Holy Crap: My First Experience with DTV

A couple of months ago, I applied for a coupon (pronounced "coo-pon") on a website. For the next few weeks, I checked the mailbox every day and told Anne that if I got the coupon, I would be immediately rushing out to make a purchase that I hoped would change our lives. I'm talking about digital television. Actually, that doesn't do it justice.

Digital Television!

There. That's better.

You may or may not know that in February of 2009, the TV stations that we're used to seeing over the air and captured on our rabbit ears will be going away and replaced by a purely digital signal. This is a good thing. Just like digital technology on our cell phones, DTV promises clear reception because it's either a one or a zero. The receiver isn't having to figure out where along the entire wavelength the signal is at a given moment, it's either a one or a zero. You either have the signal or you don't. There's no fuzziness. No ghosting image. Great right?

Well, I finally received my coupon in the mail on Saturday. I of course rushed right out to purchase the Zenith digital converter that Consumer Reports recommended. It took me a couple of days to find the time to connect it, but I finally did it. Then I turned it on.

The setup couldn't have been easier. It ran through the channels to find the signals available. The basics were all there - ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC - and there were some extras that were pleasant surprises such as a couple of weather stations and about four different kinds of PBS. OK, I could have done without the PBS stations, but whatever.

My initial reaction was "Wow!" The picture was completely amazing. I don't have a high definition TV, but the image was crystal clear. I settled in and watched a bit of Letterman and a bit of Family Guy. I was happy.

Could it last? Of course not. Suddenly, some of the stations would go black and show a happy little bouncing sign to tell me that there was "no signal." Herein lies the problem with a digital source: The fact that if you don't have a signal, you really don't have a signal. Granted, I just have rabbit ears on the top of my TV and I'm sure the consistency could be smoothed out if I got an attic antenna or something . However, it's not like I live out in the country. I live right in a reasonably sized metropolitan area. I should have very good signal consistently. Maybe this will improve as we get closer to the full switch over, but it's mildly frustrating that it's not better now.

For more information, you can go to the US Government's site dedicated to digital TV.