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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OMG...it has been a busy past few weeks!
We completed the Hilo digital installation in early June. Though I have heard from but a few of the people who complained about us not being in digital as the other stations (low power stations such as our Hilo translator are not mandated by the FCC to be broadcasting digitally), I know that we are reaching many areas better than we were with analog...however there are areas that are not getting as good a digital signal as it should and one of those areas is where my next translator is located...Kulani Cone. This low signal level is creating broken up pictures or no pictures at all for Naalehu and South Point viewers. I continue to investigate why, but it may take some time to address.
Soon after, I was in Maui for our power upgrade. We literally doubled our power output beginning on July 1. This should give more viewers a better chance of receiving a signal. Let me know...
Next...my power upgrade for KHET...
As I write this, riggers are climbing my tower and finalizing the interconnections between the antenna panels (eight of them) and the transmission line. Once completed, a test of the antenna and if all goes well there we'll finally be done with the Hilo installation and up to full power and allotted coverage. It sounds easy, but it will take us until late this afternoon to accomplish...so all you digital viewers, be ready to rescan your digital TV sets or converter boxes...
I am happy to announce that the way we have been broadcasting some shows (a picture surrounded by black bars) has been addressed by the television community and now we will be able to automatically broadcast shows the way the producers of the show meant it to be viewed. What?
A few posts ago I mentioned AFD, or Automatic Format Descriptor, data embedded in the video signal that tells other devices how to present a picture on your screen...or in this case what format we at the station should record the show.
What this means is the end to the dreaded "postage stamp" video we have been showing on our channel since February. Though it may take some time to purge all the shows that have been recorded this way prior to this change, we are on the way to giving you the picture the way it is meant to be shown. I expect some ironing out of the system to occur in the next week or so, but it's a start!
Now for that pesky audio problem...you're next!
Okay, now that I'm back in an air conditioned room I can tell you all about the Hilo digital installation. We actually began broadcasting on Ch. 28, in digital, on Tuesday (5/26) afternoon, albeit temporarily on a partial antenna and at a lower power.
This morning around 11AM we completed the changeover at Kulani Cone to receive the Hilo Ch. 28 signal, where in years past we had a Ch. 4 receive system, and added a digital-to-analog converter so that Naalehu and South Point could continue to broadcast in analog.
On Wednesday (6/3) we will complete the installation of the Hilo digital system, so please rescan your digital converter boxes or TVs that afternoon.
...but it has become a challenge to get the digital antenna installed where the old analog antenna was..we are way beyond the point of no return (to analog) and must make new adapters to mount the digital antenna. I hope to get some kind of signal up by tomorrow, but it looks like the final configuration won't happen until Monday or Tuesday.
Its been a while since I have posted anything new here and that is exactly why I haven't posted...because there is not much to tell you.
The biggest news (which is in the blog entry below) is that weather pending, Hilo will be upgraded to digital transmissions beginning May 28. The schedule still stands. Mid-morning on May 26th, we'll shutdown the analog signal to install the digital antenna. This shutdown will affect the rest of the translator system in Naalehu and South Point. Once we get the Hilo digital signal up, we need to get to Kulani Cone to change out the receive antenna and put a digital-to-analog receiver in place. If all goes well, the analog signal will be restored to Naalehu and South Point by the weekend. Once we have lease issues worked out at Kulani Cone, we will install a digital system to get the signal to Naalehu. This should happen by the end of September this year.
Maui is set for a power upgrade by June 30th. Again, this power upgrade will give those who are receiving a marginal signal, a better chance of receiving a more solid signal.
Honolulu's power increase is pending FCC approval and funding.
That's all for now...more when I get back from our Hilo installation...and don't forget to rescan your TV's or converter boxes on the 28th.
ok...ok...ok...I know I had mentioned that Hilo would have a digital signal by the beginning of April, but here it is the middle of April and still no signal...What gives?
I can tell you that the translator is in place and ready. The antenna is here and ready to be installed, but the timing to get the signal on-the-air is not ideal...so we have decided to delay the deployment of digital until the end of May. As a matter of fact, we have a schedule in place that will have you ready for when the day comes.
On Tuesday, May 26, we will shutdown the analog translator in Hilo so that we may remove the antennas to install a new digital antenna. This shutdown will cause most of the island of Hawaii to go dark. By Thursday we will be broadcasting our digital signal and all you with digital TVs and converter boxes will need to do another rescan to put our channel's information into the memory of your device.
You should see our signal as Channel 10.1 and 10.2...but we will actually be broadcasting on channel 28. This means you will need an UHF antenna to receive us.
And of course...this all depends upon the weather...
Now that I have some idea of our coverage from the calls and emails from our viewers of our full-power transmitters and after many hours of consulting with the antenna manufacturer and RF consultants, the only factor which will increase the likelihood of getting our signal is to increase the power...both on Oahu and Maui.
Due to FCC licensing issues, we will begin with Maui. An additional amplifier assembly will be added to the existing transmitter to just about double the power output. This doesn't mean the signal will go twice as far, but it will increase the level of signal at any given antenna to give the digital TV or converter box a better chance of decoding the signal and displaying a picture.
Oahu will follow a couple of months later, so thanks for your patience. I'll be announcing here when we make the changes.
Finally, Hilo...an engineer from the transmitter company is scheduled to be out here during the second week of April. If all goes well (especially with the weather), we'll be broadcasting in digital by mid-April.
With the VHF Oahu digital transmitter on the air, I got to pack up the Channel 18 transmitter and ship it to Hilo...so look out Hilo...you're next on the digital transition timetable...
It'll take a couple of weeks to get it to the site (by barge), then the electrical work, the ducting work and finally the antenna installation. All should be good to go the first week of April, so stay tuned...
Its been about two weeks since we began broadcasting digitally on Channel 11 and I have heard from about thirty to forty viewers. The majority of the calls were resolved with a rescan of their digital TVs or converter boxes. Now the bad news:
Loss of signal extends from Waialae to Punchbowl...Manoa to Waikiki. Not all,but many of you who reported were in this area. Many more in the same area reported being able to get a signal...so now it comes down to how you are expecting to receive our signal.
You may need to invest in a better receiving system, because for now I am at a maximum power level established by the FCC so as not to interfere with their monitoring station in Waipahu. Your antenna will need to be a high-gain directional antenna (rabbit ears just are not as good as they once were) and point it towards Makakilo to receive our signal. In addition, when you adjust your antenna, do it in small increments and wait approximately 10 seconds in between each move for the TV or converter box to reacquire the signal and display it. Also antenna placement is very important when it comes to receiving the digital signal. Near the TV may not always yield the best results. An outdoor antenna will give you the best chances of receiving as many signals as possible.
I know that many of these suggestions cannot be implemented due to homeowner association rules and all I can do is to ask you to try your best because that's all the power I have for now. I am looking into other alternatives that may improve upon the signal, but it will take some time and money to accomplish...thanks for being so understanding and patient. As more reports come in, I'll be keeping a tally...
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