29 May 2008

Digital TV

Just got my digital converter for my TV, and really like it. The reception is much better than analog airwaves, and to my surprise most of the channels run multiple programs concurrently. For example, UHF channel 14, which is a Kentucky channel that I never could pick up to well with my analog rabbit ears, come in crystal clear, and it broadcasts 5 different stations (14-1, 14-2, 14-3 etc...)! Last night, one had Charlie Rose, another had Deutsch World News, and the others had nature shows. WCET, channel 48 broadcasts 2 channels, and channel 54 broadcasts 5 also. Channels 5, 9, 12 and 19 each have 2, and the second one for each of these just seems to rerun the weather. But the important difference is that we now have 12 public TV stations, and that is nice.

If you are like me and do not use cable or satellite, then go to this website, and get a coupon from the government. Wait at least 4 weeks. Get your discount card in the mail. Then go to Radio Shack or some place that sells TVs and get your converter for $15 instead of $55.

Thanks to Axinar for making me aware of the coupon program.

6 comments:

Kelly said...

The biggest reason I got my digital converter was so I could watch channel 12-2, which broadcasts the CW network. No more driving to my friend with cable's house for Gossip Girl!

But all the public and weather stations are nice, too. I feel like I've at least tripled my chances of catching one of PBS's excellent cooking shows every time I turn on the TV.

Anonymous said...

My favorite PBS show on one of the subchannels of 14: "Posh Nosh." It's a totally different cooking show and hilarious.

Anonymous said...

Thanks to CityKin and Axinar for the converter box coupon information. This is the first I had learned about the program.

Radarman said...

Dayton/Oxford PBS with its six channels is excellent. CET's signal is tricky for downtown residents. According to their engineers, the signal (line of sight) is too high for the basin. But KET works great. It's so great to have no cable bill, and HD is worth the change.

VisuaLingual said...

Oh, wow! I didn't realize that there would be a benefit to this before next February. Thanks for the tip!

John said...

The geek in me thought I should mention that if you don't have an HDTV (that supports at least a resolution of 720i) you can see the new content, but it's now being converted from digital to analog in that converter box. To get the full effect of the new digital content you'll still need a new TV.

I'm not sure what the converter boxes cost, but if the coupon doesn't cover the entire cost I think the plan is that they will in February.