Dumb HD questions

[slocoma]

1) I have an antenna on my roof. It gets SD reception. Do I need a special antenna to receive HD signals?

2) My locals are providing digital signals, but they are all in 4:3 format. When everything goes digital in 09, will they being required to switch to 16:9 or can they stay at 4:3?

For my NBC affiliates web site:

"WICU 12 is proud to be Erie's first commercial digital television station. WICU's DTV signal is considered to be standard definition. This means that the aspect ratio of our signal will be 4:3."

 

[harshness]

1) I have an antenna on my roof. It gets SD reception. Do I need a special antenna to receive HD signals?

If your current antenna is designed for UHF as well as VHF, you're golden!

2) My locals are providing digital signals, but they are all in 4:3 format. When everything goes digital in 09, will they being required to switch to 16:9 or can they stay at 4:3?

The only requirement is that the programming be transmitted digitally using the standards established by the ATSC. There are no requirements for aspect ratio nor that the programming must be High Definition. Anyone who suggests that it is going down otherwise should be burned at the stake.

 

[slocoma]

So I'm guessing that since they put the money in place to put up a SD signal, they're probably not going to go to an HD signal.

 

[voomvoom]

The answer to the first question is no.
As for the second question, the only thing required in February 2009 is for them to cut "Off" the analog signal. The FCC don't tell them what to do with there Digital signal, so you will get whatever they give you.
And for your last part, the 4:3 SD can be stretched from the 4:3 Original Aspect Ratio to fill your screen. If it's an HD digital picture, some (most) tv's won't be able to change it, however they decide to show it.

Al

 

[harshness]

So I'm guessing that since they put the money in place to put up a SD signal, they're probably not going to go to an HD signal.

I'm sure they will eventually cave in and deliver some HD content. Part of that depends on what else they are carrying on their digital signal. Many NBC stations send only an HD signal (4:3 and 16:9) on their primary subchannel and a weather channel on another subchannel. It is possible that your NBC affiliate is carrying other programming in their channel space that prohibits them from carrying an HD feed. In my market, there is one station that sends four SD channels and another that sends five SD channels and they obviously have no room for an HD channel.

At the extreme, my local Fox affiliate used to put black bars over the margins on their 16:9 feed. You could see a thin line of video above and below the bars that was obviously part of the 16:9 network feed.

 

[voomvoom]

So I'm guessing that since they put the money in place to put up a SD signal, they're probably not going to go to an HD signal.

Well most stations don't have extra money to do a lot of these changes. It could be they are one of these and will get the HD when they can? Also, remember they are in business to make money. So, if they split their signal 5 ways, they can sell 5 times as many commercials. But, I'm sure if they are an NBC affiliate, NBC will insist on an HD feed for the best possible picture for their programming?

Al

 

[Jim5506]

After Feb 2009 you will have digitals on 12(WICU), 16(WSEE), 22(FOX), 24(ABC) and 50(PBS).

Whether or not they pass through HD is up to each individual station. Contact them and encourage them to do so. Maybe one or two already have plans

 

[Peter Parker]

your questions are no dumb at all. Given all of the misleading info out there it si easy to see why you are confused.

FVHF antennas, UHF antenna and those that get both. Today most but not all digital broadcasts (HD or SD) are on UHF. In 2009 many stations will move their digital signals to VHF---highh (7 and above) for the most part.


There is no statutory or regulatory requirement to go D or to a widescreen format. But as others have pointed out they may be forced to in order to compete.

 

[slocoma]

After Feb 2009 you will have digitals on 12(WICU), 16(WSEE), 22(FOX), 24(ABC) and 50(PBS).

Whether or not they pass through HD is up to each individual station. Contact them and encourage them to do so. Maybe one or two already have plans

The thing I don't understand is that all the stations say they are digital already. But the master list on dtv.gov (which was updated June 2007) only lists WQLN (PBS) as having digital. It there some kind of waiting period before they are licensed?

And I screwed up the terminology on my original post. I didn't mean SD as in digital, my current antenna receives analog signals. I haven't tried to get the digital channels on it because I stopped using it when I switched to Dish a few years ago. I wondered if it was worth hooking it back up.

 

[Jim5506]

If your TV or another device has an ATSC (digital OTA) tuner, the HD picture is amazing. HD OTA is better than HD via satellite, because it uses more bandwidth and has more detail. But, you MUST have an HD digital tuner and an HD display.

Many stations are operating under Digital Special authority, that is they are operating at reduced power on an alternate channel, possible only digital, not HD. This is how the FCC got stations to broadcast both analog and digital. When the axe falls on February 17, 2009, all the analog stations will go dark. Then stations will concentrate their efforts on improving their digital signal and offerings.

Where I live, we are fortunate. For a city of just over 200,000 population, all but one of our 5 majors (ABC) broadcasts in HD, and they are under construction as we speak.

By Thanksgiving all our digitals will be HD.

Other markets are not so well off.

 

[slocoma]

Thanks for all the info. This has cleared things up for me.