45 Disney Expanded Basic
46 Cartoon Network Expanded Basic
47 Nickelodeon Expanded Basic
48 TV Land Expanded Basic
49 ABC Family Expanded Basic
50 Food Network Expanded Basic
51 Trinity Broadcasting Network Expanded Basic
52 Oxygen Expanded Basic
53 Discovery Health Channel Expanded Basic
54 The Weather Channel Expanded Basic
55 truTV Expanded Basic
56 Jewelry Television Expanded Basic
58 Home Shopping Network Expanded Basic
59 ShopNBC Expanded Basic
60 Access Television Network Expanded Basic
61 American Movie Classics Expanded Basic
62 Turner Classic Movies Expanded Basic
63 MTV 2 Expanded Basic
64 VERSUS Expanded Basic
65 Speed Channel Expanded Basic
67 Digital Preview Channel Expanded Basic
70 TV Guide Channel Expanded Basic
71 Wizebuys TV Expanded Basic
72 Humbolt Trading Post Expanded Basic
73 Product Information Network Expanded Basic
74 C-SPAN 2 Expanded Basic
75 Alpha Numeric & Weather Expanded Basic
76 C-SPAN Basic
77 TBS Superstation Basic
78 KEUV – LP 31 Eureka, CA Basic
99 NASA Expanded Basic
100 Discovery Kids Digital Discovery/Variety Tier
101 The Science Channel Digital Discovery/Variety Tier
102 Planet Green Digital Discovery/Variety Tier
103 Investigation Discovery Digital Discovery/Variety Tier
104 The Military Channel Digital Discovery/Variety Tier
120 Noggin Digital Discovery/Variety Tier
199 iN DEMAND Barker Digital Discovery/Variety Tier
201 Independent Film Channel Digital Movie Tier
202 Sundance West Digital Movie Tier
203 Encore West Digital Movie Tier
204 Encore Love West Digital Movie Tier
205 Encore Mystery West Digital Movie Tier
206 Encore Action West Digital Movie Tier
207 Encore Drama West Digital Movie Tier
208 Encore Westerns West Digital Movie Tier
210 LOGO Digital Movie Tier
220 Do-it-Yourself Digital Variety Tier
221 Fine Living Digital Variety Tier
222 Game Show Network Digital Variety Tier
223 Toon Disney Digital Variety Tier
224 Fuse Digital Variety Tier
225 MTV U Digital Variety Tier
227 SoapNet Digital Variety Tier
228 BBC America Digital Variety Tier
229 Hallmark Channel Digital Variety Tier
230 EWTN Digital Variety Tier
231 EWTN Espanol Digital Variety Tier
232 Three Angels Broadcasting Digital Variety Tier
233 MTV Jams Digital Variety Tier
234 Si TV Digital Variety Tier
235 Nick Toons Digital Variety Tier
236 The N Digital Variety Tier
237 MTV Hits Digital Variety Tier
238 VH-1 Classic Rock Digital Variety Tier
239 VH-1 Soul Digital Variety Tier
240 CMT Pure Country Digital Variety Tier
241 TV One Digital Variety Tier
242 CBS College Sports Network Digital Sports & Information
243 ESPN Classic Digital Sports & Information
244 ESPNews Digital Sports & Information
245 The Tennis Channel Digital Sports & Information
246 Fox Soccer Channel Digital Sports & Information
247 The Golf Channel Digital Sports & Information
248 Outdoor Channel Digital Sports & Information
249 ESPN U Digital Sports & Information
252 Bloomberg Digital Sports & Information
254 G4 Digital Sports & Information
255 History Channel International Digital Sports & Information
256 Biography Channel Digital Sports & Information
257 C-SPAN 3 Digital Sports & Information
258 Style Digital Sports & Information
261 National Geographic Digital Sports & Information
262 TVG Digital Sports & Information
300 HBO West Digital Premium
301 HBO2 West Digital Premium
302 HBO Signature West Digital Premium
303 HBO Family West Digital Premium
304 HBO Comedy West Digital Premium
305 HBO Zone West Digital Premium
306 HBO East Digital Premium
307 HBO Family East Digital Premium
308 HBO Latino West Digital Premium
320 Cinemax West Digital Premium
321 More Max West Digital Premium
322 Action Max West Digital Premium
323 Thriller Max West Digital Premium
330 Cinemax East Digital Premium
331 More Max East Digital Premium
340 Showtime West Digital Premium
341 Showtime Too West Digital Premium
342 Showtime Showcase West Digital Premium
343 Showtime Extreme West Digital Premium
344 Showtime Beyond West Digital Premium
350 The Movie Channel West Digital Premium
360 Encore West Digital Premium
361 Starz West Digital Premium
362 Starz Edge West Digital Premium
363 Starz in Black West Digital Premium
364 Starz Kids & Family West Digital Premium
365 Starz Cinema West Digital Premium
401 Toon Disney en Espanol Conexion Unica
402 Cartoon Network Espanol Conexion Unica
403 Discovery en Espanol Conexion Unica
404 MTV Tr3s Conexion Unica
406 CNN en Espanol Conexion Unica
407 Fox Sports en Espanol Conexion Unica
408 Telemundo (satellite) Conexion Unica
409 Telefutura Conexion Unica
410 Galavision Conexion Unica
411 Mun 2 Conexion Unica
412 Nick Toons SAP Conexion Unica
413 Nick Too Conexion Unica
414 Sorpresa Conexion Unica
415 The History Channel en Espanol Conexion Unica
416 ESPN Deportes Conexion Unica
417 TV Chile Conexion Unica
418 CineLatino Conexion Unica
419 EWTN Espanol Conexion Unica
420 Si TV Conexion Unica
421 De Pelicula Conexion Unica
422 De Pelicula Clasico Conexion Unica
423 Telehit Conexion Unica
500 iN DEMAND Barker Digital PPV
501 iN DEMAND 1 Digital PPV
502 iN DEMAND 2 Digital PPV
503 iN DEMAND 3 Digital PPV
504 iN DEMAND 4 Digital PPV
505 iN DEMAND 5 Digital PPV
506 iN DEMAND 6 Digital PPV
507 iN DEMAND 7 Digital PPV
590 Playboy Digital PPV
591 Blue Digital PPV
592 Blox Digital PPV
593 Spice:Xcess Digital PPV
594 Club Jenna Digital PPV
595 Clips Digital PPV
598 Playboy en Espanol Digital PPV
700 TNT HD HD Basic
708 ESPN HD HD Basic
709 ESPN 2 HD HD Basic
710 Arts & Entertainment HD HD Plus Tier
711 National Geographic HD HD Plus Tier *
712 Food Network HD HD Plus Tier
713 Home & Garden Television HD HD Plus Tier
715 HD Theater HD Plus Tier
717 Universal HD HD Plus Tier
718 HDNet HD Plus Tier
719 HDNet Movies HD Plus Tier
720 HBO HD West HD Premium
721 Showtime HD West HD Premium
722 Starz HD West HD Premium
901 MC – Sounds of the Seasons Digital Music
902 MC – Today’s Country Digital Music
903 MC – Classic Country Digital Music
904 MC – Blue Grass Digital Music
905 MC – Hip Hop and R&B Digital Music
906 MC – Classic R & B Digital Music
907 MC – R&B Soul Digital Music
908 MC – R &B Hits Digital Music
909 MC – Rap Digital Music
910 MC – Metal Digital Music
911 MC – Rock Digital Music
912 MC – Arena Rock Digital Music
913 MC – Classic Rock Digital Music
914 MC – Adult Alternative Digital Music
915 MC – Alternative Digital Music
916 MC – Retro-Active Digital Music
917 MC – Electronica Digital Music
918 MC – Dance Digital Music
919 MC – Lite Hits Digital Music
920 MC – Adult Top 40 Digital Music
921 MC – Hit List Digital Music
922 MC – Kids Only! Digital Music
923 MC – Party Favorites Digital Music
924 MC – Showcase Digital Music
925 MC – 90s Digital Music
926 MC – 80′s Digital Music
927 MC – 70′s Digital Music
928 MC – Solid Gold Oldies Digital Music
929 MC – Smooth Jazz Digital Music
930 MC – Jazz Digital Music
931 MC – Blues Digital Music
932 MC – Reggae Digital Music
933 MC – Soundscapes Digital Music
934 MC – Easy Listening Digital Music
935 MC – Big Band and Swing Digital Music
936 MC – Singers and Standards Digital Music
937 MC – Show Tunes Digital Music
938 MC – Contemporary Christian Digital Music
939 MC – Gospel Digital Music
940 MC – Classical Masterpieces Digital Music
941 MC – Light Classical Digital Music
942 MC – Pop Latino Digital Music
943 MC – Musica Urbana Digital Music
944 MC – Salsa y Merengue Digital Music
945 MC – Mexicana Digital Music
946 MC – Rock ‘en Espanol Digital Music

