OBSTRUCTIONS TO OVERCOME IN OTA DTV RECEPTION

Because my posts have become deep in the archives by now with the important information posted about 3-4 years ago, for the sake of navigation simplicity I thought I would list some common barriers to over-the-air DTV signals. Some would probably ask why it seems their DTV picture is outstanding on some days and blocky on others. Well, it has to do with the state of the area atmosphere, which varies on different parts of the day, or even the calendar year. Radio frequency (RF) signals ideally can travel a long distance in free space without any resistance. That is not the case in reality.

When RF signals travel through an environment, or a "medium" as engineers and scientists call them, they go through forms of resistance, or impedance, to their travel. To put it another way, when you drive a car, you may find yourself having to travel slower on foggy days or when roads are icy as compared to dry sunny days, making the travel difficult. Well, that's the same issue with RF signals. Sooner or later even on nice weather days, the natural impedance of the air will eventually reduce the RF signal power to the point where it becomes impossible to receive with even the most sensitive radios. How far the signal can go before that happens depends on the atmospheric conditions, and, what objects stand in the way.

The best conditions for any kind of RF signal reception are during mild nights with little wind and stable air. I say nights because in the daytime, an atmospheric layer is present when the sun is out that scatters radio signals, making reception better in some places and weaker when the antenna is moved by as little as a few feet. Windy days when the air is unstable, high humidity, and precipitation can also cause the air to have a higher impedance and make off-air reception difficult.

Also, there is the issue of obstructions. Non-metallic building materials like wood and masonry, and trees and foliage, are media with a higher resistance than for air, which is why reception in areas with a lot of trees or buildings is difficult, as well as indoor or attic reception as opposed to mounting an antenna on the rooftop. Metal building materials will reflect and/or load RF signals, essentially blocking reception, as well as hills. The ground can literally stop an RF signal in its tracks, which is why using an indoor antenna in a basement den is not worth the frustration.

So this is why that if you live in an area fairly distant from the TV transmit towers that is best to use the largest antenna that you can to ensure you can pull in the signals when the conditions are at their worst, and if you do use an indoor antenna, why should try to mount it as high above the floor as possible to allow the antenna to "peek over" any obstructions near the ground. Also as I have mentioned a long time ago, amplifiers are only good for overcoming signal loss through cables and splitters, and NOT for increasing the antenna range. Amplifiers can only boost whatever signals the antenna can receive.

If you use antennaweb.org or tvfool.com to determine the TV channels you can receive in your area, the calculations do tend to be conservative estimates, taking the varying atmospheric conditions into account to ensure the size of antenna recommended is in fact the correct one. So, if your existing reception comes and goes, try moving the antenna higher and left or right a few feet first to see if the DTV signal meter on your tuner suddenly jumps into the good range. If it doesn't help, you may need to consider a larger, stronger antenna to overcome the obstacles of off-air DTV reception.

GETTING WIRELESS HD - FROM THE GAME CHANGING ROKU PLAYER

Last year I mentioned trying out the Blockbuster video on-demand box made by 2Wire, and it turned out to be a failure. No sooner did they finally get the streaming video consistent did a couple major studios drop the new rental library from the Blockbuster On Demand service from this player, although not the Web site service for PCs.

However using the box set on a secure 802.11g wireless connection to a router only one room away and connected to a 5 Mbps cable modem connection, I did notice the Blockbuster VOD box was capable of downloading at 3-4 Mbps bit rates. I was particular over this box because I would be more comfortable with a box that cached the content that I could play offline with little breakup. Ironically, that was not the case, so I was not becoming as skeptical of streaming content over these set top boxes.

