Having problems with HDTV conversion? See also Watch free satellite TV on computer, from www.lohud.com, by Thomas W. Durkin, 8/29/2009 Resolving problems with HDTV conversion
and Initiative merges TV and Internet?.
On Aug. 21, you printed several letters complaining about the digital TV conversion. Although I eventually got good digital reception without cable, I agree that this conversion has been badly handled and explained.
Rooftop VHF antennas that provided good reception prior to June 12 should still work for Channels 7, 11 and 13 because these three NYC stations have moved their digital signals from UHF to VHF in June. If nothing else works, and your old rooftop antenna is still in place, try connecting your converter box directly to your old antenna line (instead of to your new "HDTV" antenna). Doing this should give you clear digital signals for these three channels.
If your UHF "HDTV" antenna is picking up some channels you want (one writer mentioned getting Channels 5 and 9, for example), you can keep these when using your rooftop antenna. Just buy an inexpensive "UHF/VHF combiner" ($10 or $20) at a hardware store, and connect both antennas to your converter box through the combiner unit. After making any changes to your antenna setup, be sure to reset your converter box by rescanning.
If you are still missing channels, the FCC recommended "double scan." This involves scanning twice, first with no antenna connected, and again with your everyday antenna(s) connected. Between these two scanning steps, the FCC recommends unplugging your converter box for several minutes.
HDTV conversion? Possible Solution
Did you like this story? Make one of your own!
