Digital TV cost goes beyond converter box
The real challenge may be in the details

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Dave and Trish Shirts, Vlcek’s neighbors, had a similar experience. When Trish installed her converter box she said, “nothing happened.” She then switched out her antenna with another, more powerful antenna she had been using with another television. The same thing happened, nothing. 

The Shirts’ decided perhaps nothing was supposed to happen until the switch was official in February. They opted at that point to just wait and see.

The dilemma apparently lies in the FCC’s definition of “quality reception.”  As it turns out, your current antenna will work with a digital broadcast only if it provides you with a crystal clear picture on every station. If your picture is snowy on any station, your antenna will not carry a digital signal. The antenna must also be equipped to pick up both VHS and UHF stations. 

The picture quality that makes digital television more desirable than analog is also the thing that makes most antennas in rural areas incompatible with it. With DTV, your signal is perfect or you have no signal. It’s all or nothing. 

Vlcek said he had no idea he would need a new antenna. 

“When I purchased a converter box from Best Buy in Nampa, the sales clerk mentioned that I might have to buy a powered antenna to pick up the digital signal. Had he not told me about the antenna, I probably would have thought that something was wrong with the converter box.”

After Vlcek’s initial failure to get a signal with his rabbit ear antenna, he opted to try a small, indoor powered antenna. 

 “I hooked everything up, and got a very jumbled signal. It was like a DVD that had been scratched up pretty badly. The picture would pause, jump around and then the screen would go black,” he said.

Vlcek said he concluded  he needed a stronger antenna.

After searching around online, Vlcek said he came across a Web site (www.antennaweb.org) where he could type in his street address and receive a recommendation for the antenna strength he would need to pick up a digital signal.  According to this Web site, their recommendation takes into account the distance to broadcasting stations as well as the terrain and signal conditions.

Trish Shirts also tried using this Web site but said it took so long for her computer to upload the information she gave up.

Vlcek, armed with the Web site’s recommendation, searched around online for antenna brand information. 

“I really don’t know anything about antennas. The Web site actually recommended a lower strength antenna to pick up some stations, and a higher one to pick up the rest. After looking at the costs of these antennas, I decided to try my luck with the lower-strength antenna to save money,” he said.

Vlcek purchased a Winegard MS 2000 omni-directional antenna after reading reviews for several antenna types. It cost him $96. The larger antenna would have cost him $240 dollars (which includes the cost of a required amplifier).

“The antenna looks a bit like a flying saucer,” Vlcek said. 

He installed it himself on the mount from an old rooftop antenna. Vlcek said his signal was now crystal clear, for the most part. 

“When the weather is bad or there are high winds, the picture gets pretty choppy and the signal will go out. My home is surrounded by huge trees, and I’m sure this affects the picture as well.”

When Dave Shirts discovered that Vlcek was able to receive digital signals with his new antenna, he decided to purchase one of his own. The antenna is currently being shipped to his home.

Unlike Vlcek and the Shirts, many people are waiting to convert to digital until later in the year. For those who are unaware  their antennas will not receive the digital signal, waiting until winter could prove to be inconvenient as well as dangerous.

According to 2004 congressional estimates, only 15 percent of households rely exclusively on analog broadcasting. These are households made up of mostly the elderly and lower income families, as well as families who don’t consider television watching to be a high priority.

The elderly and the poor are also very likely to lack access to the Internet, in turn lacking access to in-depth information about antennas and the switch to digital television in general. 

Vlcek, for example, said his elderly relatives in Indian Valley had no idea  they would need a new antenna and were shocked when he told them the price of the larger antenna they would require.

Trish Shirts, whose mother and grandmother have both asked her for information about the switch to digital said, “elderly people really know nothing about this switch.  They totally rely on their televisions for everything.” 

And therefore they will be the group most affected when their screens go black in February. 

Vlcek said that he is also worried about people getting up on their roofs in the ice and snow to install new antennas after the deadline, and hopes the government will issue more detailed service announcements to give people a chance to make changes before winter.

At a time when the economy is struggling and families are trying to cut costs, purchasing an expensive antenna may prove to be difficult for some. Others might opt to purchase cable or satellite television. However, this alternative is much more costly in the long run. 

Vlcek said he hopes the government decides to issue a tax credit on the 2008 or 2009 Federal tax return. 

“Getting the $40 coupon was helpful, but it would have been nice to get a discounted antenna as well,” he said.

Both Vlcek and the Shirts said they feel misinformed about the switch. 

“You see the commercials and think all you have to do is plug in a little box.  That the whole thing is going to be pretty straight-forward, but it’s not,” Vlcek said.

Trish Shirts said the switch to digital leaves her with the feeling that she’s “been ripped off. Like the whole thing is a scam.” 

According to the FCC’s Web site, the theory behind the switch is to free up the broadcast spectrum to meet the demands of more public safety communication (police, fire departments and rescue crews) that use the airwaves.

In reality, only 22 percent of the analog spectrum freed up by TV’s move to digital will be given to public entities, while 57 percent has been auctioned off to companies that provide wireless services such as high-speed Internet according to the FCC. The remainder has been contracted to commercial mobile phone services. An FCC press release in March reported initial profits of about $19 billion dollars from this auction.

The FCC claims the benefits to consumers of the digital switch are many. The picture quality of a digital broadcast is crystal clear. Even Vlcek said he’s never had a clearer view on analog television than he has with digital. Also, unlike with the analog system, broadcasters are able to run multiple stations simultaneously — meaning more channels. 

Instead of having one PBS station (channel 4), with digital there are actually five PBS stations (4-1 thru 4-5).

Aside from their regular broadcast, there are channels devoted to children’s programming, world culture, etc. A third benefit touted by the FCC is the possibility of cheaper broadband services for consumers.

Once wireless companies have access to the current analog spectrum, they will be able to offer broadband services more cheaply and efficiently. 

There will be more companies competing with each other, and their signals will be able to reach even further into rural areas.

Vlcek said he understands the benefits of switching to digital but can’t help feeling suspicious about the timing. 

“I have a hard time understanding why the switch is taking place in the middle of winter.  Especially considering the number of elderly that will undoubtedly need a new antenna.  I’m afraid they will be pressured into purchasing satellite television that they really can’t afford,” he said.