Steve Komori is the Vice President of Content Delivery for PBS Hawaii. As Steve guides PBS Hawaii through its transition from analog to digital television, he looks to use DIGITAL DIALOG as a place to share his insights into the challenges and solutions he encounters.
Please direct e-mail communications regarding DIGITAL DIALOG to: skomori@pbshawaii.org
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Lately there have been some issues surrounding the consistency of audio levels of national as well as local programs.
Audio, especially multi-channel audio in the digital realm, has increased in difficulty tenfold. Recently I overheard that a national network is planning on developing their own standard for digital audio. PBS only recently standardized on an audio level and others have a different level set for their standard. How then will audio in the digital realm be the same when you tune in to different channels? This is only one of many issues that digital audio is presenting all program distributors.
Now, getting back to the issue with PBS Hawaii's audio problems...we receive our programming from many different sources including PBS. In turn, PBS receives many of its programming from different member stations and producers. Each of these entities detrmines how the program will look and sound. By the time it gets to us, there could be some discrepancies that we have no control over, moreso since we implemented an unattended program delivery system in late 2005 to curtail ever rising personnel and operational costs, whereby what we receive is what we deliver...so if a program has low audio or a dark picture, that is the way it will be heard or seen.
I know this sounds like an excuse but I wanted it to be more of an explanation of what is happening as we, including PBS, are trying to get a handle on all program related technical issues and establish a more consistent quality level so that we may all enjoy television like it used to be in the good 'ol analog days.
Lately you may have noticed an increase of DTV transition messages. Whether by PSAs, words being displayed like a ticker tape at the top or bottom of the screen during your favorite program, or by things called snipes, those intrusive audio/video clips that pop-up in the bottom right or left hand corner and then dissappear.
This is all due to a FCC mandate to "Educate the Consumer". The best part of the message is it tells you where to go for more information (DTVanswers.com)...the worst part is that it makes you feel like you have to buy something to watch television after February 17, 2009.
As I stated earlier, the majority of you will not, I repeat, WILL NOT need to do anything or buy anything. Only those that use an antenna, whether it be "rabbit ears" on your TV or an outdoor antenna, will need to either purchase a Digital Television or the Converter Box being subsidised by the Federal Government (see my earlier post titled " DTV Converter Boxes".
The rest of you who use a cable (Oceanic Cable or Military Cable Services) or satellite (Dish Network, DirecTV or your own dish) service can continue using your current TV, though you will not be able to experience high-definition quality...for that you will need a new HDTV and subscribe (if you want more than the basic local channels for cable) to the HD services.
Don't let anybody else tell you different...there's a lot of pressure out there to sell you something you may not want or need yet.
Well it looks like the high definition DVD format war is over...and the lone survivor is...Blu-Ray. Though the HD DVD format will continue to be supported, most of the companies have stopped making the players and HD DVD makers will slowly stop making any new material available for sale.
This all came about because of many factors, mostly with movie studios and major retail/rental oulets making a commitment to Blu-Ray and the last major manufacturer of HD DVD equipment pulling out of the HD format war.
So if you are going to change over to Blu-Ray, your best bet is to probably buy a Playstation 3, which gives you gaming option also for not much more than a player only...
...and you should invest in a 1080P (emphasis on the "P") display for the best possible picture...jus' my two cents...
It seems as we get closer to the digital transition date of February 17, 2009, television manufacturers are beginning to get more with the program...In the beginning, manufacturers of high-definition displays made them without tuners. It took an FCC mandate to get them to start incorporating tuners into their display and can now call it an HDTV...emphasis on TV. But the tuner they incorporated was a simple device that had minimal capabilities to use the information that was included in the DTV signal. Now that we are less than a year away, HDTV manufacturers have been upgrading the tuners in their TVs to rely more and more on the data in the DTV signal. What does all this mean?
Some earlier HDTV sets will be able to display the signals of any OTA digital broadcast because it did not take into account most of the data that the broadcaster was sending with the signal. Newer HDTV sets are starting to use it and more importantly rely upon the data in the signal to display a picture on the screen. If one thing is not right, your HDTV will not display a picture. It'll tell you that there is a signal, but the program is unavailable. In my opinion, TVs are becoming smarter and dumber at the same time.
So if you purchase a new HDTV, us broadcasters are hoping that all the data in our signals are correct for your TV, which may not be right for another TV, which doesn't matter for older sets but has now made it so that some channels come in and others don't...and in the mean time us broadcasters are constantly changing the values in the data stream to see what configuration works best for everybody...it's a lot of information just to display a picture on your TV......
...am I watching high definition television?
The FCC mandate for most TV stations to begin digital broadcasting (otherwise known as DTV) does not mean that they need to broadcast a high definition program. So the first thing you have to erase from your mind is that "DTV is equal to HDTV." The two are totally separate. DTV allows a broadcaster to provide HDTV, but HDTV is not what is necessarily on DTV. Huh?
There are many broadcasters who cannot afford the HD programming, are not provided with HD programming or may not have the equipment to process a high definition program for broadcast. Many stations may choose to, or have no choice but to send their programs out in the old format.
For example, here at PBS Hawaii, our programming consists of children's programs from 5AM to 6PM. Well, most of these program producers may not feel like spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to convert their perfectly good SD equipment to HD (buying cameras, edit systems, monitors, etc.), so they continue to provide the program in standard-definition...and forgive me for saying, but what 5 year old is going to complain that Barney isn't in HD? When we get this program here and try to broadcast it both in analog and digital, it will look normal on your analog TV but will have big, black vertical bars on both sides of the program when you view it on your HDTV set because there is not enough picture to fill the entire screen. In those cases, we reprocess the information and try to fill your HDTV screen out as much as possible without losing too much of the picture or distorting the original picture.
