Digital Television Transition: DTV and HDTV Conversion Checklist

Transition to digital television is today! Have you waited until the last minute to get ready for the conversion to DTV? If so, we’ve prepared a checklist of what you will need to continue watching free television on your local TV stations. In many cases, you won’t need to do anything. Here’s the scoop… Do [...]

Why Your TV Reception Sucks…

FCC rules discourage local television broadcasters from providing quality TV signal reception, forcing most to use expensive cable & satellite TV providers. Eureka, CA, February 24, 2009 – I was perusing KIEM-TV’s website earlier tonight when I ran across an interesting link to their policy on granting waivers to satellite television viewers (specifically DirecTV viewers) [...]

Rural TV Viewers May Soon Be In The Dark

As we expected, TV viewers in rural parts of Humboldt County may very well be left in the dark after the switch is made to digital television (DTV) in February 2009. The Times-Standard reported this week that viewers in the Orleans area may lose access to KIEM-TV, the area’s only NBC affiliate, when analog transmissions cease and DTV is made mandatory. The problem? Reception in that area is currently only available via a low-powered analog translator, which relies upon solar power and batteries to broadcast a signal. The only way to keep translator service available would be for the station to install a new DTV translator or convert the station’s main signal from digital back to analog in order to be rebroadcast. The station’s current solar system does not produce enough electricity for either option though.

List of LPTV Stations and Translators

A list of translators and low-power (LPTV) television stations in Northern California. Includes TV channels for digital and analog TV broadcasters.

Don’t Buy These Converter Boxes…

A frightening number of the DTV conversion boxes currently on the market lack a key feature that will leave their owners unable to watch many of their favorite channels after installation.

Getting Your Free DTV Coupons

So, you might be wondering exactly how complicated it is to get these “free” DTV converter box coupons from the U.S. Government. 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.

Choosing An Antenna For DTV

AntennaWeb.Org has a nifty feature that will calculate (roughly) what type of antenna you will need in order to watch digital television.

DTV Terms and Definitions

Custom Search 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 [...]

Signal Availability On ETG HDTV Stations

Eureka Television Group (ETV), the broadcasting conglomerate that currently owns five television stations in the Eureka, California, market, recently posted information on the accessibility of their signals via broadcast, cable and satellite television. This includes VHF, UHF, UHF-LPTV and Digital or HDTV.

About Us

I am a lifelong resident of Humboldt County, California and have spent most of the past 41 years interested in radio, broadcasting, television and electronics. I began my “career in broadcasting” at the age of 8 in CB Radio, which was all the rage in the 1970′s. I spent the next several years tinkering with [...]

Digital TV Myths

Information on HDTV and digital television reception using OTA Over The Air antennas and TV sets. Purchasing antennas, accessories and installation advice.

Humboldt County HDTV

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 [...]