Technology Tip

Adding a Second Flat Panel TV in Your Home

Since digital TV is now commonplace in Hershey's Mill some of you have upgraded to High Definition TV or are planning to in the near future. The best solution remains getting a digital box from Comcast. This gives you access to premium (pay for) movie channels such as HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and many more. In addition, On Demand with free movie access is great too. Included is the on-screen Program Guide which lists all those digital channels and Music Choice channels that you can listen to. High Definition is an available option along with the digital service.

Perhaps you don't need all of that and you just want to add a new flat panel TV in the kitchen or bedroom. Do you need another Comcast digital box? The answer is NO! The secret to this lies in the specifications of the TV you buy. All TV's manufactured after March 1, 2007 are required to carry 2 tuners. One type is called NTSC which is used for standard analog TV. This is the type of TV we receive in Hershey's Mill. The second type is ATSC which is relatively new and is used for receiving over-the-air digital signals. We will not use this tuner in Hershey's Mill even though it's included in all TV's. The third type is optional for manufacturers to include. It's called a QAM tuner. This type of tuner allows you to receive free digital channels broadcast over cable by Comcast including high definition. By now you may be wondering why I recommended a Comcast digital box if you can get high definition without one!

Here are the major considerations. The channel assignment is different for digital signals. For example with your new QAM tuner TV, suppose you want to watch channel 3 in digital or high definition. First you tune your set to standard analog channel 3. Then using the channel up or + button proceed to the next higher channel number. The next channel is not channel 4. Instead it's 3-1. Likewise channel 6 includes channels 6-1, 6-2, and 6-3. You might say that's not too hard to remember but hold on - Fox network which is on channel 11 for standard TV has their digital/high definition channel on 29-1. Using the QAM tuner if your set has one, will only get high definition channels for CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, PBS (WHYY), MYphl 17, and CW. Also, the digital channels you can receive with a QAM tuner are not listed by Comcast. You can see there are definite digital program limitations with a QAM TV compared to a digital box.

When you shop for a TV, check the specifications for your chosen model number. It should state that the TV has a QAM tuner. Don't depend on a store clerk to answer this kind of a question. Better yet, check the manufacturer's Web site for the model you want to purchase to see if a QAM tuner is included. After connecting your set you must go into your set's setup mode and allow it to automatically tune in the various analog/digital channels before the preceding procedure will work. Remember, you will not receive premium movie channels, On Demand, Music Choice, and the Program Guide. If you don't mind the tuning hassle you can save anywhere from $18.65/M to $29.90/M compared to the type of digital box (with or without a DVR) and the level of digital service. This procedure will also work for your primary set assuming you choose not to have a digital box. Keep in mind if you do add a digital box you need space to house it. The dimensions are 17" W x 2 ½" H x 11" D. for a DVR unit.

In summary a flat panel TV with a QAM tuner can be a great addition without any extra expense. Even the coax connection (TV cable line) to the new TV is the same as it always has been. Keep in mind Comcast may make system upgrades in the future that could change how we connect our TV's. With that thought I'll try and keep you informed of what Comcast may have in store for us.

Answers to digital TV, HDTV, and of course your computer questions are always welcome at the PC Club meetings. We meet on the second Tuesday at 7:00 pm of every month upstairs in Winfield Hall.
Don Trauger

To get answers to your questions about computers, please come to the PC Club meeting. The computer club meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in Winfield Hall.

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