DTV Basics, What You Need to know

Much has been published or broadcast on the television industry’s transition to digital and the shutoff of analog broadcasts in February of 2009. Here are the main points you need to know as it relates to Watertown, NY and the broadcasts of WWNY & WNYF.

On 2/17/2009 all full-power analog broadcasts from stations in the United States will end. Analog broadcasts from Canada and our low-powered stations WNYF-CA, Watertown & WNYF-LP, Massena will continue. Eventually these stations will be converted to digital as well.

If you are a cable subscriber, you will not be affected by the analog shutoff in February 2009. The cable companies will convert WWNY’s & WNYF’s DTV signal for display on your older analog TV. If you subscribe to Time Warner Cable systems and utilize an HDTV you can also receive WWNY & WNYF’s HDTV broadcasts.

If you view our televisions stations via an antenna you will need a newer television with a built-in DTV tuner or a DTV converter box. The converter box will convert our DTV broadcasts to an analog format for your older television set to display. The newer set does not have to be an HDTV to receive the digital signals, including our HDTV broadcasts, but you must utilize an HDTV to enjoy the 16:9 widescreen full resolution of those HDTV broadcasts.

To apply for a Converter-Box coupon visit www.dtv2009.gov or call 1-888-DTV2009. Viewers are eligable for two $40 coupons towwards the purchase of two boxes.

If you subscribe to a satellite service, but utilize an antenna to receive the local stations for your Network programming, you will need a newer television with a built-in tuner or a DTV convert box. Currently none of the satellite providers transmit Watertown local stations on their system. (In some circumstances you may qualify for distant market Network feeds, and the satellite company will make the conversion for an older analog TV.)

WWNY-DT is currently broadcasting a DTV signal. You can adopt this new technology at any time. We encourage you to do so to work out reception problems now before you lose programming altogether. If you are uncertain if you are recieving a DTV signal an indication would be that the channel will display as 7.1 WWNY-HD or 7.2 WNYF-SD. Channel 7.0 is the analog feed which will be turned off in February.

WWNY currently is broadcasting digitally (WWNY-DT) and provides the programming of WNYF FOX-28 on a secondary DTV channel. This service will continue after 2/17/2009. This “multi-cast” channel of WWNY-DT is in 4:3 standard definition, while WWNY-DT’s primary DTV channel of WWNY’s CBS programming is in 16:9 widescreen HDTV. When widescreen HDTV programming is not available, “upconverted” 4:3 “pillarboxed” programming is broadcast. Pillar-box is 4:3 programming with black or colored bars on the sides used to fill the full 16:9 screen.

Current DTV broadcasts are on the UHF frequency of channel 35. After 2/17/2009 all of WWNY’s DTV broadcasts will be on VHF channel 7. This move is being made to improve the reception for viewers in fringe areas and to reduce our energy consumption and costs. VHF signals are also less affected by the terrain & weather conditions. DTV sets currently display our channels as 7.1 WWNY-HD and 7.2 WNYF SD. This branding will remain the same after 2/17/2009, only the physical transport is changing..

Good signal reception is critical to DTV viewing. An outdoor antenna, orientated towards the TV station is always the best choice for reception. For assistance with the selection and orientation of the antenna you might visit www.antennaweb.org.

Sometime after 2/17/2009, our low-powered station WNYF-CA, Watertown will broadcast digitally as WNYF-DC. These digital broadcasts will be in 16:9 HDTV. While the service area is greater than WNYF-CA’s analog signal, they still are not as great as WWNY-DT’s. WNYF-LP in Massena will be converted to DTV at a later date.

WWNY-TV- analog broadcasts on VHF channel 7 (will cease on 2/17/2009).

WWNY-DT- digital broadcasts, currently on UHF channel 35, will broadcast on VHF channel 7 after 2/17/2009. Channel 7.1 is WWNY (CBS) in 16:9 HDTV, channel 7.2 standard definition 4:3 broadcasts of WNYF (FOX).

WNYF-CA- analog broadcasts on UHF channel 28 from Watertown, NY

WNYF-LP- analog broadcasts on UHF channel 28 from Massena, NY

WNYF-CD- digital broadcasts of WNYF (FOX) in 16:9 HDTV, sometime after 2/17/2009

For more information about WWNY/WNYF’s transition to DTV, and the DTV transition in general, visit the station DTV blog.