SuddenLink cable television listings for analog, DTV and HDTV channels.

AACS – Advanced Access Control System. A computer specification for guarding next-generation optical-media content created by the film, electronics, and software industries.

AC-3 – (see Dolby Digital 5.1)

Aliasing – Jaggedness that appears at diagonal edges of objects in a pixel or raster image. De-aliasing (anti-aliasing) is a smoothing of the jagged edges by blending adjacent pixels slightly.

Artifact – A flaw in an image caused by the way the data is processed. Interference and noise are not usually called artifacts. So artifacts are in a sense predictable.

Aspect ratio - The ratio of screen width to screen height. For TVs it is either 4:3 (1.33:1) or 16:9 (1.78:1). Theater film uses many different aspect ratios, some as high as 2.5:1.

ATSC – (Advanced Television System Committee technical standard) This is the name of the technology used by terrestrial digital TV stations in the U.S.

Blocking – Macro-blocking An over-compression of the image that makes the block edges slightly noticeable. This “checkerboarding” is subtle and usually momentary. Some causes are:

1. Software bugs in the MPEG encoder.
2. The neBlockstwork allocating too little bandwidth to the broadcast.
3. The picture being portrayed is just changing too fast.

Blocks - Macro-blocks MPEG-2 divides the screen into small square regions called blocks and uses a mathematical process to compress the data for each block. Macro-blocks are a small group of blocks. See What exactly is ATSC? .

BNC connectors – These common RF connectors are sometimes found on VGA cables in place of a VGA connector. They employ a quarter-turn twist-lock mechanism.

Bob and Weave – Two processes for de-interlacing (converting interlaced video into progressive scan). Weave refers to combining successive fields. Also called interfield, this method preserves the original resolution. Bob refers to up-converting a field into a frame, in effect creating new lines by averaging the adjacent lines above and below. Also called intrafield, this method causes a loss of resolution but never causes motion artifacts. See also Motion Adaptive De-interlacing.

Breakup – Also called dropouts, block errors, or macro-block errors, these are gross errors in the picture caused by reception errors that result from interference and signal noise. Both audio and video are affected, with video distortions about five times as prevalent as audio dropouts. This ratio never seems to change. If the ratio is anything else then the cause is a network problem, not a reception error. The shortest-lasting breakups just cause a few macro-blocks to be obviously wrong, while more severe errors cause major parts of the screen to be left un-updated for a time, and possibly the whole image to freeze. Green shows up a lot.

Cable card - The Cable Card is the mechanism the industry has adopted to prevent the piracy of cable services. Nearly all cable channels are encrypted, the main exception being local stations. The cable card contains the keys to unlock encryption.

If you want the simplicity that comes with the cable receiver being integrated with the TV then you should buy a TV with a cable card slot. However if you like TiVo then you would instead get a DVR, which will have its own cable card slot. The cable card is supplied by the cable company. The card is a special purpose PCMCIA card (like used in many computers).

The present cable card system for DTV is called CableCARD 1.0. There are two types of cards: SCards (single stream) and MCards (multiple stream). MCards are used when a DVR can record multiple programs simultaneously.

CableCARD 1.0 – lacks two-way features and cannot be used for ordering pay-per-view, interactive guide, and other two-way features. Millions of cable card slots in TVs already sold are going unused. Reasons include: 1. The viewer uses satellite. 2. The viewer doesn’t want subscription channels. 3. The user wants two-way features and so has to use a cable box. Some TV makers are reducing the number of sets they sell having cable card slots, but they say they will increase the number when two-way is possible. Two-way is not available because the technical standard is not yet established. (The CEA and NCTA are fighting each other and the FCC has been a timid referee.) Present DTV systems with CableCARD 1.0 are labeled DCR (Digital Cable Ready). Future DTVs will likely be labeled iDCR (Interactive Digital Cable Ready).

Warning: The term CableCARD 2.0 has two conflicting definitions. 1. CableCARD 2.0 was first used to refer to the next generation of cable services that included two-way features. 2. SCards were introduced first. Later, when MCards were introduced they were commonly referred to as CableCARD 2.0.

C-band / Ku-band – 1. a range of RF spectrum. C-band is approximately 4 GHz. Ku-band is app. 12 GHz. 2. Geo-stationary satellites the networks use to acquire and distribute programming to affiliates and cable TV companies. These satellites use C-band and Ku-band frequencies. 3. a consumer service that uses the satellites the networks originally set up for themselves. An 8-foot steerable dish is required. Some channels are free. Others are available by subscription. The digital channel subscription service is called 4DTV.

