Come Feb. 17, when broadcast stations stop sending out an analog signal, you'll get nothing but snow on your TV. Are digital and high-definition the same thing?
No. as of Feb. 17, all stations will be broadcasting in standard-definition digital, but only some will be broadcasting in HD. While digital transmission should improve picture and sound quality, HD makes the picture brighter still and the sound more pure. "HDTV gives approximately five times the detail as standard definition," Fanshawe says. "But even standard definition, which is comparable to DVD quality, is much better than the best analog signal."
If you want to watch in HD, make sure your TV set is HD-compatible.
Although all Baltimore stations broadcast in HD, not all can broadcast their local programming - shows that originate in their studios - in HD. WBFF and WNUV have been producing HD programming since June, while WJZ and WBAL are expected to join the ranks sometime next year. WMAR has no plans to do local programming in HD.
How many people in the region might be unprepared?
About 7 percent of homes in the Baltimore area are unprepared for the digital conversion, WBAL's Wertlieb says. That is, about 70,000 homes are not connected to cable or satellite systems or do not have digital TVs or have not yet obtained either converter boxes or coupons that can be used to purchase converter boxes.
When the local stations ran a test of their digital transmitters Dec. 16 and provided viewers with a number to call if their sets were not yet able to receive the digital signal, about 2,200 calls came in.
Who pays for the conversion? And will it cost me anything?
Other than a converter box (which, with a coupon, could be free or close to it), the digital conversion won't cost you anything directly. Broadcast stations, on the other hand, have had to shell out between $3 million and $4 million for new and upgraded equipment, according to Wertlieb.
Might viewers without cable or satellite still have reception issues with digital TV?
Yes. Stations that send out a digital signal are still dependent on the power of the transmitter and your location, which means that if you had trouble tuning-in some stations before the conversion, you may still have trouble afterward. The situation may even get worse; whereas analog transmissions allowed viewers who lived far away to tune in, but maybe get only a snowy picture, digital is an either-or proposition - either you get the signal, or you don't. There's no such thing as a snowy picture with digital.
However, the digital signal should go farther than the analog signal. And some stations with weak signals have taken the opportunity to boost their power. MPT, says spokesman Mike Golden, has increased power on its transmitter in Frederick, recently received FCC approval to boost the power of its Baltimore transmitter, and has asked for permission to upgrade its transmitter in Annapolis.
Other information?
Check the FCC Web site at www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html.