So a couple months ago I went ahead and get the Roku digital video player (http://www.roku.com/) which sells for $99 plus shipping and handling, and I think the timing to get it was just right, because it is about to become the game changer in bringing Internet video on demand to the living room. When I purchased it, Netflix, which was the original partner with this device, and Amazon Video on Demand was available, and just this week MLB.TV premium was added, the first live streaming channel on the Roku device. Additionally, several more Roku channels are on the way, following partnerships with Web video podcast aggregator sites Blip.TV and Mediafly.com, which would allow Roku users to finally enjoy original Web series on the TV set. While there are other devices like XBox, Playstation, and networked Blu-Ray players, they are about three times the cost of the Roku player, and the AppleTV box is twice the cost of the Roku.

So, with an affordable device now available and becoming capable of streaming a wide variety of online content, Web video is about to take a significant step forward over the next several months. And, this Roku box works, if you use the right equipment with it. I have my Roku player connected via a standard length HDMI cable to a 32" 720p monitor, and no surround sound equipment. This is the best setup to have with the Roku player, or any other Web video STB, because the top format this player is capable of is 720p HD and two-channel stereo. True home theater enthusiasts may find the Roku quality a bit disappointing if it is connected to a large 1080p HDTV, marketed as "true HD", and surround sound equipment.

Also, for best results, I would recommend a minimum 5 Mbps Internet connection, and preferably 10 Mbps or better. However, I have had solid 720p picture quality on my 5 Mbps connection. Now, an MPEG-2 720p HDTV over the air broadcast is somewhere between 7 and 8 Mbps (1080i being 10-12 Mbps), but the broadcast also includes 5.1 surround sound. So, I believe the Roku 720p HD can work well with a 3-4 Mbps connection since its compression may be more like a more efficient H.264 or MPEG-4 compression, and stereo sound, so not as much bandwidth would be required for the Roku HD stream. Additionally, while I have had success with a fairly close 802.11g wireless connection, if you plan to place this device further from your router, a hard wired connection, if possible, should be used, since computer cables can reject electrical noise and interference that can otherwise cause trouble for digital video transmitted wirelessly.

That said, when I linked my Roku player to my Netflix account, the first thing I streamed was the series premiere of NBC's The Office, which was available in 720p HD. Because I was watching on a 720p monitor, the picture quality looked just about as good as if I was watching the broadcast HDTV on this same monitor. Now I am catching up on some shows I have missed that are available on Netflix's Instant Play, which does have a limited library for now, and to see the new video releases, you would have to rely on the standard Netflix queue with discs by mail, or order them for $1.99 to $4.99 for HD from Amazon on Demand.

One other observation on how the Roku player works - it relies on a buffer play where the content streams in little segments. When the program begins, the player downloads the first segment before the program appears on your TV, which takes just under a minute if the connection is good. While this segment plays from the buffer, the player downloads the next segment, starting when the previous one ends, thus giving the illusion of a continuous stream with a consistent picture quality. The user can also skip these segments as sort of a fast forward or reverse with thumbnails as a visual clue. Once the segment is selected, the segment is downloaded (takes another minute, so patience is a virtue with this device), and the stream continues. Fortunately if I were to stop a program to do something else, like answer a phone call from friends or family, the player does store the segment where you left off, and once you return to the program, you can start right where you left off, or start the show all over again.

The MLB.TV channel that became available this week for Roku works about the same way with archived games, up to one week, as well as live games. A viewer can go back to a point in a live game and watch on a delay, as well as streaming it live, whose 720p HD picture quality, while not spectacular, is still pretty good.

So with these options and original Internet video on the way, the Roku player could become the paradigm shift for TV viewing habits. Right now my video sources are my over the air antenna and my Roku player. If the Roku can add ESPN360, preferably in time for next summer's FIFA World Cup of soccer, that would be all the more reason to stray from paying for cable, satellite, or telco TV, which would make me think that cable providers may need to reconsider their pricing tiers for high speed Internet and digital video to stay profitable or competitive.