CEC - (Consumer Electronics Control) This feature allows units to control each other. The commands tend to be the same as the buttons of an infrared remote control, so fewer remotes are necessary. The implementation is a single-wire bus that is a “party line” connecting to all units. The HDMI cable carries this line.

CECB – Coupon Eligible Converter Box. An analog-to-digital DTV converter box that has been approved by the federal government for use with its $40 discount coupons.  Coupons are available from the U.S. federal government at http://www.dtv2009.gov .

COFDM - modulation technique. This technical standard has been used in Europe and other places for digital TV. 8VSB is used in the U.S.

Color temperature – This describes how white is displayed. Low temperature means slightly reddish, while high temperature means slightly bluish. Standard NTSC white corresponds to the color a glowing hot object would be at 6500° K

Comb filter – A circuit in NTSC sets that separates the color information from the brightness information.

Component video - This 3-wire convention was created for connecting DVD players to TVs or monitors. It avoids downgrading the signal to NTSC. The signals may be RGB or YPrPb. Some HD STBs have only component video output.

Composite video - This 1-wire standard contains all video information: intensity, color, and sync. The encoding is the same as NTSC, and thus has the “overlapping sideband” problem which sometimes causes wrong colors to appear.

Convergence – An adjustment that must be made occasionally to CRT sets. This adjustment makes the three colors coincide perfectly.

DBS – (direct broadcast satellites) These satellites are powerful enough to be received by an 18 inch dish. They use Ku-band and Ka-band frequencies. Companies that provide DBS services to consumers in the U.S. are DirecTV and Dish Network. Canadian DBS providers are Star Choice and Bell ExpressVu. Also called DSS. They typically broadcast in some type of digital format that is encrypted at the uplink and decoded by the receivers of authorized subscribers.

D-ILA – (Direct-drive Image Light Amplifier) (see LCOS)

DirecTV – One of the two major providers of DBS programming in the United States.

Dish Network - One of the two major providers of DBS programming in the United States.

DLP - (digital light processor). A technology for video projection, also call DMD (Digital Micro-mirror Device). It is a large chip with about a million tiny mirrors on its surface. The chip can tilt each mirror to vary the amount of light reflected off of it.

Dolby Digital 2.0 – This is a two channel (stereo or Pro Logic) version of Dolby Digital. It is often used by DBS systems.

Dolby Digital 5.1 – Also known as AC-3, it provides 6 channels of sound: left, center, right, left rear, right rear, and sub-woofer. It is also called “5.1 channels” since the 6th channel has reduced bandwidth. Dolby Digital 5.1 is the audio standard for all U.S. digital TV stations, most DVDs, some DBS programs, and many theaters.

Dolby Pro Logic Surround – This is a 4-channel analog system. During recording, the 4 channels are “folded” into 2 stereo channels. If played back without a Pro Logic decoder, it sounds like normal stereo. This format is becoming obsolete.

Dot Crawl – a common flaw in NTSC images caused by the “overlapping sidebands” problem. It consists of animated checkerboard patterns which appear along vertical color transitions.

DTCP - (Digital Transmission Content Protection) This is an encryption standard for IEEE 1394 that prevents the copying of first-run movies and pay-per-view events. DTCP is also called 5C Copy protection (in reference to the ‘five companies’ that license it).

DTS - An alternative to Dolby Digital. ATSC does not use DTS but some DVDs do. Most audio receivers that work with Dolby Digital also handle DTS.

DTV – (digital TV). Examples of DTV are DBS satellite services, digital cable TV services, and ATSC digital TV (over-the-air, broadcast) stations.

DTVLink – This logo is on equipment that has IEEE 1394 and DTCP.

DVB – (Digital Video Broadcasting) An alternative to ATSC used in most of the world outside the U.S. It has three different standards:

· DVB-T is for terrestrial (OTA) broadcasts.

· DVB-S is for satellite broadcasts.

· DVB-C is for cable broadcasts.

DVI - (Digital Visual Interface) This connector conveys HDTV image scanning signals in binary data form. The data rate is very high (1.65 Gb/s). Binary data is preferred by monitors that are not CRTs. DVI comes with a decryption option called HDCP which will decode encrypted programs such as first-run movies.

EDTV – (enhanced definition TV) Essentially DVD quality, it is a small step up from NTSC. An EDTV will convert all 18 ATSC formats to 480p.

FCC – (Federal Communications Commission) This is a Federal agency responsible for regulating radio wave usage and some other media. The FCC answers to Congress and also implements international radio standards.

Fire-wire – (see IEEE 1394)

First-surface mirror – Normal mirrors have the silvering on the back surface of the glass. First surface mirrors have it on the front. Cleaning a first-surface mirror must be done very carefully.

Flicker (or Twitter) - Flicker is a pulsating of the image, a flaw most noticeable in images drawn only 24 or 30 times per second. Flicker is usually only noticeable in bright whites.

FM – Frequency Modulation. An analog method of modulating a carrier wave (frequency) with an audio or video signal. Primarily used for transmission of audio and music.

FTA – “Free To Air” or “Free To All”. This is a digital satellite technology employing MPEG-2, but it is not compatible with DBS systems (Dish or DirecTV) or with Motorola Digicipher II (C-band 4DTV) and it doesn’t have a provision for encryption. At the present time the only high definition stations on FTA are PBS, Voom, The Outdoor Channel, and Movie Central. Lyngsat.com lists all the stations. Skyvision.com, FTAsatellite.com, and others sell receivers. The frequencies used are Ku-band and C-band. FTA’s forte is that it is cheap and very international. FTA is heavily used outside the U.S. FTA started becoming popular in the U.S. about 2002 among experimenters and immigrants. In the opinion of some people the rise of FTA is a mistake and HDTV might eventually kill it. It might survive in the U.S. market because of a need for an unregulated domain for international stations.

GLV – (Grating Light Valve) This is another contender to replace CRTs in projection TVs.

HAVi – (Home Audio Video Interoperability) This is a standard for 1394 bus audio and video devices. It is software that is required for the units to talk to each other. HAVi allows plug-and-play recognition of devices, interoperability, and brand independence.

HDCP – (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) This is a DVI decryption option. It will decode encrypted programs such as first-run movies. (It’s real function is to prevent unauthorized copying of programs.)

HD- Capable TV A standard definition set with a digital tuner. (This term was probably invented to confuse people.)

HD- Ready TV An HDTV monitor or TV that lacks a digital tuner.

HDMI – (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) This miniature connector is intended to replace DVI. It is backward compatible with DVI, and an adapter will connect it to a DVI unit. It has 19 pins and carries DVI plus digital audio. It also has a reverse data line (DDC) that allows the STB to sense the monitor’s state and native formats, and a control line (CEC) for system level control.

HDTV – (High Definition TV) A TV that displays 1280×720 pixels or better.

