Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with digitaltv

I want my UK TV

Hogshead — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:20:31 -0800

The Freeview box I've just given my mother cannot detect any digital channels. I'm in Bury St Edmunds. Can anyone save our Christmas viewing? It is possible, of course, that the Freeview box (TVonics MDR-240) is duff, but let's assume for the moment that it's working: diodes light up and screen menus appear, but the scan returns no results. Are there any other reasons why it might be unable to find anything? It is connected to a functioning TV aerial, but one that can't get Channel 5. Is Bury St Edmunds a digital no-go-zone? Google is unforthcoming.

Help me make sense of hdtv technology

Mael Oui — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 23:47:37 -0800

I'm looking to buy my first HDTV. I know little to nothing about technology, and it seems that all of the discussions and guides online are geared towards very savvy technophiles looking to spend big bucks on a very precise level of viewing and audio perfection that I neither need nor want. Please help me understand what all of these weird terms mean and what I actually need in order to watch tv and vhs/dvd videos. A lot of my questions stem from what I see in the weekly store circulars. I check the prices there, and I see a lot of specs that make no sense to me. When I research terms like 'hdmi' and 's video', I get a lot of techolingo that I don't understand. I need explanations in pretty much the simplest terms imaginable. Pretend your explanations and advice is being directed at an elderly loved one (no offense to elderly people - many of them understand this better than I do, but that hypothetical level of simplicity and patience will be necessary here). I have a lot of questions. I'm going to bold the direct questions, but all the non-bolded stuff explains my particular situation and televisual desires.

I'm looking for an hdtv that is between 15" and 19". I can't afford (and I don't have room) for anything much larger. If I found a good deal on a 20" or 22", that might be alright. This tv must have a digital tuner. There's no sense spending a few hundred dollars for something I still have to hook a converter box to. I bought a converter box, but I haven't tried to set it up yet. I looked at the manual that came with it and almost died (that's how technophobic I am). I don't have cable currently, and I'm not planning on getting cable (or a satellite dish), so I don't have a cable box to hook up. I don't have a dvr or any sort of speaker/home theater system. Currently, I have a tv that is over 10 years old hooked up to a vcr that is slightly newer. This tv has an antenna, and I receive about ten channels over the air. The set-up for the new tv won't be much different. All I'm planning to hook up to the new tv is my old vcr and a new dvd player (a standard one - nothing upconverting or blu-ray) OR a combination vcr and dvd player. Also, my tv will be in no way connected to my computer ever, so I don't know what this whole 'pc input' business is. Okay, so to clarify: no cable, I just want to hook up a vcr and dvd player (two items) OR a combination vcr/dvd player (one item). Okay? I hope that was clear.

Here are my questions:

1. What's the difference between 'full HDTV' and 'HDTV' (as cited in store circulars)? I'm not concerned about a mind-blowing viewing experience. I really just want to be able to watch a handful of shows on network tv and all my old vhs videos and dvds. I don't need to feel as if I am actually ON the Lost island.

2. What does 19" CLASS mean? Is a tv that has CLASS better than one that doesn't have it? Once again, this is wording that I see in the ads.

3. What's with all the different inputs? What are they? Which do I need? What cables will I need to buy? I see a lot of tvs that come with multiple (or one) hdmi inputs, multiple (or one) component inputs, a pc input, an s video input, and an a/v input. I've even seen something called an RF input and an RGB input. And a composite input! What in the world are these all for?!? Which do I absolutely need? Once again, I'm just looking to watch tv over the air and hook up either a vcr and dvd player (two items) OR a combination vcr/dvd player (one item). Nothing else. No cable, no video game systems, and no sound system. Okay, based on that information, which of the many inputs listed above do I absolutely need in my new tv? Based on what I've said I might hook up to the tv, how many of each input would I need? Would I need more of some inputs if I were to hook up separate vcr and dvd players? What wires will I need for each of the inputs? Will any of these wires be packaged with the tv or the dvd/vcr? If I still end up using my old vcr, can I use whatever kind of wire I have hooking it up to the tv now? Are there any wires that I will have to buy separately? Will I need an HDMI cable? How many of each type of wire would I need?

4. Antennas. Currently, I use rabbit ears on top of my set. We don't have an antenna on the roof. Will I probably need to buy an antenna to go with my new hdtv? Will it have to be a special digital antenna?

5. I've read that not all tvs in stores are ready for the digital conversion. What will the boxes say to confirm that it is ready for digital tv and that I do not need my converter box? 'Digital tuner'?

6. VCR and DVDS. Will older vcrs work with hdtvs or will I have no choice but to buy a new one? Will new hdtvs work alright with a standard dvd player (one that doesn't upconvert or have blu-ray)? Is it a better idea/worth it to get a television with a dvd player built in?

7. Are there any websites (or tech forums) that explain these terms/technologies for people who aren't tech savvy and aren't looking to trick their living room out? Are there any sites that provide basic information for technophobes about choosing tvs/dvd players, setting them up, and troubleshooting difficulties? Finally, are there any sites that review by brand and don't push the larger and more expensive technologies?

(As a sort of aside, I'm thinking about buying the Memorex 19" that's on the cover of the Target ad this week. Is Memorex recommended? I do google brands and models for reviews, but I don't see much info for the smaller sets and Amazon reviews haven't been too helpful.)

I know I've asked a lot of questions.. I'm sorry! Thank you to whoever reads the bulk of this post and actually attempts to answer any of the questions. It's VERY much appreciated! Thank you again!

Where forth art though, portable digital tv?

jaimev — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 08:45:59 -0800

My wife has a small 4" portable analog tv in her cubicle at work. Help me replace it before the digital tv transition comes. Are there inexpensive (less than $150), small tvs with ATSC tuners that work reasonably well? She'll be about 20 miles from the local transmission towers.