I do have one beef with MLB.TV premium - my address is in the Chicago market but right on the Wisconsin border. Apparently the local games that are blacked out from the service are based on the IP address of the provider; well, I think mine must be in Wisconsin because I can get Cubs and White Sox games on MLB.TV Premium, but not the Milwaukee Brewers, strange since I have a cable modem, and my cable provider has Chicago stations and the regional Chicago sports network for my address, and no more Milwaukee stations after the DTV transition. Go figure. That aside though, my Roku is giving me so many options that surfing cable/satellite channels has become a waste of time and money for me since my off air antenna DTV setup is working out just fine after the transition.

UPDATE (8-19-09) - I was able to get around the blackout issue noted above; the trick is to log on to your MLB.com account on a PC sharing a router connection with the Roku player. Then go to the premium TV section and attempt to view the out of market game that is incorrectly blacked out. By completing a secure form that includes giving your credit card number and zip code, confirming a legitimate home address and market, the site would then link the IP with the right home market, and the Roku player would then play the out-of-market games you are entitled to stream live. And of course, if you miss a home game live, you can see it on the Roku on tape delay once the game is archived about 90 minutes after the end of the game.

DTV TRANSITION COMPLETE - OR IS IT?

It has been over six weeks since the USA's full power analog TV broadcasts went dark, and the few left that are simply providing a "nightlight" service are slowly fading away as the "completely unready" household ratio continues to dwindle down.

However, those over the air households that thought they were ready with their converter boxes or new TVs have realized that they did lose some channels even after a rescan of their tuners. There have been reports of a handful of VHF stations now looking to get FCC permission to increase their transmit power as some households, be they just on the fringe of the viewing area or have indoor environments where the signals are not penetrating the buildings, are missing out on their shows after taking heed of all instructions to convert.

Additionally, there are still some DTV stations that have not yet gone to their maximum allotted DTV transmit power simply because they were not quite financially or technically ready to do, but plan to in the next few months.

So, if you have found a couple off-air DTV channels to be breaking up occasionally on a humid or stormy day, I would contact the station and ask if they are broadcasting at full power, and if not yet, then when. If the stations are at full power, then you may want to consider upgrading your antenna to a larger one that can pull in more signal.

Also, be sure to rescan your tuner about once a month as more and more stations are adding multicast channels to their over the air DTV broadcasts. Who knows, you may find yourself hooked on a new channel that you had to shell out a lot per month to get on digital cable.

THE DTV TRANSITION IS HERE!

If you just found this page looking for information on how to get solid DTV reception over the air, browse through the links in the left frame, some of these posts are from a couple years ago, but have relevant information. I would go back to the earliest post and work your way up.

For those who did receive all their off-the-air DTV channels with a new digital TV or converter box, well, unfortunately you're not quite set yet. After June 12th passes into Saturday, you will need to rescan your tuner as some of the channels have switched to their final FCC approved DTV frequency. Check your owner's manual for details on how to do this. If after rescanning a couple times, if not all your channels are back yet, you may need to adjust or possibly even upgrade your current antenna. If you have used a UHF only antenna for DTV reception, chances are that you will need to go with a VHF/UHF combo to get all your channels back. You may want to contact the antenna manufacturer tech support line although I would be very patient to get through.

There are also some DTV help centers in your area, which could be at your local library or nearest electronics store. Check the newspaper or its Web site, or search "DTV Help Center" and your town to locate one near you for some good face-to-face help. Before you go, visit http://www.antennaweb.org/ or http://www.tvfool.com/ to get the final post-transition channel list for your area, and how strong an antenna you would need to consistently receive all your favorite channels.

Also keep in mind that not all analog channels will cease; you may be able to receive a low-power station; these stations are NOT required to be all digital just yet, only the major full-power stations in the US.

