Whether you are shopping locally, or online, the story seems to be the same. Even online retailers who have attempted to carry every single converter model manufactured today have a harder time keeping these things in stock than Ticketmaster does holding on to tickets for a Hannah Montana concert.

The few converters that linger on the shelevs of electronics retailers seem to fall into one of two categories. The first category consists of DTV converters that are wildly overpriced compared to the competition. Since there are few differences between a top-of-the-line DTV converter box and a generic, no frills unit, consumers seem hesitatnt to shell out twice as much money for a product that is no better than cheaper units that are constantly out of stock. Can you really blame them?

The second category of DTV converters still available are ones that we will label as “functionally obsolete”. Even though they are priced the same as more capable units, these DTV converters lack the basic functionality needed to continue watching existing television stations in most U.S. markets after February 2009, or even today. In particular, their lack of ability to pass-through analog TV signals makes them only slightly more useful than a paperweight in communities like Humboldt County, where close to half of all stations will continue broadcasting in analog long after February 2009 has passed.

So, why are so many of these “duds” left in stock, while the “functional” models are in short supply? You can bet that it all has to do with money. It costs slightly less to manufacture the cheaper converters with fewer features. Because these units sell for about the same retail price as their superior quality counterparts, retailers make much more money on the cheaper units. Most retailer pre-orders have been for the the low-end units, and the industry has accordingly followed suit, leaving consumers with few decent models to choose from. The small number of consumers actually buying these units today are informed enough to snatch-up the good models while they are stock, leaving the shelves littered with converters that no one would ever purposefully want to buy. This has led to quite a bit of “bait and switch” selling by retailers, who either believe that the public is too stupid to know what features to look for or have sales associates that are too dumb to know themselves just how worthless these products will be to their new owners.

We had hoped to bring you a product review this week on a very decent, low-priced DTV converter box that was advertised at a national chain store this past week. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, they were all gone. Assuming that they will ever be back in stock, we will attempt to do a full product review and provide you with information on where to get the best possible deal on them. Stay tuned!

Much to their credit, the paper made a point to mention the sorry state of affairs when it comes to trying to find DTV converters in local stores, and how retailers seem to never have them in stock for very long. The Eureka Reporter gets double bonus points for going out of their way to point out how important buying a DTV converter with analog pass-through is. For once, someone in the media seems to “get it”, when it comes to understanding what a big problem this is for small communities such as ours. I just wish that more of the mainstream media would start picking-up on this story, and start warning people away from the vast majority of digital converters out there that will result in loss of TV service availability to their users.

For those of you who haven’t read the article yet, we highly recommend that you read last week’s story Don’t Buy These Converter Boxes. It points out what features your box will need to have in order to be able to watch ALL local channels on your TV set after February 2009.

In the next couple of days we will be publishing a first look at DirecTV’s new Video On Demand (VOD) service, which uses your high-speed Internet connection to automatically record your choice of thousands of programs directly to your DVR (digital video recorder). All movies, news clips, documentaries, etc. are available exclusively to DirecTV customers who subscribe to the company’s HDTV service. It’s quite likely an even better advancement in TV viewing than HDTV service itself, and probably the neatest TV innovation since TiVo. Stay tuned!

The website seems to have a fairly large selection of DTV converters, as well as a handful of HDTV-ready antennas. Shipping looks to be a flat $9.95 per order. The cheapest converter they currently have available is $52.95. When you add-in shipping charges, that would make the cheapest digital television converter you can buy from them come out to about $23 after using your coupon. Depending upon where you live, the $9.95 price for shipping can be balanced against the fact that they do not charge sales taxes in most states. In high tax states like California, ordering two converters at a time from them would be only slightly more expensive than if you had bought the units (at the same price) locally and had to pay the sales taxes.

One potential problem that you might have ordering from this site is one that pretty much all retailers have in common these days. Many of the models listed are out of stock, and quantities are limited. Also limited are the number of DTV converters that provide analog pass-through capabilities. As we have stated in previous articles, this is a key feature that most DTV converters are currently missing. Not having this feature will leave you unable to view channels that are still broadcasting in analog. Quite a number of translators and LPTV stations in the local area are currently in analog and will STAY in analog for some time to come. These stations are exempt from FCC rules mandating the switch to digital television. Almost half of the TV stations in Humboldt County are classified as LPTV, or low-power television. The percentage is much higher if you count the numerous low power translators scattered throughout Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino and Del Norte Counties in Northern California.

Needless to say, we would recommend holding off on ordering a CECB converter box until you can get one with analog pass-through capabilities. You may have to check websites and retailers regularly to find any in stock, but it is definitely worth the wait in areas like Humboldt County, where there are so many stations continuing to broadcast in analog.

Another good place to look online for DTV converters is SolidSignal.Com. We have always had excellent service when ordering from this company and we highly recommend them. In addition to selling the CECB digital to analog converters, they also sell a large selection of DTV-ready antennas, cabling and accessories. You can also find gear for DirecTV, Dish Network and other satellite TV equipment as well. SolidSignal.Com is able to process government coupons for DTV converters now, so you should be able to order these products online and still get your $40 discount without any hassles.

