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D
IGITAL TV GUIDE
3
Q&A
1. Is the antenna I use for existing TV reception good enough for DTV?
Over-the-air (OTA) digital TV broadcasting uses the same channels as analog TV and
works well with many existing TV antennas. However, DTV broadcast channel assignments
are different than analog channels. You should find out whether your local DTV broadcasts
are on VHF (channels 2-13) or UHF (channels 14-69) to see if you need a different anten-
na.
If your DTV channels are on UHF and you already get good UHF reception, your present
antenna may work fine. The same holds true for VHF DTV reception. Note that in some
markets, both VHF and UHF channels are used for DTV broadcasts.
You can find out the latest DTV channel assignments for your area by browsing selected
Internet web sites such as www.titantv.com , www.10000watts.com, and www.fcc.gov.
2. How difficult is it to receive DTV signals indoors?
This depends on whether your local DTV stations are running full power or not and how
close your location is to the transmission tower. DTV receivers do not require as much sig-
nal as analog TV receivers to produce high-quality images and sound.
Once the DTV signal level exceeds a certain threshold at the receiver, the digital video and
audio data is decoded at the same quality it was originally encoded for broadcast. This is
a big advantage for DTV over analog TV - there is no noise, ghosting, static, or scratchy
audio.
3. How can I connect an antenna in my townhouse, co-operative apartment, condominium,
or apartment?
The Federal Communications Commission's OTARD Rule (part of the Telecommunications
Act of 1996) allows residents of condominiums, townhouse, or members of neighborhood
associations to put up outside antennas for reception of broadcast TV signals as long as
those antennas are not located in common areas and are no more than 12' in height.
Residents of rental units (apartments, etc) are not covered by the OTARD rules and will
have to use indoor antennas to receive DTV broadcasts. It is possible that the landlord of
an apartment complex can provide broadcast DTV signals via a master TV antenna system
to each apartment.