IEEE 1394 - Also called Firewire or iLink. Originally a serial bus for PCs, 1394 may or may not become the interconnection standard for DTV products. It is competing with HDMI. IEEE 1394 is a spec for a hardware interconnect plus a software shell. But additional software, such as HAVi, is required for connected units to actually talk to each other.

i.link – (see IEEE 1394) Sometimes referred to as “firewire”.

Interlaced scan – Historically, TV CRTs are interlaced, while computer CRTs are not. Interlaced means that the electron beam skips every other horizontal line, filling in the missing lines on the next pass. A frame is composed of 2 fields. One field is all of the odd numbered lines, and the other field is all of the even numbered lines.

Jack – A female connector, usually for audio or video connections.

Ka band – A range of RF spectrum centered around 30 Gigahertz. Historically never used, DirecTV and Dish Network are starting to launch satellites that use these frequencies. (The name comes from “above K band”. K band is a long established military band.)

Ku band – A range of RF spectrum centered around 12 Gigahertz. These are the principal frequencies used by DirecTV and Dish Network, although DirecTV will probably some day move entirely to Ka band. (The name comes from “under K band”.)

LCD – (Liquid Crystal Display) LCD is the most common flat panel display technology.

LCOS – (Liquid Crystal On Silicon) This is an LCD-like projection technology.

LFE - (Low Frequency Effects) Sub-woofer. The 6th channel in a 5.1 channel system.

Line Doublers – This device converts NTSC or 480i into 480p. Line doublers with motion-adaptive processing can to an extent turn a 30 frames/sec image into a 60 frames/sec image, thus removing some of the jerkiness and blurriness associated with motion.

LNA – Low Noise Amplifier. These were used in C-Band TVRO systems prior to the invention of the LNB. The only difference between an LNA and LNB is that the LNB downconverts the original satellite transmission frequency to a lower frequency for transmission through coaxial cable. There is lower loss in coaxial cable at these frequencies, making LNBs more efficient than LNAs.

LNB – (Low Noise Block converter) An LNB can be found at the focus point of a dish antenna. It is a low noise amplifier that also converts the signal to a lower frequency. (The original higher frequency would not travel very far in ordinary coaxial cable.)

Mosquitoes Fuzzy dots that can appear near sharp edges in MPEG and JPEG images, possibly looking like a swarm of mosquitoes. These artifacts are caused by over-compression or over-enhancement of edges.

Motion Adaptive De-interlacing The image is divided into regions where there is motion and where there is none. Areas of the image without motion are de-interlaced using “weave”, and areas with motion are de-interlaced using “bob”. See Bob and Weave.

MPEG-2 (Motion Picture Experts Group technical standard 2) This is a widely used standard for digital encoding of motion pictures. It typically achieves a 50 to 1 compression of data. It achieves this mainly by not retransmitting areas of the screen that have not changed since the previous frame.

MTS – (Multi-channel Television Sound) This refers to an analog NTSC TV equipped with stereo and SAP (separate audio program) features.

Multipoint convergence – Projection TVs with 3 CRTs require periodic adjustment to keep the 3 images perfectly aligned. Typically this is a simple 5 minute procedure the consumer must do every month or so.

Multi-path interference – Some neighborhoods are plagued with this problem: The signal finds more than one path to the antenna. Multi-path results from diffraction around the sides of hills and buildings. For NTSC sets this will result in ghosts: multiple images shifted laterally. For DTVs the result can be an unusable signal, even though it may be strong. The solutions are moving the antenna or selecting a very directional antenna. Newer generations of DTV receivers are better able to cope with multi-path.

Must-Carry – This refers to the legal obligation of cable companies to carry analog or digital signals of over-the-air local broadcasters.

Native format – Most DTVs will convert the 18 ATSC formats into 1 or 2 formats and will draw only those. For these sets, the ‘native’ format is 1. the formats the set will draw or 2. the original format. (These are contradictory definitions, but they reflect current practice. 1 is probably the preferred meaning.)

NTSC – (National Television System Committee technical standard) This is analog TV invented in 1946. NTSC has 525 lines (483 visible) interlaced, 60 fields per second. This (analog) standard is in use in North America, Japan, South Korea, Burma, Taiwan, the Philippines, and much of South America.

OAR – (original aspect ratio) Also called Letterbox format, OAR means that none of the image is clipped or squeezed. Unused parts of the screen are usually black.

OLED – (Organic LED) A new display technology. Somewhat resembling plasma, it uses organic Light Emitting Diodes.

OTA – (over the air) Analog or digital terrestial broadcasting of a television signal. Typically used to refer to broadcast television stations in North America.

Over-scan/Under-scan – Computer CRT monitors under-scan, which means they leave a thin black border around the image. TVs over-scan, which means a small part of the image perimeter is lost. (Digital displays don’t necessarily do either.)

PAL - (Phase Altering Line standard) This alternative to NTSC has 625 lines, interlaced, 50 fields per second. It is used in most of Europe, Asia (except USSR), Africa, and Australia, and parts of South America.

Pan-and-scan – A method of broadcasting a wide screen film on a 4:3 channel. Most of the time just the center of the image is shown. (The right and left edges are clipped off.)

PCM – (Pulse Code Modulation) or L-PCM (Linear PCM) This 2-channel digital audio standard is simpler than Dolby Digital.

Pixilation - What you see when you sit too close. (You see individual pixels.)

Plug – A male connector.

PrimeStar – An early attempt by Cox Cable to compete in the DBS market. It ran this KU band system in the United States for several years before folding, opting to concentrate on its cable television franchises. Its early demise was heavily fueled by an expensive anti-satellite-TV campaign launched by its cable television division. Since it was one of only two commercial DBS satellite television providers at the time, the ads largely served to discredit their own product.

Progressive scan – This is the opposite of interlaced scan.

PSIP data – (Program and System Information Protocol) This data is arranged as a table with multiple sub-tables. The data identifies the station name, what the sub-channels are, the program name, the following programs, content advisories, language options, and caption options. Some of this data is transmitted as often as 7 times per second.

PVP-OPM – Protected Video Path Output Protection Management. Downgrades computer video resolution or blocks the picture entirely if the connected display doesn’t support content protection.

PVP-UAB – Protected Video Path User-Accessible Bus. Encrypts video content as it passes over the PCI Express bus from the high-def disc to prevent other PCI Express devices from intercepting the video stream.

Rainbow effect – A side effect of delivering the image colors sequentially instead of simultaneously. DLP displays have this effect if they use a spinning color wheel or sequentially-firing LEDs. Most viewers are not bothered by the rainbow effect.

Raster – A group of closely-spaced lines whose brightness changes so as to appear to be an image.

RGB – 1. red-green-blue 2. a 3-wire standard (See component video) 3. a 5-wire standard (See VGA.)

RGBHV – See VGA.