As always, if you haven’t applied for your free government coupons yet, be sure to do so. You can apply directly online through the government’s website at DTV2009.GOV .

The key feature I am talking about is something called analog pass-through, and it is not available on the majority of DTV converters that initially hit the market this year. Exactly what does this feature do? It allows those who install their DTV converters to continue watching analog broadcasts in addition to DTV signals.

You may have been mistakenly led to believe that all TV stations in the U.S. will go completely digital after February 2009. That isn’t the case. In fact, in many areas of the country a large number of stations will NEVER go digital. These channels are referred to as Low Power Television, or LPTV, stations. In essence, LPTV stations broadcast analog signals at power levels below that of larger “full power” broadcasters. In urban areas, many of these channels are occupied by religious broadcasters, shopping networks and a variety of independent stations. In rural areas such as Humboldt County though, these stations can be network affiliates and others who want to avoid the expense of going digital.

Without the analog pass-through feature on your converter box, you will not only immediately lose reception of local TV stations that are still in analog, but you will permanently lose access to all LPTV stations, unless they decide to go digital themselves one day.

Humboldt County currently has a number of LPTV stations, which are in addition to low-power analog translators that serve the most rural areas. Local LPTV stations currently consist of The Trinity Broadcast Network on UHF channel 47, KUVU (The CW) on channel 35, Univision on channel 31 and KEMY (MyTV network affiliate) on channel 33. Without the analog pass-through feature on your DTV converter, you will lose all access to these channels. The only way to watch them over-the-air would be to use some type of antenna selector switch, install two separate TV antennas or by manually swapping cables each time you want to choose between digital and analog stations.

So, when can we expect these LPTV broadcasters to switch to DTV or even HDTV? I’m tempted to say never, but never is a long time. Perhaps not during my lifetime though, since there is little to no incentive for these broadcasters to do so. As the vast majority of those in Humboldt County tune-in these channels via cable television, it simply is not cost effective at present for them to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on digital broadcasting equipment to reach a relative handful of additional viewers. In fact, one could make the argument that it would actually be cheaper for those stations to pay for your subscription to cable TV than it would be to buy new transmitters for each station.

The Federal Communications Commission, which is the brainchild behind DTV and HDTV regulation, currently has no plans to force LPTV broadcasters to switch to DTV. Therefore, after February 29th, 2009, almost half of TV stations in Humboldt County will actually continue to broadcast in standard analog with no announced plans to switch to digital at all. In fact, Humboldt County will likely be one of the few communities in the United States with nearly as many local channels broadcasting in analog as digital after 2008.

With the majority of those who watch television in Humboldt County either subscribing to cable or satellite television, it would seem that the transition to DTV will have less of an impact in Humboldt County than possibly any other location in the U.S. When you take into consideration the fact that NO local channels have announced plans to broadcast in HDTV, it would seem that little change will be noticed in our area come February 2009.

First of all, filling out the online form is easy. There are a minimal number of questions. You can fill out the entire form online at http://www.DTV209.gov . It takes only a few minutes. You can also call their toll-free number at 1-888-DTV-2009. You will be walked through the application status over the telephone. Either way, the application process asks pretty much the same questions, and you will get your coupons just as fast one way as the other.

There are some “catches” with the application process. Considering the fact that this program is administered by the federal government, the whole system runs fairly smoothly though. The biggest “catch” is the fact that if you want to get the coupons in the first place, YOU HAVE TO APPLY FOR THEM! You won’t get them automatically if you fail to apply. There are only a limited number of coupons that are being produced, although the feds won’t tell us the exact number. Either way, availability is on a first-come, first-served basis. Once they are gone, they’re gone.

The second “catch” can be a bit of a pain for many rural Americans. This is rather ironic, since those in rural areas are the ones most directly affected by over the air signal reception of DTV signals. In a nutshell, you will have to give the government a physical “street” mailing address in order to get your coupons mailed to you. You can NOT use a PO Box as a mailing address. You can NOT use a business address to send your coupons to. You can NOT use a service such as Mailboxes, Etc., The UPS Store or other private mailbox provider. You can NOT have the coupons shipped to you overseas or to any domestic address that does not match-up with a (very buggy) database of residential addresses maintained by the U.S. Postal Service. This is a rather unforgiving process, unfortunately. You will need to enter your street address information EXACTLY as it appears in the USPS database, otherwise your application will be rejected. So, what do you do if you live in a remote area and you do not have a “street address” that is serviced by the U.S. Postal Service? At this point, insofar as we can tell, you are just out of luck. Sorry.