MILWAUKEE BROADCASTER USES ITS LOW-POWER STATIONS AS A "DIGITAL LIFELINE"

Milwaukee's CBS affiliate WDJT channel 58, owned by Weigel Broadcasting, has two lower power sister stations, channel 63, which was formerly the Telemundo affiliate for Milwaukee, now all digital on 48.4, and WMLW-CA 41. -CA means a "Class A" station, which is not a full power station, and at 9PM has a newscast from CBS 58. While the other major affiliates will have their news be available only on their all-digital broadcasts, CBS 58 is use their low power stations to continue broadcasting to the about 2% of market households, allowing them to continue to get local news and information on the DTV transition.

This is a marketing tool as clever as cable providers offering limited time low-cost basic cable services to help those who waited too long for the all-digital switch. Using their legal low-power broadcasts may hook new regular viewers.

A FEW UPDATES ON THE DTV TRANSITION

With about six weeks left to the June 12th deadline for broadcasters to power down their full power over the air analog broadcasts, here are a few updates:

• Several stations went ahead with an early shutdown in April; any stations that didn't will do so in June. One station in Chicago, WYCC, a public TV station owned by the city colleges of Chicago, shut down its analog signal on April 16th. Where I live in northern Illinois, I saw static on analog channel 20, a good DTV signal on 20-1 (HD), -2 (SD simulcast), and -3 (MHz Worldview with international news and entertainment).
• Local stations and the NAB spots are reminding viewers to rescan their DTV off-air tuners after June 12th, the reason being that some stations will be changing their DTV frequency to their final FCC approved frequency.
• I recently saw a scroll on WLS ABC-7 in Chicago informing viewers that they will shut their analog broadcast down at noon Chicago time on June 12th and because they will revert to their channel 7 VHF signal as their final DTV signal, that over the air viewers will require a good VHF/UHF antenna to get all the channels, which is the way it has to be.
• Speaking of the right VHF/UHF antennas, there is a good article on indoor antennas recommended for VHF DTV reception by RF expert Doug Lung at this link to the TV Technology magazine Web site: http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/79862. I highly recommend reading this if your old fashioned rabbit ears are not cutting it for receiving digital broadcasts after getting your converter box or new digital TV.
• Back to ABC7 Chicago - ABC owned and operated stations have started a new DTV sub channel, LiveWell HD, a lifestyle channel which loops six half-hour shows. They are presented in 720p HD, although the quality of this channel is average compared to the primary ABC HD channel. According to a Wikipedia entry for one LiveWell affiliate, the primary ABC HD streams at 10 Mbps in 720p, LivWell at 5 Mbps in 720p, and a weather/news channel in 480i standard definition in 480i. As a comparison, some Internet HD videos are in 720p, and download speeds of 7 to 8 Mbps are recommended. Simply put, the slower the bit rate, the less the picture quality. This multicast channel is available in limited markets - you can get information on this channel at http://www.livewellhd.com/.
• As of May 1st, Nielsen reports that about 3.5 million of the over 100 million U.S. households are considered completely unready for the June 12th analog shutoff, which, at 3.1%, is a significant reduction of the percentage of households unready back at the start of 2009. The two significant markets least prepared are Santa Fe, NM (8.77% of households unprepared) and Dallas-Fort Worth TX (6.62% of households unprepared). While the improvement, coming after the DTV coupons become more available as part of the recent stimulus package, justified the deadline delay from February 17 to June 12, I would not expect another delay.
• This time of year would be a good time to check the antenna connected to the DTV box as rainy and unstable air this time of year reduces the amount of signal reaching your antenna. On clear days with high barometric pressure, the signals come in much stronger than days with low barometric pressure with heavy rain and wind. So if you are witnessing this, feel free to browse around the archives with tips on improving your off-air DTV reception.

THE FIRST WAVE - WHAT WAS THE FCC THINKING MAKING SOME STATIONS REVERSE THEIR PLANS FOR AN EARLY SHUTDOWN?

