posted 09-13-2004 10:35 PM                       

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CEA's antenna mapping program, AntennaWeb.org, will help you determine the proper outdoor* antenna to use in order to receive your local television broadcast channels.

Whether the antenna you want is for use with a home satellite system, high-definition television (HDTV) or a traditional analog set, this site, based on geographical maps and signal strengths, will show you what you need to know to buy the right antenna.

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Digital TV Questions:

Why doesn't my HD receiver work with my antenna?
What does the * (asterisk) in the DTV column stand for?
When I use Antennaweb.org to determine which affiliates are broadcasting a digital signal in addition to the analog signal, I see dates that are over a year into the future. Why?
What does the "Live Date" column indicate, and what does it mean when it says "TBD"?
What is the difference between Digital Television (DTV) and High Definition Television (HDTV)?
What is multicasting?
Why is it that for some digital channels I need to tune to a UHF channel number such as 36, but for others I have to put in a number such as "4-1"?
Are all digital stations on UHF channels, and do I need a UHF-only antenna to receive them? What are the VHF and UHF bands anyway, and what do VHF and UHF stand for?
Can you provide station listings and antenna recommendations for locations in Canada?

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posted 09-13-2004 10:48 PM                       

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Fox Television to Add HDTV to Primetime by Fall 2004

LOS ANGELES, June 24 - The Fox Television Network, which previously shunned high-definition broadcasting, plans to transmit at least 50 percent of its prime-time schedule in HDTV by the season that begins in the fall of 2004, a company official told federal regulators today. The move brings the network into line with its three main broadcast competitors, which already transmit the bulk of their prime-time dramas and comedies in HDTV, the highest available quality of digital television, or will do so shortly.

Fox, owned by the News Corporation, tempered its pledge by stating that it was unhappy about introducing HDTV, however, before the adoption of a "broadcast flag" agreement aimed at protecting those programs from piracy.

Under a proposal being considered by the Federal Communications Commission, digitally transmitted programs, which would include HDTV, would be embedded with a broadcast flag which could be used to prevent retransmission over the Internet. Consumers, however, would still be able to make copies for personal use. The agency has not indicated when it will rule on the issue.

The decision to begin the transition to the high-definition format - which provides an exceptionally sharp image rivaling a motion picture's, a wide-screen format similar to that of a movie screen, and multichannel digital sound - was revealed in a letter from Peter Chernin, president of the News Corporation, to W. Kenneth Ferree, the chief of the F.C.C.'s media bureau.

Currently, the Fox network transmits its digital feed to local affiliates in a lower quality wide-screen format known as 480p enhanced definition.

"Without a very large television, it is hard to tell the difference in picture quality between Fox's enhanced definition and HDTV," said Josh Bernoff, principal analyst for Forrester Research. "But all the marketing is around HDTV, and Fox must have been feeling the pressure. This is a significant development, a sign that the acceptance of HDTV is accelerating."

The transition to high-definition TV will require Fox to change all its digital equipment at the network and its 182 local affiliates. In his letter to the F.C.C., Mr. Chernin pledged to have the job done by the fall of 2004. The company declined to say which programs it would transmit in high-definition. It said that it hoped to broadcast HDTV either later this year or early in 2004.

In 1996, the F.C.C. mandated that over-the-air broadcasters switch from an analog transmission system to a digital one. At the time, it did not formally demand any high-definition content in digital transmissions. But to encourage consumers to buy new televisions and speed the transition, the commission has stated its clear preference for HDTV. For its high-definition broadcasts, the network will use a 720p transmission, the same as that used by ABC. Proponents say this format, which sends a complete picture 60 times a second, does a better job of reproducing the fast movements of sports. Both NBC and CBS transmit their HDTV programs using the interlaced 1080i format, which alternates sending odd and even lines, and thus sends a complete picture 30 times a second.

More than 5.8 million televisions that are capable of receiving a digital signal have been sold to dealers, according to the Consumer Electronics Association; an additional three million are projected to be shipped to dealers by the end of 2003. Most of those sets, however, are used to watch conventional television and DVD's; fewer than one million high-definition set-top converter boxes are in the 106 million homes that have TV.

Currently, only 20 percent of the nation's digital broadcast channels are carried by cable TV operators. So, to see the broadcast networks' high-definition offerings, viewers must often erect an outdoor antenna or use rabbit ears, but only 6 percent of digital set owners have done so, according to Mr. Bernoff of Forrester Research. The problem, according to the cable industry, is that many of the broadcasters' digital channels are not showing high-definition programming, so there is little impetus for cable to offer them.

"With Fox's embrace of HDTV, the company should now be able to strike carriage deals with cable operators for its digital broadcasts," Mr. Bernoff said.

Early this month, Fox announced that it would offer local National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball games in HDTV to Time Warner Cable subscribers. The company said that it expected to announce similar agreements with other cable companies, which would lead to the production of 200 events, or 500 hours of high-definition programming. "News Corporation is committed to becoming a leader in the production of high-definition programming on broadcast and cable television," Mr. Chernin stated in his letter.

Among its competitors, both ABC and CBS offer all of their prime-time scripted shows to their affiliates in HDTV. NBC, which now transmits "E.R.," "The Tonight Show" and "Law and Order," among others, in HDTV, will add "The West Wing" and its new situation comedies and mini-series to its high-definition lineup next season.

The WB Network, jointly owned by AOL Time Warner and the Tribune Company, shows four programs in high-definition TV. Cable programmers that offer HDTV channels include Discovery, ESPN, HBO, HDNet and Showtime.

Fox's decision to embrace HDTV will help overcome the problems that have prevented high-definition digital television from being more widely used, said Gary Shapiro, the president and chief executive of the Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group representing electronics manufacturers. "This is another `tipping point' to help reach the inevitable widespread adoption of HDTV."

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posted 09-14-2004 02:00 AM                    

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...the KD-34XBR960 brings a true cinema aspect ratio picture...

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posted 09-14-2004 05:42 PM                    

quote: Joe Redifer

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Great. I got an HDTV last weekend and the only place in town that broadcasts in HD is Channel 2, or the "WB" network. Now I am forced to watch this sappy "Everwood" show just to marvel at the 1080i visuals.

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