Q&A

1. Is the antenna I use for existing TV reception good enough for DTV?

Over-the-air (OTA) digital TV broadcasting uses the same channels as analog TV and works well with many existing TV antennas. However, DTV broadcast channel assignments are different than analog channels. You should find out whether your local DTV broadcasts are on VHF (channels 2-13) or UHF (channels 14-69) to see if you need a different antenna.

If your DTV channels are on UHF and you already get good UHF reception, your present antenna may work fine. The same holds true for VHF DTV reception. Note that in some markets, both VHF and UHF channels are used for DTV broadcasts.

You can find out the latest DTV channel assignments for your area by browsing selected Internet web sites such as www.titantv.com , www.10000watts.com, and www.fcc.gov.

2.How difficult is it to receive DTV signals indoors?

This depends on whether your local DTV stations are running full power or not and how close your location is to the transmission tower. DTV receivers do not require as much signal as analog TV receivers to produce high-quality images and sound.

Once the DTV signal level exceeds a certain threshold at the receiver, the digital video and audio data is decoded at the same quality it was originally encoded for broadcast. This is a big advantage for DTV over analog TV - there is no noise, ghosting, static, or scratchy audio.

3.How can I connect an antenna in my townhouse, co-operative apartment, condominium, or apartment?

The Federal Communications Commission's OTARD Rule (part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996) allows residents of condominiums, townhouse, or members of neighborhood associations to put up outside antennas for reception of broadcast TV signals as long as those antennas are not located in common areas and are no more than 12' in height.

Residents of rental units (apartments, etc) are not covered by the OTARD rules and will have to use indoor antennas to receive DTV broadcasts. It is possible that the landlord of an apartment complex can provide broadcast DTV signals via a master TV antenna system to each apartment.

4.Can I connect my DTV set-top receiver to my cable TV service?

Cable TV systems use a different method for transmitting digital TV programs that is currently incompatible with broadcast DTV set-top receivers. So you will still need to use an outdoor or indoor antenna to receive OTA broadcast DTV programs.

The good news is that you won't have to pay a monthly or per-program charge to watch OTA DTV and HDTV programs. They're free, unlike subscription satellite TV or premium cable TV. All you need is an antenna and a DTV set-top receiver to enjoy clear, sharp widescreen images and high-quality audio.

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