I am posting this entry the night before what was supposed to be the day when all full power TV stations in the US were to shut down, but instead February 17th will be a day when some markets will see a handful of stations power down their analog transmitters, while others will wait until the now official new deadline of June 12th. The final count of stations making the transition on or before the original February 17th deadline will be 641; 220 have done so already, 421 will do so on the 17th. The FCC has released the now final and approved list of stations noting those that will be making the switch at http://www.fcc.gov/ - see the Headlines dated 2/16/08 including an Excel and Acrobat document list.

Late last week, 43 stations that had announced they would shut down analog on February 17th reversed their decision, pretty much after the FCC blew a whistle on several markets whose top four network (CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC) affiliates would go all digital. The reason the FCC did this was to ensure that at least one local affiliate of the top four networks, each with a local news organization, to continue providing local news and emergency information to those households still not ready for the transition. Also, I would have to think that some decisions were made based on some stations switching from a pre-transition frequency to a post transition frequency, that would make some households realize they need to realign their existing antenna, or get a whole different one. Also, the FCC has noted some stations have "enhanced analog nightlight" to have these local affiliates have at lease an analog signal ready to broadcast emergency information, but they have written very little detail on this.

Anyway, I am going to play devil's advocate and provide examples of this now two-wave transition for three markets, two of the markets claiming to have less than one percent of their households not yet ready for the DTV switch, but also had a station pretty much ordered by the FCC to keep their analog broadcast going:

Milwaukee WI - Here the top four network affiliates as well as the PBS affiliate elected to continue their analog broadcasts until June, so there was no concern from the FCC here. The CW and MyNetwork affiliates, both owned by Sinclair Broadcasting, are going to make the switch and do the standard "nightlight" plan by posting information on the switch on their analog channels instead of regular programming that will only be seen on the digital channel. Also making the switch here will be a religious station, and they plan just to flash cut to DTV. Milwaukee has a fairly easy endgame; only the CW affiliate on analog 18 will be changing their DTV channel post-transition; their current DTV broadcast is on real channel 61, in the 52-69 channel spectrum that will be returned for new wireless applications and services. So, once their nightlight period ends sometime late in March, all the Milwaukee DTV broadcasts will be on their post-transition channel, meaning at that time DTV OTA viewers will likely not need to adjust or replace their current antenna, while those households catching up will get the right antenna and be all set before June 12th.

Madison, WI - This is one of the markets claiming to have less than one percent of their households unprepared for the switch. Unlike Milwaukee, in this market all their affiliates have DTV broadcasts on what will be their post-transition frequency, so all that needs to be done here is to simply power down their analog broadcasts. Their NBC affiliate will be the first to go at about 11:30 PM local time on February 16th, followed by the CBS affiliate, then the ABC affiliate, as well as the CW affiliate. ABC and CW will do the traditional nightlight while the CBS will have the "enhanced nightlight" in which that station in the event of an emergency or for local news can power back up their analog channel 3. The station that reversed its intention to power down this week was the FOX affiliate, channel 47, whose pre and post DTV frequency is in VHF high band on channel 11. Now I can speculate that the reason FOX in Madison is still going full analog is for OTA DTV viewers using a so-called HDTV antenna that in reality is nothing more than a UHF antenna, like a Silver Sensor for indoors and a bowtie antenna for outdoors. These antennas may get the other DTV channels and analog 47 for FOX, but possibly not the VHF channel 11. Hopefully when these viewers realize they are not getting 47-1 but just 47, they will ask about it and realize they really needed a VHF high band/UHF antenna to all their local channels when they become all digital. Also the PBS affiliate will continue to be analog, probably because PBS in Wisconsin is a statewide network, so to promote the switch in few areas would probably have just caused confusion.

