This week we took the plunge into digital television at my house but in the end we only got our toes wet in this brave new world.
My house is one of an estimated 15 percent to 20 percent in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley that receives TV signals via an over-the-air antenna. On Feb. 17 those analog broadcasts will end and digital broadcasts will begin.
If you subscribe to cable or satellite services or bought a TV in the last two years this column won't apply to you. Subscriber services are taking care of the transition for customers and TVs made in the last two years that are built for digital transmissions.
People like me who receive free TV on an "old" set are being told to buy a digital converter box if we want to keep watching television next year. The government is giving out discount coupons to defray the cost of these devices.
A couple of months ago, after writing about the changes, I ordered a coupon online. The $40 plastic discount card with a U.S. Department of Commerce seal expires in 90 days. That was July 31 for me, so on Tuesday I headed to Wal-Mart to buy a box. According to a letter that came with the coupon, Wal-Mart and Radio Shack were the only places locally where the boxes were for sale. I've since learned they are also sold at Kmart and Sears.
In the store I wandered around the electronics department for a few minutes before I gave up and asked a clerk. He led me to a row of black boxes from RCA.
"That's it, there aren't any to choose between?" I asked.
"That's it," he said.
So that part was easy. The box retailed for $49.87. After my $40 discount it cost about $10. Definitely affordable compared to a new TV.
At home we followed the simple instructions on hooking the box up to run through a DVD player to the TV. Then we followed instructions on programming the new remote control.
"Another remote," my husband groaned.
The new remote has a dash, or decimal point, because in digital TV, one channel becomes multiple channels. For example PBS's digital KUID is 12-1, 12-2, 12-3, 12-4 and 12-5, according to the Idaho Public Television Web site. The various channels focus on state, world and children's programming.
I was interested to see this new selection and with the remote we told the box to search for local digital channels. It found only one, Lewiston's KLEW-TV. The picture was amazingly crisp and clear, the best we'd ever had. There was also an information box at the top of the TV screen telling the time, channel, what's on now and what's on next.
Wondering how we could get more channels, we went to the menu and looked at our antenna strength. The bar said it was about 70 percent. We thought maybe if our rooftop antenna was adjusted we could get more channels. My husband climbed to the roof. Using our cell phones, we communicated as he adjusted the antenna. After much cursing, we determined that 70 percent was about as good as we were going to get and gave up for the night.
The next morning I called KLEW to ask why we only got one digital channel.
"Right now we're the only ones on the air in the valley," station manager Fred Fickenwirth told me.
People on the Palouse can get several digital channels from full-power stations in Spokane but to reach down into the valley the signal has to go through a translator on the Lewiston hill, which hasn't been switched over yet.
"This whole thing is very convoluted," said Rich VanGenderen, director of engineering for Idaho Public Television in Boise, confirming my feelings on the government's digital mandate.
One could easily drown in the boring technical details. Basically, high-power stations must broadcast in digital by the February deadline. Low-power stations and translators, which pick up signals and deliver them to remote areas like ours, have several more years to make the change.
In the valley we'll experience the full power of our converter boxes in February. VanGenderen says PBS stations and their translators will switch to digital by then. Fickenwirth says managers of Spokane stations have told him translators for their stations switch then, too. One local low-power station, KIDQ 27 based in Clarkston, will not make the change by February.
As mentioned in a previous story, the Cottonwood Butte translator, which serves viewers in the area of Winchester, Nezperce, Cottonwood and Grangeville, will not switch to digital next year either. Those folks will continue to receive over-the-air analog for an undetermined time.
The government is continuing to hand out coupons for converter boxes but they are limited and going fast. If you plan to use one, it's best to get it now for the substantial discount. Fickenwirth also recommended that people shop for a box with "analog pass through." This feature allows people to receive digital and analog channels until the switch-over is complete. The one box available at Wal-Mart that I bought doesn't have this.
You can apply for a coupon online at www.dtv2009.gov or by calling (888) 388-2009.
To find out more about low-power stations and translators in your area you can visit: www.dtv2009.gov/lowpower/
Bauer may be contacted at jkbauer@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2263.