The same goes for any legitimate street address that the USPS has “mucked-up” in their database. From previous experience, I can tell you that this database is horribly inaccurate in many cases. For example, the business address that I have used for 10 years to receive postal mail, UPS shipments, FedEx deliveries, freight deliveries, my income tax and voting materials, driver’s license, etc. does not exist at all in the USPS database. Funny, I still get mail there every single day though. Go figure! In cases like this, you may want to try calling their toll-free phone number at 1-888-DTV-2009 instead, since you will not get anywhere with the online application system.

So, you’ve called or filled-out the DTV converter box application online. Now, what? Sit. Wait. Check your mailbox again, and be prepared to wait a bit longer. A very informal survey we did recently indicated that it took approximately 20-30 days for consumers to receive their DTV converter box coupons in the mail. You will eventually receive a standard sized #10 envelope with a couple of pages of information and (usually) two “coupons”. They don’t look like your average coupon though. They look more like credit cards. There is a mag stripe on the back of each plastic card, as well as a serial number on the front. The mailing will most likely come from TV Converter Box Coupon Program, PO Box 2000, Portland, OR 97208-2000.

The first page (see above) contains your name and address, the coupon(s) and a list of local retailers where you can supposedly buy a CECB digital TV converter box. These locations are most likely automatically generated from a database that matches your zip code to that of nearby registered CECB converter box retailers. It is far from a complete list though. The one we received (see above) listed eight locations in Humboldt County where the digital television converters are available. They consisted of SEARS, Radio Shack, K-Mart and Target. We do not have a Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart or a number of other participating electronics chain stores in our area, or they most likely would have been listed first.

The second page (see left) contains some general information about the DTV converter box program. This page also has a list of the most recently approved CECB DTV converter box models that are eligible for the program, although we are guessing that the list will probably be less than 100% up-to-date by the time you get it. Lastly, the insert contains a list of about a dozen or so mail order and online retailers that will accept the coupons and who presumably have the decoders in stock. If you want to read the entire list, see the end of this article for a link to download a digital copy of the insert, which you can print out for yourself.

Lastly, and most importantly!!! If you take away only a single fact to remember from this entire article, it should definitely be to take a close look at the expiration date on each coupon. At most, you will only have 90 days in order to use your $40 DTV converter coupons before they expire. Once they expire, they are absolutely worthless. The government will not give you an extension or re-issue you new coupons. In other words, use them, or lose them! You have 90 days to use the coupons from the day the coupons are printed, NOT from the day that you receive them. As with most bulk mailers, this agency quite likely only sends out their mailings once per week in order to get a bulk discount from the U.S. Postal Service. So, you may find that up to two weeks has been shaved off the 90 days you have to spend the coupons by the time you actually receive them. The government has caught quite a bit of flack over the entire 90 day expiration date issue, but it’s too late for them to make any changes to the program at this point. So, buyer (and taxpayer) beware!

Below are links to graphic copies of the materials you will receive once you register to receive your free government Digital Television (DTV) converters, or CECB boxes. They have been “Photoshopped” to remove certain parts of the serial numbers. Needless to say, you can’t just print these pages out on your inkjet printer and try to pass them off as real coupons. Each DTV converter box coupon has it’s own individual serial number and mag stripe. The information on these pages is for reference and display purposes only.

Free DTV Coupon Insert Page1

Free DTV Coupon Insert Page 2

We will soon publish an updated list of online retailers that can actually process the $40 DTV digital converter box coupons via the Internet. Most online retailers have no way to accept these coupons at present, and most likely never will. A handful of companies have stepped forward to fill this gap, and they are the only ones you should consider buying from online, since you will most likely be overcharged (no discount given) if you try ordering from a merchant that hasn’t made special provisions to deal with these specific coupons.

UPDATE: President Obama and the U.S. Congress officially extended the deadline for broadcasters to switch to DTV to June 12, 2009. You can keep applying for coupons via phone or the Internet until that time. Keep in mind that the extension is basically voluntary, meaning that broadcasters can switch their signals to DTV and STOP broadcasting in analog anytime that they want to. There are very few stations that are waiting until June to make the jump to DTV, due to the high cost associated with simulcasting both digital and analog signals. So, chances are that the only analog broadcasts still remaining in your area are most likely that of translators and low-power (LPTV) stations, which are not required to transition to digital, anyway.

Stay tuned!!!

• 84% of people surveyed know that the transition is happening.
• Almost one-half of those who need to do something to still watch TV on some or all of their sets had inadequate plans or no plans to address that problem.
• While more than one-half of those polled knew about the government’s converter-box-subsidy program, only one-third of those knew how to get the boxes.
• One-third of those who didn’t need the converter boxes or coupons were going to apply for them anyway.
• Some 464,000 ($40 Government) coupons have already expired without being used, or about 58% of the 800,000 that already reached their expiration dates.
• The NTIA’s Bernadette McGuire-Rivera stated that the NTIA has decertified about one-dozen retailers — she called them “bad apples” — that were putting consumers on waiting lists for boxes, getting them to “swipe” their cards so that they could collect the $40 subsidy and then keeping them waiting for boxes that never arrived.

More information on the report is available at Broadcasting and Cable Magazine.

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.

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.