Screendoor effect – If each pixel has a dark border around it, viewers who sit too close can see it. The effect is somewhat like looking through a screendoor.

SDTV – (standard definition TV) SDTV is 480i, which is approximately the resolution of NTSC and DVDs.

SECAM – (Sequential Color And Memory standard) This alternative to NTSC. This analog television transmission standard has 625 lines interlaced at 50 fields per second. It is used in the former USSR, France, and parts of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

SPDIF - (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) This is digital audio, and can be either coaxial cable or fiber optic.

Spotlight – A pay-television channel launched on C-Band by Cox Cable in the late 1980′s. It was intended to replace HBO as the main pay channel on all Cox franchises. Customer complains and lack of support from major studios led to an early death for this channel. It survived for less than 4 years.

STB - (Set Top Box) These include satellite receivers, cable TV receivers, OTA receivers, and various recording devices.

Sub-channels – OTA DTV stations can show multiple programs simultaneously, subject to the 6 MHz bandwidth limit. This is called multicasting.

SVGA – Super VGA. See VGA.

S-video – Also called Y/C, this two-wire standard keeps the color separate from the intensity signal, and thus avoids the overlapping sideband problem of composite signals. (Converting an NTSC signal to S-video gains you nothing since what was lost cannot be recreated.) Although the quality of S-video is close to component video, S-video cannot transport anything better than 480i.

Symbol rate – The symbol rate for ATSC is 10.76 million symbols/sec. 8VSB has 3 bits/symbol. After the error correction bits are removed the net transfer rate is 19.28 million bits/sec.

THX – 1. a standard that theaters try to meet. 2. equipment to help theaters meet that standard.

Toslink – A fiber optic cable standard.

Transponder – A satellite channel. There is often one program per transponder. Some transponders are wider than 6 MHz and can carry more than one NTSC program. Several digital channels can fit on one transponder.

TVRO – Television Receive Only. The earliest C-Band satellite television systems were referred to as TVRO systems. This was to distinguish the home dish reception systems from “uplink” dishes, which actually transmit signals to satellites, and thus require proper licensing from the Federal Communications Commission. The earliest systems were roughly the same size in diameter as uplinks, often being 10 meters, or around 20′ wide. Most early parabolic dishes also featured solid aluminum, steel or fiberglass reflectors, as opposed to mesh C-Band systems that became popular later on.

VC1 – VideoCypher 1. A legacy TV encryption standard invented by Macom/General Instruments. It was the first satellite television encyption standard to digitally encypt both the audio and video portions of an NTSC signal. Based upon the original 64 Bit DES encryption standard, it is now considered too weak an encryption scheme for transmission of sensitive data. Its use was very limited, due to the high cost of the technology at the time. The earliest adopters were the CBS Television Network for its network TV news feeds on C-Band, and NASA, which used the technology to encrypt video transmissions during space shuttle missions conducted for the United States Department of Defense (DoD).

VC2 – VideoCypher 2. One of the earliest encryption standards used in satellite television, primarily for C-Band signals. Introduced in the late 1980′s, it encrypts NTSC video using analog sync destabilization and audio using a proprietary digital format. It is still in use with some C-Band broadcasters.

VGA – a 5-wire standard interface, originally for computer monitors, now common for HDTV monitors. Usually the 5 wires are in one cable. The connector can be either a 15-pin connector or five BNC connectors. The signals are usually red, green, blue, horizontal sync, and vertical sync. But Y, Pr, and Pb can replace the colors.

Virtual channel number – This is the channel the consumer thinks he is watching. The actual (physical) channel is selected by a hidden mechanism.

YCrCb – Almost identical to YPrPb. If you connect a YCrCb unit to a YPrPb unit you might have to adjust the color slightly. YCrCb is an older standard uncommon for consumer connections.

YPrPb - Color representation requires three independent variables. CRTs prefer red, green, and blue. Ink jet printers prefer yellow, magenta, and cyan. NTSC encodes color as luminance (brightness), hue (color), and saturation (absence of white in colors). Storage media such as DVDs prefer Y, Pr, and Pb, where Y is luminance, Pr is red-Y, and Pb is blue-Y. This is because Pr and Pb can be at lower resolution and not degrade the image noticeably, thus saving storage space.

YPrPbHV – See VGA.

3:2 pull-down This is the process of converting a 24 frames/sec image into a 30 frames/sec image. Some line-doublers will reverse this process to acquire the original, and then re-perform it.

4DTV – This is a DTV subscription service for C-band and Ku-band. Transponders are digitally encrypted using a proprietary format.

5.1 channel – This is 6 channel audio. The 6th channel (the sub-woofer) has reduced bandwidth.

5C Copy Protection – See DTCP.

8VSB modulation technique – (8-level vestigial sideband) DTV stations in the U.S. use 8VSB modulation. This is an AM mode wherein the carrier is multiplied by an 8-level digital signal, and then a filter is used to remove all but the carrier and 6 MHz of the upper sideband. (“8VSB” is often used as a synonym for OTA.)

Portions of this document Copyright 2002-2009 by Ken Nist. The “document” includes all web pages at www.hdtvprimer.com. The author places no restrictions on the use of this document. It may be used by anyone in any manner for any purpose. Additional definitions copyright 2009 by Vantek Communications, Inc.

Custom Search

We are still adding to this list, station by station.Hopefully, the page will be finished within the next couple of weeks. As they say in the TV industry… Stay Tuned!!!

Below is a list of all known television broadcasters in the Eureka, CA and Humboldt County markets. Many of these stations have secondary coverage that spills into Mendocino, Trinity and Del Norte Counties in Northern California as well. Some even spill into Southern Oregon. Also presented is as much pertinent data as we have on each station, including translators, HDTV availability, ownership, etc.

KIEM-TV 3
5060 Broadway
Eureka, CA 95503
(707) 443-3933 phone
(707) 442-1459 fax
e-mail: kiem-tv@humboldt1.com
Website: http://www.kiem-tv.com

Affiliations: NBC – National Broadcasting Company
Other names/slogans: “News Channel 3″, “The Spirit of the North Coast”, “Channel 3″
Current Ownership
Pollack/Belz Broadcasting, LLC
1811 England Dr
Alexandria, LA 71303-4115

Broadcast Availability:
VHF Channel 3 (Analog)
UHF Channel 16 (Digital) Currently a simulcast of analog signal on Channel 3. No plans for HDTV as of yet.

Cable/Satellite Availability:
DirecTV: Not Available
DISH Network: Not Available
C-Band, DBS, FTA: Not Available
SuddenLink Communications: Analog signal available on Channel 3 throughout its Humboldt County franchise area.

