Testing a Digital Television Converter Box
How big a geek am I? I can't remember what day it was last week, but I spent half an hour watching the guys from PBS' This Old House talk about the coming digital television transition on Maryland Public Television.
Thinking I already knew everything I needed to know about DTV, I was surprised to find out that you still need an antenna to hook up to the converter box to get digital TV broadcasts. So yay PBS and This Old House dudes for teaching me that important piece of information.
You do know about the DTV transition, right? Come Feb. 17, 2009, broadcast television channels will stop broadcasting on analog airwaves and start broadcasting only in digital.
That means if you aren't getting your TV through cable or satellite and you're still relying on those ol' rabbit ears, you're going to lose your picture unless you've purchased a digital converter box. They're a bit pricey, but if you sign up for the converter box coupon program, it'll give you $40 off each box.
At my house, I've got satellite TV for now. But to see what all the fuss is about, I signed up my fella for the coupon program over the summer. They came in the mail about a month later and over the past weekend, we used one of the coupons to get a Zenith converter box. So instead of the $60 price tag, the box cost $20.
It took me ten minutes to set it up. I hooked up the antenna to the converter set box, and then using a cable that came with the box, I hooked up the box to the TV. It was a cinch. It took me a little longer as I tried to figure out how to program his universal remote to work the converter set box, but try as I might it didn't work. I ended up deciding his universal remote wasn't advanced enough to work with the set box. So I just set the DTV remote to control his TV, too. The result of all this effort was amazing.
Even on his Flintstones-era Zenith television (no joke, it's ancient), the picture quality was crisp. The color was better (shades of blue and purple while watching the Giants-Ravens game instead of indistinguishable purplish-blue guys playing other blueish-purple guys) and we could SEE CLUMPS OF GRASS ON THE FIELD. I swear. Amazing.
Before I hooked up the set box, he fussed me out about the box and another remote.
HIM: I don't need this.
ME: Yea, but won't you miss MPT when you lose it next year?
HIM: I'll watch it on my computer.
ME: Just give me a second to set it up.
HIM: How am I going to be a Luddite if we set this up?
Ignoring him, I set up the box. Then I turn it on and tune in all the channels.
BOTH OF US: Wow.
ME: Look at the field and the grass.
HIM: I hate to admit this, but the picture looks great. So much better.
ME: Do you see the clumps of grass?
HIM: Even the color looks better.
ME: Look at the clumps of grass on the field on your TV.
HIM: I can't believe you can see such a difference in the picture.
ME:
HIM: OK OK OK, you were right. I can't wait for NOVA Science Wednesday.
ME: hehehehe, I know.
If a converter box can improve his picture like that, I'm sold. I'm ready to go back and buy another box for my television and cut the satellite.
Categories: Digital television, Technology
