And in technology news, we are just six weeks away from the conversion to digital television... or are we?
Whether the deadline stays at February 17 or not, I thought I'd test my converter box today, see what it can pull from the ether. Here are the results, in glorious lo-def YouTube video!
I will admit, the football game on KELO looked sharp in digital, and it is fun to play with the widescreen settings (hey look—there's the other cornerback!). But even KELO's mighty signal wavers out here at the lake. When an analog signal wavers, you can still follow the program. When a digital signal waver, it just freezes and drops, leaving you wondering who picked up the fumble. Grrr.
Nonetheless, better hurry up and get those converter boxes, kids. And if you haven't ordered your coupon, you may be out of luck: the federal subsidy program to stimulate Radio Shack's economy is just about out of money.
Take a look at story linked on Dakota Today. Some perhaps useful information.
ReplyDeletehttp://dakotatoday.typepad.com/dakotatoday/2009/01/-good-information-on-rural-dtv-conversion-feb-deadline-is-approaching.html
Some of the amplified rabbit eat antennas may also work. I found at least one digital TV that would not bring in any signals.
"No Program" does not necessarily mean that there is no signal.
But, good idea to get ahead of the testing before the Feb. 17 deadline.
Ace Hardware stores have an antenna for about $70 which may be hard to cram into an attic, but does work. I happened to be lucky enough to find the same antenna at Tru Value for around $97. No explanation for the difference. It is probably 5 feet wide and 8 feet long. Amplified splitters may be needed if more than one TV with more than one program to be watched is desired.