Translators (All currently NTSC Analog):
* K02OD Channel 2 Shelter Cove
* K04NX Channel 4 Garberville
* K04NY Channel 4 Rio Dell
* K07GJ Channel 7 Hoopa
* K08GR Channel 8 Willow Creek
* K10NU Channel 10 Miranda
* K11IQ Channel 11 Orleans
* K12JL Channel 12 Burnt Ranch
* K13MD Channel 13 Hyampom
(all cities above are in California)

Main Transmitter Coordinates:
40°43′49.4″N
123°57′11.1″W

Other notes: KIEM’s parent company Pollack/Belz Broadcasting, LLC also runs flagship station KLAX-TV, Channel 31 (UHF-NTSC), in Alexandria, LA, an ABC affiliate. In addition, P/B runs KWCE, a “Retro Television Network (RTN) affiliate in the same city on channel 27 (UHF-NTSC).

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KVIQ (CBS)
KEET (PBS)
KBVU (Fox)
KAEF (ABC)
KUVU-LP (CW)
KEMY-LP (My Network)

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ETG currently owns the vast majority of television stations in the Eureka, California market. These include KVIQ Channel 6 – a CBS affiliate, KBVU FOX-29 – a FOX Television Network affiliate, KUVU – the local CW affiliate and KEMY – a low-power station broadcasting material from the “MYTV” network.

In a nutshell, there are no TV stations in the Eureka, CA, market that are uplinked to, or available from, DirecTV or DISH Network. These are the only two companies legally allowed to offer network satellite television services to consumers in the United States. ETV will NOT grant satellite viewers waivers in order to receive network programming from other stations. So, if you live just about anywhere in Humboldt County where cable television or a broadcast signal is not available, you will likely not be able to view any type of broadcast network programming (legally).

For those of you who happen to live in “wired” areas of Humboldt County, SuddenLink Communications offers all local Over The Air TV channels (albeit in analog, with no plans for HDTV on their basic tier) for approximately $15 per month. SuddenLink is the only major cable television provider in Humboldt County, and covers most areas in and around the cities of Eureka, Arcata, Fortuna, Rio Dell, McKinleyville and a number of smaller, unincorporated areas. The majority of residents in Humboldt County have access to cable, since the majority live in and around the county’s major population centers. However, this is not to say that cable TV is available in most of the area of Humboldt County in a geographic sense. Travel more than 500 feet from any major road or street, and there is a 99% chance that cable television will be completely unavailable to you.

Broadcast availability is another matter altogether. This is largely dependent upon how far you are from the TV station’s broadcast transmitter, terrain and what type of equipment you are using for reception. The vast majority of Humboldt County falls into what the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) describes as a “Grade B Contour Area”. Generally speaking, this is defined as an area where a “watchable” signal should be available using an outdoor TV antenna placed at a height of 30′ above the ground.

Like most TV and FM stations in Humboldt County, ETG’s stations broadcast their signals from a transmitter facility atop Kneeland Mountain, which overlooks Eureka, Arcata and the more populated areas of Northern Humboldt County. The further away you are from Kneeland, the weaker your signal will be, generally speaking. When it comes to UHF and HDTV or digital television signals, you will most likely need line-of-sight in order to actually get a watchable signal. This is even more important when talking about low-power television (LPTV) stations, which 3 of ETG’s stations happen to be.

Having installed antennas in many parts of Humboldt County, I can say from experience that the FCC’s entire “Grade B Contour” requirement is entirely inadequate when it comes to checking for signal availability. These charts are generated by engineers using computers to determine where a signal should be available, but fails to take into account quite a number of variables that are detrimental to receiving a signal. Having a line-of-sight view of the transmitter tower on Kneeland, along with an adequate antenna system, is the only way to assure that you will have a watchable picture.

ETG’s signal coverage maps give at least a rough estimate of whether a TV signal will even be possible to receive in your area, so I highly recommend taking a look at them before spending any money on an antenna system.

HDTV Is On The Way

HDTV and DTV service is coming soon to a television set near you, even if you live in Humboldt County. In February of 2009, most broadcasters across the county will be changing the frequencies that they currently broadcast at and start transmitting their signals in an all-digital format called DTV (Digital Television). The only over-the-air analog TV signals remaining will be that of Low-Power Television (LPTV) stations.

U.S. Government To The Rescue?

Many would argue that the Federal Government seems to be helping its citizens adjust to digital television in much the same manner as it helped the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Too little, too late. Few people seem to know what the transition to DTV will mean, or how it will affect them.

For those of you who do not have HDTV-ready television sets, the federal government has coupons for you. That’s right, every household in the United States is eligible to receive up to two (2) coupons good for $40 each towards the purchase of a government-approved “CECB” converter box. This box will allow you watch digital TV (DTV) signals on older, analog TV sets. Think of this as a bonus on top of your IRS “economic stimulus” check. Unfortunately, all of the CECB receivers we have found currently retail for $50 and up. It is highly questionable whether these converters will ever reach the $40 mark, making them free to consumers.

You can receive your coupons via mail from a program run by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Why the program is not administered by the Federal Communications Commission, I have no clue. In any event, you can apply to receive your coupons online at the website address: https://www.dtv2009.gov/ApplyCoupon.aspx , or call 1-800-DTV-2009 to get the forms mailed to you.

Once having filled out the form, you will be placed on a waiting list to receive your coupons. You will have less than 90 days to make use of the coupons once you receive them. Locally, you should be able to buy one of these CECB converters at Radio Shack, if they are in stock. I have even seen them sold at Walgreen’s in Fortuna recently. If you want to purchase a box over the Internet, the situation is a bit more muddled, since most online checkout systems have absolutely no clue as to how to handle discounts from a government coupon. You can currently find many units available on Amazon.Com though.

What Will Happen

If you are a cable television subscriber, you will not need a new converter in order to watch channels on cable, before or after February 2009. Most cable channels are already transmitted in a proprietary digital format that can only be decoded by their own cable converters. If you already have a cable converter that is leased or sold to you by your cable company, that should be all you need. On some cable systems, channels on “basic” tiers will continue to be transmitted to subscribers in the pre-2009 (NTSC) analog format. If a local station switches to digital, the cable company may decide to “downconvert” the station’s digital (DTV) into analog, which would allow you to continue receiving local channels without a DTV converter box. That decision is up to your local cable television provider though.

If you subscribe to television service via satellite (i.e. DirecTV or DISH Network) you will not need a new converter to watch HD signals, because satellite broadcasters also use their own type of proprietary digital format. The DTV switchover should not affect you at all.

If you receive TV broadcasts via “rabbit ears”, an outdoor antenna, an antenna built-in to your television set or even just a coat hanger, you WILL need a CECB converter box in order to watch most local television stations after February 2009. If you already have an HDTV-Ready television set, it already has a digital tuner built-in. No converter should be necessary in that case. Almost all plasma and LCD flat screen TV sets sold in the past two years have digital tuners built-in. You will only need a converter if you have an older set that only tunes-in analog TV signals.