Also, she'll soon have an MSI Wind netbook that she couild bring to work. Is there a USB based solution that can work with this? I found an external tuner like this one, but from reviews, it sounds like this might be CPU intensive, and I'm worried that the netbook won't have the horsepower to use it.

A question about digital TV antennas in SE Portland.

concrete — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:30:33 -0800

A question about digital TV antennas in SE Portland. When I shipped out to the Navy, I left my parents set up with two digital TVs: one HDTV and a conventional set with a set-top box. The old ¨rabbit-ear¨ antennas work well enough, but they require readjustment every few hours or so. What would be a superior replacement? They live in Southeast Portland, near Mall 205.

Priorities:
-Do not require frequent readjustment
-Do not require external installation or wiring through walls
-Difficulty in establishing initial setup is not a huge problem as long as it stays set up for extended periods
-Gets every channel available

Let me know if any other information would help.

Help me hook up the VCR to the TV along with our new digital converter box.

IndigoRain — Sat, 03 May 2008 22:38:08 -0800

Help me hook up the VCR to the TV along with our new digital converter box. I don't care that the VCR can't record or display digital channels - I just want to be able to watch videos and DVDs. I bought an Insignia NS-DXA1 digital converter box for my TV. Now the VCR-DVD player (a separate unit from the TV) won't work. (I don't have satellite or cable, just broadcast.)

1. I tried running the antenna coax cable from the wall to the IN on the converter box, and another from the OUT on the converter box to the IN on the TV. TV works fine. VCR has the red, white, and yellow composite cables running from the OUT on the VCR to the IN on the TV. TV will not get a video or DVD display or audio from the VCR with the converter box on or off.

2. I tried running the wall cable to the IN on the VCR, another coax from OUT on VCR to IN on converter box, another coax from OUT on converter box to IN on TV. Nothing worked, with all combinations of VCR and converter box on and off.

The TV is old enough that it only has one antenna input and one set of composite inputs, and one set of red-white audio output (which I assume are for external speakers.)

The converter box has one RF output and one red-white-yellow output.

If it helps, I do have an AV source selector box (something like this but most definitely not that model) because on my old TV, I needed it to hook up my multiple gaming consoles. It is currently not hooked up because on this TV, I simply had my PS2 run through the VCR. I unhooked the PS2 before trying to set this all up.

I'm at a loss. I'm NOT paying Geek Squad or the like $150 or more to come out here and hook it up - I can't afford it. I can't afford to buy a DVR either. Any help is appreciated, or I'm just unhooking the converter box and praying I can afford a digital TV by 2009. (With gas and food prices going up, I'm pretty well completely broke.) Please help me figure out what to plug in where!

Watching free over-the-air digital TV with a Mac-compatible solution.

cahlers — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:18:40 -0800

What is the best system to watch over-the-air digital TV with a Mac-compatible solution, and utilize the Mac as a DVR? I'm interested in using my Mac with a for-Mac digital tuning system to watch free, over-the-air digital TV signals, and to utilize DVR functions. I currently do not subscribe to cable. Will Miglia, Formac Studio TVR, or Elgato Systems EyeTV allow me to watch free, over-the-air digital TV signals? Which are best, and do they all allow integration with Titan TV? I am a newbie as far as this is concerned, so clear explanations without too much jargon are very much appreciated. I currently have a G4 1 GHz Powerbook, but am considering getting a Mac mini or iMac if I can be persuaded of the advantages. Also, I have a relatively old Sony analog TV - could I use this as the monitor?

I apologize if this has been covered before, but I did not find too much relevant to this particular question in an Ask MeFi search.

I sort of miss only having 4 channels.

aspo — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:18:48 -0800

I recently bought a fancy smanchy Samsung hdtv. However it has a totally different way of describing digital channels than any listing service does. For instance, I look at listings and they what say is channel 709, my tv thinks is channel 9-1. What is going on? Is there some way to get listings and my tv to agree?

Can I send my digital TV signal to my analogue DVD/HDD recorder?

UbuRoivas — Sun, 13 May 2007 21:03:41 -0800

Can I send my digital TV signal to my analogue DVD/HDD recorder? I have a TV with a built-in high-definition digital receiver. My DVD/hard disk recorder, however, has a shitty analogue receiver.

I have been trying to get the DVD to accept the signal from the AV-out of the TV, so I can record at digital-quality (reception is way way way better) but with no luck. Any advice on how/whether this can be done? I have tried using the red-yellow-white cables, but don't particularly feel like throwing $ away on s-video / DVI etc cables unless I am convinced that it can be done...

Australian context, if that makes any difference.

How do I stream real time digital TV across a lan (XP).

tomble — Sat, 12 May 2007 19:52:07 -0800

How do I stream digital TV from my PC to another PC? I have two winXP PCs on a LAN, the first PC having a digital TV receiver. My other PC is hooked up to a projector. I would like to watch digital TV via the projector in real time.

How do I go about streaming the digital TV from my first PC to the second one? I believe there is software out there which will do it, but I want to do it as easily as possible without having to compile files, run command lines etc.

Which tuner card for digital TV?

kc0dxh — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 12:49:10 -0800

Which standard to get when purchasing a digital TV tuner card? I'm looking to add a digital tuner card to my computer to receive dtv free air broadcasts. I like the Hauppauge PVR-150 that I have now. Which Hauppauge digital card will work with the broadcasts in central Iowa? What's the difference between DVB and DVB-T? Does "European" mean it is incompatable with DTV broadcasts in the US?