HDTV FAQ

(Frequently Asked Questions)

Something you really need to know NOW!
All analog television broadcasting< in the USA is scheduled to end on February 17, 2009. This means that anyone using a TV antenna to receive over-the-air broadcast television will be seeing nothing but "snow" on their analog TV sets after this date. This could result in a lot of very unhappy people, especially if it comes as a complete surprise. More detail is provided in the part of this discussion entitled "Techno-babble".

What is High Definition television?
High Definition Television (HDTV) is a television picture with more realistic looking pictures than the television pictures you are used to watching. An HDTV set displays pictures that are sharper, wider, and free of interference. An HDTV picture closely resembles what you see in movie theaters. The sound can be better than CD quality and can be in Surround Sound for a real home theater experience.

What is the difference between analog and Digital Television? Digital TV (DTV) is a new method of sending pictures to your home. Analog is the old method used to bring you channel 10 for the past 45+ years. The most noticeable difference between Analog TV and DTV is the clear picture and the high quality sound you get with DTV. Because it's digital, there is no picture degradation. There is no snow, interference, or noise in a DTV picture.

What is the difference between High Definition and Standard Definition?
SDTV is a term used to describe a picture that looks pretty much like your old analog pictures. SDTV is most often an analog picture converted to digital. The picture from a DVD is SDTV; it isn't even close to true HDTV. The traditional "analog" picture is made up of 480 active picture lines. High definition TV uses up to 1080 lines, delivering a vivid display with incredible detail. Standard Definition TV (SDTV) is pretty much any picture that is not High Definition TV.

What is the difference between Digital TV and HDTV?
Digital TV (DTV) is the method that television stations, cable, and satellite systems use to send pictures to your home.

HDTV describes a picture as being in High Definition (a very clear picture).

Digital and HDTV are not the same thing. If a sales person tells you that digital and HDTV is the same thing, then you need a different sales person (probably at a different retailer).

Just because someone is transmitting a digital signal does not mean that the picture you see will be in High Definition. It could be an SDTV (Standard Definition TV) picture. This holds true for "digital cable" and "digital satellite" as well as broadcast TV. Most of KTVL's broadcast day is spent transmitting an analog picture converted to digital. Converting an analog signal to digital does not make it HDTV; it's still just an SDTV picture. "Digital" is the method used to get the picture to your set. "HDTV" is one of several different quality pictures that can be broadcast by a digital television station.

Will my current television receive an HDTV signal? No. You can not receive HDTV (high definition television) on your current analog TV set. The tuner in an analog set will not even realize that a digital signal is there.

Does that mean I have to buy a new TV to watch my shows? No. You can purchase a "digital tuner" that will pick up our digital signal and then convert it into a picture that your analog set can display. You'll be able to watch your favorite shows on your current TV. But since the TV set is analog, the picture you see will never be in High Definition.

How much does an HDTV set cost? Like any new innovation, HDTV sets were introduced into the market at a relatively high cost. The price has been falling ever since. The cost of an HDTV set is close to what large screen analog projection TV sets cost. As of this writing, a good 36-inch "HDTV Set" (with a built-in digital tuner) can be purchased for around $600 or less.

What equipment do I need to receive KTVL in HDTV? An antenna and an HDTV set with a built in digital tuner (or an HDTV monitor with an external digital tuner and an antenna) is all you need.

Do I need a satellite dish? No. Our HDTV signal is not available on satellite. All you need to receive Channel 10 HDTV is a TV antenna and an HDTV set with a digital tuner either built into the set, or an external tuner.

Can I get HDTV from cable or satellite? Yes. But you must subscribe to their HDTV service and obtain their "HDTV converter box". Our digital signal is now available on Charter Cable in most areas; however, our digital signal is not currently available on satellite.

I have digital cable (or digital satellite). Does that mean I have HDTV? Not necessarily. Digital cable or digital satellite is not the same thing as HDTV. Most "digital" channels on cable and satellite are actually analog pictures converted to digital, which means that they are really SDTV pictures. As in broadcast television, "digital" is the method used to get the picture to your TV set, it does not mean that everything is available in HDTV.

Does KTVL offer any high definition programming? Currently, our only source of High Definition programming is the CBS Television Network. When we are not broadcasting true HDTV from CBS, we convert our analog (channel 10) pictures to digital, and put that on our digital channel. Converting analog pictures into digital does NOT turn the analog pictures into HDTV; they are still SDTV. All our local programs, including our newscasts, are in SDTV.

What kind of shows will I see in HDTV on KTVL? All CBS "scripted" shows, such as comedy and drama programs are produced in HD. Most sports such as the NFL, NCAA, and golf are broadcast in HD, as well. To see the CBS prime time program schedule with the HDTV programs highlighted, go to http://www.cbs.com/info/hdtv/. You can go to www.ktvl.com and click on the "PROGRAMMING" tab in the top of our home page.

Why are we changing to HDTV now? Congress passed a law mandating that all television stations broadcast a digital signal by the year 2002. All TV stations are required to broadcast both a digital and an analog signal until February 17, 2009. On that day our analog transmitter will be turned off and our analog broadcast frequencies returned to the government. Once this digital conversion has been completed, Congress will auction off the old analog channels. Congress expects to generate a lot of money by auctioning off these frequencies. And then, Congress is supposed to use the money to balance the budget (Deficit Reduction Act of 2005).

Will my analog TV set become obsolete on February 17, 2009? Technically, your analog TV set is already obsolete. But that doesn't mean it's useless. You can purchase a digital tuner and connect it to your analog set if you want to watch broadcast television. Note that I said broadcast television. If you subscribe to cable or satellite, you will not notice that anything has changed on 2/17/09. This is because you are not actually watching broadcast television when connected to cable or satellite. Only if you use an antenna are you watching broadcast television.

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