DTV VS. HDTV

So, what is the difference between DTV and HDTV? All full-power (non-LPTV) broadcasters will be switching to DTV in February 2009. DTV simply stands for Digital Television. It produces a picture that is arguably equal in quality to a traditional analog TV signal, which is what most broadcasters currently use.

On the other hand, High Definition Television (HDTV) is unlikely to be used by the majority of broadcasters for some time to come. It produces a much higher quality picture than traditional analog or standard DTV broadcasts. However, it is still a very expensive broadcast technology to deploy, and few stations will be switching to it in the near term. All television stations that broadcast HDTV signals will be doing so via a digital signal (DTV). However, few who broadcast in DTV will have HDTV. Clear as mud?

What You See…

You will NOT be able to see the “High Definition” version of DTV broadcasts (if HDTV is broadcast locally) any more than you would be able to listen to a stereo TV broadcast with a TV that has only one speaker, or a color broadcast with a black-and-white TV, even if you have a converter box. Only HDTV ready televisions are capable of displaying the higher definition picture.

The CECB converter boxes will at least allow you watch DTV programming in standard resolution after the old VHF and UHF analog channels have switched to digital in 2009 though, and you will be able to use them to receive most local TV stations in Humboldt County right away. Keep in mind, these converters are only meant to pick up OVER-THE-AIR, local broadcasts. So, you will still need an external antenna of some type to pick up a signal. If you are not currently within range of analog TV reception, a converter will not likely be of much use to you.

Recent Experimentation

I currently use a standard HDTV set at my home in Eureka and receive most of the local stations in DTV using a fairly large, outdoor, mast-mounted UHF Yagi antenna. I can’t say as I am all that impressed with the type of signal that I receive from most local broadcasters, but it is a better picture than I could get on many of the older analog simulcasts. My house actually resides BELOW sea level, so I am probably lucky to get any signal at all.

Unlike with analog broadcasts, DTV is an “all-or-nothing” type of proposition. You will either get a perfect signal, or none at all. In that regards, it is much like satellite television. Gone will be the days of watching TV in fringe areas with weak reception. You will either get a signal, or you won’t. Occasionally, you may see the signal fading in quality due to weather conditions. When this happens, you will typically start to see what is called pixelation on the screen. This may be followed by the screen “freezing” on a single frame, or going black altogether.

This “all-or-nothing” DTV quality has its obvious downsides, but in most cases much can be done to improve the chances of receiving a signal just good enough to keep the tuner “locked” on a channel. By far, the best investment you can make is in a high-gain, directional, outdoor UHF TV antenna. These come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Generally speaking though, the bigger, the better. A 10′ long “ugly” rooftop antenna will always outperform a “cute” looking circular antenna or pair of rabbit ears.

What Type of Antenna?

First of all, I highly advise you NOT to buy any antenna that is small enough to set on top of your TV set, even if it has an amplifier built into it. The whole concept of adding an amplifier to an antenna that is only inches away from your TV set makes little sense. While the signal of the DTV stations may be increased by the amplifier, so will any background noise or interference. To make matters worse, indoor antennas suffer from what is called “multipath”. Indoors, a TV signal will bounce off walls, doors and other objects much the same as light will bounce off a mirror. Unfortunately, DTV does not handle multipath situations very well. You will be infinitely better off with an outdoor antenna that has a line-of-sight view of the station’s transmitter.

So, what will you need in order to set up a proper antenna for DTV reception? The materials are much the same as are used when installing a home satellite dish. The majority of the cost will be in the antenna itself.

Most high-quality, directional, outdoor antennas are referred to as Yagi antennas. The name came from the designer of the original antenna concept. These antennas will give you the most DTV bang for your buck. The outdoor antenna should be connected to your television or converter box via high-quality RG-6 coaxial cable, which is the same cabling used in satellite and most cable television installations. Each end of the cable must be fitted with “F” connectors, which are available from any hardware store. You can usually buy coaxial cable with F connectors already fitted to each end in 25′ lengths.

You will also need an antenna mast. These can typically be found at Radio Shack or at local hardware stores. They usually come in heights of 6′ and 10′. You may be able to save a few bucks by substituting metal pipe for an antenna mast. In that case, look for pipe that has around a 1.5″ outside diameter.

Lastly, you will need some type of mounting bracket. There are numerous types of mounting brackets for antenna masts, depending what you plan to mount the mast on. There are mounting brackets specially designed to affix your mast to a chimney, among other things. Typically, you will be mounting the antenna on the side of a house though. These brackets are easy to find online and locally at places like Radio Shack.

If you have to run at least 75′ of cable between your antenna and DTV receiver, it might be a good investment to purchase a mast mounted pre-amplifier. The best place to amplify a signal is as close to the antenna itself as possible. The closer to the receiver an amplifier is located, the less good it will do you. If you are unsure of whether you will need a pre-amp, you can always buy one after installing the antenna, later on. They are relatively simple to install and will mount on the mast directly below the antenna itself. Your money will be best spent investing in as big an antenna as possible first though. Only if you still can not get a watchable signal should you then consider adding a pre-amp.

One other option that you may want to consider if you are in a very “fringe” DTV area is an antenna rotor. What does it do? To put it simply, an antenna rotor allows you to rotate your outdoor DTV antenna at a 360 degree angle without having to go outside and move it manually. While the majority of television broadcasters in the area transmit their signal from somewhere high atop Kneeland Mountain, there are stations like KIEM-TV that place their main transmitter and low-power translators in alternative locations. It might be necessary in some cases to change the direction your antenna is pointing in to get a decent signal from each station. A good quality rotor is a significant investment, so you will definitely want to see if you can get decent reception without using one at first. Most rotors these days come with a wireless remote that will store the position of your favorite channels in memory. If you are unsure of what type of antenna rotor you will need for your particular installation, it is best to ask a professional. As is the case with most antennas, the bigger, the better. An underpowered or cheap-o rotor is the part of your system that is most likely to break-down first, especially if you live in an area with high winds.

What NOT To Buy

If you rely solely upon advice from a salesperson at a local electronics store, you are bound to be disappointed with what you have paid for. The majority of salespeople have never installed an antenna, and most are paid a higher commission for selling you the most expensive solution possible, NOT the BEST solution possible. If you need advice, go to a website or shop locally with a dealer that specializes in selling Over The Air antennas. If you can’t find one, look for dealers or installers that handle satellite television equipment. Many of the older satellite dealers have extensive experience in installing Over The Air antennas.

Some items that you should definitely steer clear of are things such as worthless gold-plated connectors and accessories. None of these will improve your signal significantly. In fact, most brands only use gold plating for the ground portion of the connector, which doesn’t even carry the signal! These overpriced items exist for one reason only. To sucker people out of their money. If you meet a salesperson claiming that anything gold-plated will improve your signal, don’t walk away… RUN!

