Choppy DTV Countdown

The DTV countdown has me wondering whether local television for some of us will go from bad to worse. If you don't subscribe to cable TV or satelite service, the rabbit ears don't get you the best picture, but in some cases the reception is tolerable. I recently started experimenting with the HD indoor anntenas. I have purchased 2 so far. And so far I am not impressed. Take a close look at this video of me comparing the traditional analog TV reception to the Digital reception. I am in the Atlanta Metro and I think that reception should be better than this. So my question is: Am I going to lose the good channels that I get through the traditional reception because "Big Brother" has determined that I no longer need it, in exchange for this choppy reception that is virtually useless to me? It seems so. Besides buying cable, does anyone have any suggestion? Does anyone have similiar experience? I would love to hear them. See Ya!

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• DTV
• HD
• TV
• Converter
• Countdown
• Feb 16
• February 16
• Television
• Digital TV
• High Def
• Hi-Def
• rabbit ears
• antennas
• TV antennas
• antenna
• indoor antenna
• choppy
• pixel
• pixelization
• digital cliff
• cliff effect
• ghosting

[Amishman35]

I'm in hick country and get at least one group of digital channels. With a BNC to coaxial adapter and a rubber duck antenna, it only occasionaly drops out. With the analog broadcast and a proper set of rabbit ears, it's like looking through a dirty pair of eyeglasses after getting up too fast while holding your breath. This video would be more believable if the analog had dancing lines and fade outs in it. What I mean is, with the crystal clear analog you are getting, digital should be no problm

[raymnsmith]

Hey, thanks for the comment. If you're familiar with the Atlanta local channels, you will know that WATL, the NBC affiliate is on channel 36 and you can see clearly from the video that I am switching back and forth between the channel 2 digital and the channel 36 analog channel. WATL does have a digital feed but it is on channel 36-1. So if the video doesn't look believable, I don't know what to tell ya!

[JTCPingas09]

DTV is a good idea but so far it's executed very poorly.

[eimac4x1]

Yep, same thing here. Im 60 miles from a major city, and analog reception is crystal clear. With the DTV box, I get drop outs and am even missing some networks. I have a good outdoor antenna. For analog, 100+ miles is no problem. For DTV your lucky to get 20 miles range.

[Knaeckebrotsaege]

analog is just superior. simple and rugged.

sure.. digital transmissions might have a better picture (read: HD and stuff like that), but what's the point when there's so many drawbacks!?

i'd rather watch a grainy analog broadcast than nothing at all (digital w. weak signal = nothing)

and that applies to both over-the-air and satellite.

plus the "better picture" argument is pretty much useless anyways cause a lot of channels are transmitting with very low bandwidth.. pixelated garbage :|

[XL290]

put up an attic or rooftop antenna

[Amishman35]

@geekforlifevandc The spirit of the times along with the recession has caused the engineers to forget the reality of "The Bigger The Blob, The Better The Job." You didn't try to take a nice warm shower with a Zippo lighter under the cold water pipe, did you?

[Amishman35]

@paperleight I swear, they must use a thermocouple resting on a burning incense stick to power these TV transmitters, they are, as TimTron would put it, piss weak. I could make more power with a dynamic microphone voice coil picking up the sound waves of the pimples on my face going off.

[geekforlifevandc]

@Amishman35 channel 36 is a uhf channel uhf channels in analog are very realiable and cant be altered by noise and other things like tall buildings so your comment has no meaning

[filmnet]

Answer is simple, for television, analogue or digital, an outdoor aerial MUST be used. It's no good using an indoor aerial and complaining about the poor quality picture! Indoor aerials are compromises. Television is planned that outdoor aerials are used. By the way there's no such thing as an "HDTV" or "digital" aerial.

[cpjackson79]

Shut up and pay Comcast 140 dollars a month!

[2010mustang2]

I live in gainesville GA I said that becuase you have WSB on