Technology TipUsing Your Flat Screen TV with or without a Comcast Box I'm writing this article because of the on-going confusion with the Comcast digital to analog converter boxes that were installed in each home during the Fall and the full size Comcast boxes that are available at a varying monthly cost. Also, what can you expect if you choose not to connect a full size Comcast box to a flat screen TV? Hershey's Mill is still being supplied with the older analog TV signals as well as the newer digital TV signals. The Comcast digital to analog converter boxes that were installed in each home last year are meant ONLY to be connected to your older analog TV's. Do not connect them to the newer style flat screen TV's. The newer flat screen TV's have built-in digital and analog tuners and do not require the Comcast converter box. The reason that Comcast installed digital converter boxes is that they will eventually migrate many of the existing analog channels to the digital tier. This will make room for more digital and high definition channels. For example AMC, Style, and the Cartoon Network channels have already moved to the digital tier. If you have your Comcast converter box connected to your analog TV you can now view AMC on channel 68, Style is on channel 52, and the Cartoon Network is on channel 69. On an analog TV without a Comcast box connected don't expect to see anything on these channels except snow and noise. If you have purchased a flat screen TV and connected it like you did your older analog TV (i.e. no Comcast box) what can you expect? After you have gone through the proper setup for the TV you will see a mix of both analog and digital channels. The reason for that is the flat screen TV has both kinds of tuners installed. If you tune to channel 3 you will see channel 3 in analog form not digital. However, if you use the channel up button on the remote control the next channel should be 3.1 and not channel 4. Channel 3.1 is the digital and high definition channel for channel 3. If you press the channel up button again you will then view channel 4. The same idea exists for other channels but not necessarily in order. Channel 11 (Fox analog) has their digital HD channel at 29.1. You will have to search for the digital or HD channels by using the TV's remote channel up/down button. Once you have located them write them down because there is no program guide or lineup available from Comcast. You will be able to find HD channels only for the major networks. The upside is that you can view digital and network HD channels at no extra cost. The downside is locating your desired channels and the fact that these channels are subject to frequent alignment changes. Overall this makes for a less desirable viewing experience. Also, viewing analog channels on a new flat screen TV can be of a lower quality than if you were still connected to your older analog TV. The reasons vary but it's a common experience. Remember, the whole number channels are analog and the decimal point numbers are digital channels when using a flat screen TV without the full size Comcast box. Some TV's will display the digital decimal point channels with a dash. An example would be 29-1. Both Comcast boxes give you a program guide, On Demand movies, music channels, etc. The full size Comcast boxes optionally add high definition and a video recorder (DVR) at extra cost. Both boxes offer packages of more digital channels at extra cost. On a separate note, do not purchase a converter box at a retail store even if using a government coupon. These boxes are only meant for over-the-air reception when using an outdoor antenna. In fact they won't work on Comcast's cable system. The new date of June 12, 2009 for the switch to digital does not affect anyone within Hershey's Mill. Again, that date only affects the over-the-air antenna users. Additional help for your questions about the Comcast digital service can be found at the PC Club meeting. We meet the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM upstairs in Winfield Hall. Also, go to www.hersheysmill.org and click on Tech Tips to review this and previous articles that have appeared in the TV-Guide regarding computers and digital TV. Don Trauger
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