Another nearly worthless contraption is the small, indoor antenna that is shaped like a satellite dish. You will be no better off with these than with a 99 cent pair of “rabbit ears”. Like gold-plated connectors, these things are for cosmetic purposes only. The “dish” portion of the antenna serves absolutely no functional purpose whatsoever.

You should also avoid in-line amplifiers on short runs of cable (i.e. 75′ or less). Line amplifiers are only meant to help in conditions where there is a significant loss of signal between the antenna and the receiver. Unless your antenna is a very long distance away from the receiver, a line amp is not going to do you much (if any) good. It might even make the picture worse.

“Flat antennas”, circular antennas and omnidirectional antennas will only work well in limited situations, where you are very close to a TV station’s transmitter. A traditional, directional antenna will always outperform these, and usually at a lower price. The bigger and uglier the antenna, the more likely it is to work well. The less something looks like an antenna, the less it tends to perform like an antenna. The only situation where I would recommend these types of antennas are in situations where zoning restrictions do not allow you to erect a real antenna, or if you live in an apartment building.

“House wiring” antennas are also just a gimmick. They claim to use your home’s electrical wiring as an antenna for television reception. There are many, many reasons why these devices do not work as advertised. They might sound good in theory to the average consumer, but anyone who knows anything about antennas knows that you would be better off just using a coat hanger and saving your money.

Snap-On F connectors are completely inferior to threaded, crimped on F connectors. Avoid any cable with connectors that are not threaded. Similarly, you should avoid bargain-brand RG-6 coaxial cable if you want good reception. Good quality coaxial cable is the second most important part of any antenna system, next to the antenna. Belden makes quality cable. That brand is usually a safe bet. The more shielding coaxial cable has, the better. Typically, high-quality RG-6 coaxial cable will feel a bit “stiff” and you will have a difficult time bending it at a 90 degree angle. Never use cable that has a “floppy” or “rubbery” quality to it, or that appears smaller in diameter to other RG-6 cable. Do NOT use RG-59 or other types of coaxial cable that are cheaper, but inferior in design.

How To Get HD On Your HDTV

So, you’ve spent a lot of money on a fancy, new flat panel, HDTV ready TV set. The picture may have looked great when you saw it in the store at Costco, but it looks lousy in your living room. What’s the deal? First of all, you can bet that the picture you were watching at the store was from either satellite or a Blu-Ray DVD player. If you want the best picture you can possibly see on your HDTV set, you will need to buy a Blu-Ray DVD player or a Playstation III console that has one built in to it. At the moment, these players are still rather pricey. Eventually, they will replace most home DVD players. For the moment though, you will have to shell out some serious cash for both a player and the limited number of discs that are available for it.

If you thought that you might be able to get an HDTV signal over the air for free with an antenna, you are in for a long wait. No local broadcasters have yet announced plans to offer their signals in HDTV. They are not required to do so by law, and it will likely be years before any stations are broadcasting in high definition.

So, what are your alternatives? Right now, cable and satellite subscription services are your only real options. The local cable company in most of Humboldt County is SuddenLink Communications. They claim to currently have up to 21 channels available in HD. Pricing for their services are not published, so we can’t give you an apples vs apples comparison to satellite TV providers whom openly advertise their subscription rates.

The United States currently has two DBS satellite providers who offer service to consumers via small, pizza sized antennas. They are DirecTV and DISH Network. Currently, DirecTV has the most HDTV channels and programming available. When comparing the two side-by-side, DirecTV is definitely the leader when it comes to the number of channels available, number of sports packages available and in receiver technology. DISH Network mainly advertises themselves as an alternative to cable and is a bit more competitive on price.

Little Known Alternatives

There are a few sources of HDTV programming that the majority of the public is totally unaware of. They are usually more expensive than cable or standard DBS service, but are worth considering if you can afford it.

The first alternative is a C-Band satellite system with a 4DTV receiver. C-Band satellites operate on different frequencies than that of DBS providers. These were the first satellite systems available to home users, and generally require a dish antenna that is at least 6′ wide. In Humboldt County, which has marginal reception of most U.S. satellites, I would not recommend anything smaller than a 9′ dish. Next to Blu-Ray, the HDTV picture you will get with C-Band 4DTV programming is the best you can find. Programming packages are much more flexible than with DBS providers and subscription services are the cheapest you will find anywhere. The trade-off is the expense involved in setting up a C-Band system and the amount of space it will take-up in your yard. Expect to spend in the neighborhood of $1,500 or more to have such a system installed. This is definitely NOT a “do-it-yourself” type of project if you are unfamiliar with how these systems work. The biggest upside with these systems is the fact that you can get a lot of programming “in the clear”, which means free and unscrambled, that is quite simply unavailable anywhere else. With the proper hardware you can pull-in hundreds of TV channels and radio stations across North America and even some from Central America. A C-Band system is the ultimate in home entertainment. No cable or DBS system in the world provides as much programming as is available using a “Big Ugly Dish”. Still, only a small percentage of it is currently broadcast in HD.

Another alternative that is well beyond the reach of most consumers is the unadvertised DirecTV Titanium package. For $7,500 a year, you get every single channel that DirecTV broadcasts. This includes all HDTV channels, all pay-per-view movies and events, all local network affiliates… everything. I can’t imagine anywhere else that you could possibly get more HD programming from. It certainly isn’t cheap though.

Lastly, the most obscure programming source for HD comes from our neighbors to the North… Canada. There is a little-known “grey market” in satellite television programming that involves StarChoice, which is a DBS programmer that is only legally allowed to sell it’s services in Canada. StarChoice is one of two DBS providers that serve Canada. Neither DirecTV nor DISH Networks are legally allowed to be sold there, so Canada has it’s own version of DBS. Many of the channels on StarChoice are just American cable channels and broadcast networks, much as you would get from a U.S. satellite or cable provider. However, there are a number of exclusively Canadian channels on StarChoice as well. You can also receive the U.S. broadcast networks in both Eastern time AND Pacific time. The number of HD channels is currently limited, but growing. So, what’s the catch? The catch is… you can’t “legally” buy the programming in the U.S. However, there is at least one company that will act as a “broker” and resell you the service for a yearly fee. They take care of all the billing, and provide StarChoice with a phony Canadian address and contact name in order to get your service authorized. The company is able to do this through a loophole in current international law. While being technically a copyright violation, you are still paying for the programming, so shutting down these types of services is not a big priority for law enforcement and I’ve never heard of anyone being prosecuted for such a “crime”. Still, it involves some amount of risk. Try searching Google for more information on these services. You will be amazed at the amount of original programming you can get for a rather modest price.