Switching to Digital
So I finally got myself one of those “fancy” Digital TV (DTV) Converter boxes that will be required come February for viewing over-the-air broadcasts on an analog TV. For the most part I really enjoy the new signal. Great picture quality, no fuzzy channels, and some interesting new features. Of course, with every bit of good, there is a bit of bad. I thought I would share with you my impressions of the good and the bad.
The Good
The picture quality is a definite improvement. It is all crisp and clear. Beautiful colors and sharp details. Frankly it is similar quality to watching a DVD. The analog signal was never that great. I got a pretty decent picture from the analog channels (those that came in clear, that is) but there was a distinct jump in quality when I switched to the DTV channels. And I can get a lot of the shows in my preferred wide screen format (sadly, there will be more on this in the Bad section). I much prefer the wide screen format for video, and, no, the bars at the top and bottom the screen don’t bother me at all.
The thing that surprised me was the addition of new channels. I am now getting channels that I didn’t know were available over the air. I didn’t know this, but DTV has the ability to broadcast sub-channels. So every channel is in the format of 2.1, 2.2, etc. So picked up these new sub-channels and now I have one that broadcasts the qubo network (which the Things love) and one that is dedicated to local weather (useful for getting the forecast instead of waiting for the local news) plus others. In all I think I have close to double the channels I had before (it sounds more impressive than it is, since we didn’t get that many to begin with). Not all of them are useful, but it’s nice to have options.
I even get something akin to the menu guide like they use on satellite or digital cable. I can’t pull up a list that shows all the channels, but I can check on a per channel basis what is on (with a summary) and what is coming on later. I’m not sure how far out it goes, but I checked about 2-3 hours out and it had info for that. Plus I can get alternate audio tracks for some shows, too.
The Bad
First things first. I now need a new Universal remote. I prefer to keep my set up controlled by a single remote and the new box is not compatible with my old remote. This isn’t really a problem as I needed to get a new one any way. I recently got a surround sound receiver ($5 at a garage sale!) and my current remote will allow me to turn it on and change the volume, but I can’t change the input. So the remote was going to be replaced anyway.
The only “real” complaint I have is the inconsistent application of the wide screen format. When you set up the box you can set your preferred viewing mode (wide screen, zoom, or full screen) and that is how it will attempt to fit the content. Naturally, I selected wide screen and when it is done right, I love it! It looks especially great when watching a football game or one of the great network shows like 24. Sadly, the application of the wide screen setting varies from channel to channel and sometimes even show to show (or show to commercial).
Most shows work fine in the wide screen and I just have the bars on the top and bottom. but some end up in a strange “postage stamp” format, with blank areas around the entire picture. It looks like if I were to switch to the full-screen mode for those channels, they would look like a standard wide screen video. The converter box does allow me to change the picture zoom, but only by hopping through the menu system (no designated button, like many HDTVs have) and it is a pain to do. I don’t really mind it when the commercials do it, but I have some channels that broadcast entirely in the postage stamp format. The real disappointment is when a channel like Fox broadcasts two channels, one Standard Definition (4:3 picture format, blech!) and one in HD (16:9, but postage stamped). It really makes enjoying shows like Prison Break and (coming soon!) 24 hard. I want to see them in the 16:9, but I definitely don’t want to watch the postage stamp version. If I could set a specific zoom for each channel I would. Alas, that is not an option. I hope that by the time the transition occurs the stations agree to some sort of standard, but I kind of doubt it.