Apr 8, 2009 4:00 pm US/Eastern
3 On Your Side: Setting Up a Digital Converter Box
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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Countdown graphic to Feb. 17, 2009, the date when television stations nationwide must switch from the old method of transmitting TV signals known as analog to digital television (DTV).
CBS
Digital television is coming. But nearly 4 million households are still not ready for the switch. Some viewers will need a converter box. If you're one of them, 3 On Your Side's Jim Donovan tells you not to panic. He recently got a lesson of his own and says setting it up isn't difficult.
If you don't have cable, satellite or any other pay TV service with your older set, then you'll need a digital converter box by June 12, the new date of the transition. But don't worry, connecting the box to your set is a piece of cake.
We enlisted the help of technology expert Pete Putman to go through it step-by-step. First, you want to make the connection from the antenna to the input of the converter box. On the back of the converter box, you'll see two terminals, one says antenna in, one says antenna out. "Take the TV antenna you're going to use, screw it into the antenna jack that is marked 'in'," Putman said.
Now that the rabbit ears are connected to the converter box, your next step is to hook up the converter box to the TV. Grab the cable that came with your converter box. It's frequently called an F-Type connector. This cable plugs into the back of your converter box where it says antenna 'out' and you can usually just push it right on. "The other end of the cable goes into the antenna terminal on the back of your television set. Plug it in to where it says VHF-UHF or antenna 'in'," Putman explained.
Next, tune the TV to channel 4 and set the box to channel 4. Grab your remote and start scanning. "What will happen is your converter box will automatically scan for all available digital TV channels," Putman said. And that's it.
It's a good idea to get your box now and connect it. But keep in mind, once the transition occurs, you should rescan for available channels since some stations will be moving.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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