Quincy, IL-Hannibal, MO-Keokuk, IA - Like Madison, this small market claims to have less than one percent of their households as not prepared for the DTV switch. This is an interesting market because it is a duopoly in terms of the top four networks. There are analog channels 7, CBS, and 10, NBC, and the other networks are only available over the air digitally. DTV channel 7.2 has ABC network programming, while 10.2 has the CW and 10.3 FOX. Additionally, 7's DTV frequency in on channel 29 while 10's is on 54, a station in the frequency spectrum that will be returned, and yet both stations' post-transition DTV channels will be their original VHF frequencies. Well, both these stations were planning to switch early, but after the FCC blew the whistle, channel 7 agreed to delay its switch until June while 10 would proceed,which makes sense since their pre-transition frequency would be returned. But what about those households that, again, became DTV ready with a UHF only antenna? Once channel 10 makes the switch and people who thought they were ready suddenly lose 10.1, .2, and .3, how would they react when they realize they need a high band VHF/UHF antenna? And now, making this issue more confusing is that 10 is going to be on the enhanced nightlight; so, does this mean the station will not switch their DTV frequency until the nightlight period ends, or even until June? Will they just broadcast on DTV 54 and power their old analog transmitter only for news and emergency information? How long will it last? (2-17-09 UPDATE: At 12:30 PM today WGEM did power down their analog channel 10 broadcast and in a two hour period made the transition to broadcast all digital on the channel 10 frequency, so it is likely the FCC is requesting at least one major affiliate, KHQA, stay on analog to provide local breaking news as needed) And during this time will those households that got a UHF only antenna for DTV viewing replace their antenna with a VHF high band/UHF? Hopefully the stations will remind viewers one simple suggestion; if their antenna setup gets a decent 7 and 10 analog picture as well as their DTV equivalent, then when the switch becomes final the viewer can just rescan their tuner. Still, I think in this case discretion may not quite be the better part of valor.

In any case, the FCC did announce today that they would send out reps to the markets making the switch to be on site at walk-in help areas for those needing information on how to get a converter box, install it, and then see is they need the right antenna. They have also started a Web page where viewers can check their DTV reception - http://www.dtv.gov/fixreception.html.

And now, here comes the first wave . . .

WHO WILL STAY AND WHO WILL GO ON 2-17-09?

Even though the federal deadline for terminating full power analog broadcasts has been pushed back to June 12th, the congressional bill does allow stations to proceed with their permanent switch to DTV at an earlier date, and some stations have just informed the FCC prior to a midnight filing deadline on Monday February 9th that they will proceed with the switch on February 17th as planned. Other stations may elect in the next few weeks to complete their DTV switch in April, and the rest in June.

So which stations will make the 2-17-09 switch as intended? On the evening I posted this entry, February 10th, the FCC posted on its Web site a public notice of those stations, with appendix documents listing the 190 stations that had already made the DTV switch while the delay debate in Washington was ongoing, plus 491 stations that will proceed with their analog shutdown on February 17th as planned. The documents are available for public viewing at http://www.fcc.gov/ - see the "Headlines" section of the page and the 2/10/09 entry. During the Washington debate on the DTV delay, the FCC reported that 61% of full power stations at the time could proceed with their analog shutdown; the actual percentage to do so will be about 35-40%. Appendix A lists the stations that plan to be all digital by February 18th, while Appendix B lists all full power stations currently broadcasting, with entries in red planning to go all digital early, and those in black delaying their analog shutdown.

Several of these stations had their reasons for making the switch. One is that they had already budgeted operations and installations for the February 17th switch, and to delay the switch would only add to their operating costs that are already being complicated by the current economic situation. Another reason is that their research for their specific market shows that less than 1% of households in their viewing area were not ready for the switch, compared to about a 6% national average. What interests me about the list that most of the markets who have several major network affiliates that will make the originally intended 2/17 switch to DTV are in fairly small markets. Does this mean that these markets have either a relatively smaller audience with not as many households to check if they are DTV ready, or these over the air households actually still watch their local news more often, making them more likely aware of the DTV transition? Whatever the case, it will turn out that February 17th will be more like the first wave of the transition which the major cities making the switch in June. This actually could turn out better in the end; European countries have scheduled their DTV transitions by region at different times, so this plan in the US may arguably be no different.