Other stations may choose to display programs differently and it is up to all stations to do what they feel works for them best. So just because you have an HDTV, it doesn't mean you are watching high-definition programs.
Now that the Federal government will start sending out the converter box coupons, it's time to figure out which box is right for you. Many of the big chain electronics stores will be carrying the items...so you'll need to know what to look for and what to lookout for.
First of all...what do these boxes do? The main purpose of the converter box is so that those of you who now watch TV through over-the-air (OTA) signals on your analog set will still be able to watch TV on your existing TV after February 17, 2009, when most broadcasters will begin digital broadcasting only. The converter box will receive the digital signal and convert it to analog so that your TV can display the channel you want to watch.
This does not mean that you will be watching high-definition programs on your analog TV. High definition can only be displayed on a high definition capable display.
How much will the converter boxes cost? For now the price of the boxes that are approved by the Federal government is about $70. The coupon is good for a $40 credit and the 2 coupons you can get per household cannot be combined...one coupon, one converter box, two coupons, two converter boxes.
Now for the tricky part...do you receive TV signals from a full power transmitter, a low power transmitter or a translator? I can tell you that the only full power transmitters for PBS Hawaii, KHON, KGMB and KHNL are in Honolulu, Wailuku and Hilo (except for PBS Hawaii). KFVE (K5) has a full power transmitter in Honolulu only and translators in Lihue, Wailuku and Hilo. PBS Hawaii has translators around Kauai and the Big Island. Why do you need to know this?
Well, the FCC only mandated digital broadcasting to full power transmitters, so February 17, 2009 will be the last day for analog broadcasts on these transmitters. Low power and translator systems can continue to broadcast in analog or convert to digital or do both. So how does this affect the converter boxes?
Most of the converter boxes will not be able to pass through the analog signals of low power and translator stations since the converters are looking for a digital signal to convert to analog. So say you live in Hilo, and you purchase a converter box using the coupon. You hook it up to your analog TV because it's fairly new (less than 10 yrs. old) and now you can watch KHON, KGMB, KITV and KHNL. But now you can't watch UH sports on K5 or any of the great programs on PBS Hawaii because translators do not have to convert to digital. So what do you do?...you'll probably end up using some kind of A/B switch to change the input to the TV from the converter box to the outdoor antenna you've had for the past 20 years...what a pain!
Well lucky for you, there are a few (and only a few at this time) converter boxes that will pass through the analog signals in addition to converting the digital signals...hooray!
So when you go looking for those converter boxes, make sure you get one that will pass through any analog signal.
Since my postings of the last month or so, a few things have changed and I need to update you on these changes. First, the problem with the Leher Newshour in HD has been resolved and we have been airing the HD version for the past couple of weeks. We are hoping that PBS National accelerates their offerings of HD material...the next show to go HD...Antiques Roadshow...
As far as Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, I stand corrected. There are already dual format players. A bit costly but still available, and they play your legacy DVDs too, so you won't have to put all those standard-definition DVDs away until you buy the high-definition version.
Finally...did you get that flat screen TV you've been dreaming about? And did it fit where you wanted it to? Great! Enjoy the Superbowl this weekend.
With the holidays behind us and your new HD TV in front of you, I hope you were able to enjoy all the HD programming...especially the bowl games!
For those of you who wish to receive the over-the-air digital signals of your local TV stations and watch them on your analog TV set(s), the Federal government has started taking applications for $40 coupons to help purchase up to two (2) DTV Converter box over the phone (1-888-388-2009) or through the internet (https://www.dtv2009.gov) through March 31, 2009.
Don't expect the coupons to arrive until sometime after mid-February, where upon the coupons will expire after 90 days. Let's just hope that the actual converter boxes are on the shelves of stores before the coupons expire.
Where did I leave off last??? Oh yeah, make sure your new TV will fit the space you intended it to go.
When you go looking, compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. Once you picked the best apple and the best orange, compare them together....in other words, don't compare all the LCD, plasma and rear screen projection TVs all at once. Find the best in each grouping, then compare the price and specifications against one another...you'll find that right match this way.
Oh yeah, make sure you look at the same source of video on the TVs and then if possible the type of video you'll most likely be watching (sports, DVDs, gaming, etc.).
Finally, make sure the TVs you are looking at are set-up about the same. Some circuitry in a TV can make a picture brighter, more colorful, sharper, etc.. Comparing the picture when all the controls are in the normal setting will give you a better idea of what the TV is like because over time you will need to tweak the settings to keep it looking sharp.
Recently PBS National began distributing the Newshour with Jim Lehrer in high-definition. This all came about pretty fast and before we could do any testing, it was time to air it. Well after talking to PBS National about the inability to show the HD version of the Newshour, they began looking into the problem and have yet to come up with a solution. This would not be a major problem, except that as the only PBS station that operates an unattended system (developed by PBS National) for delivering the programs to your home, we have been unable to decipher the signal in a consistent manner. Until a solution is found we will still be showing the up-converted standard -definition program on the high def channel. I am sorry for the inconvenience, but it just goes to show that the transition to digital, especially high definition isn't as easy as flipping a switch as we are still learning as we head for the digital transition in 2009...stay tuned.
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