When TV Goes All Digital

[Black Landlord]

PeterB wrote:
[quote=Black Landlord]
[quote=Sam*]
We don't have cable tv. We've gotten the digital converter. It's awful. We won't have watchable tv after they take analog away. The problem is a week signal.

My ten-year-old son has gotten it into his head that when the tv stations stop broadcasting analog, they will have more bandwidth to send out a stronger digital signal. In other words, after they turn off analog, our digital signal will get better.

I think my son is wrong, but can't base it on anything? Anybody know what the real deal is on this?

Thanks,

Sam*

Your digital reception should be in the same general ballpark as your analogue was-- sounds like that wasn't so great before.
Definitely echo the antenna suggestion.
There's part of the problem, and what certain people don't seem to understand. I currently have excellent analog signals for some stations, and for these exact same stations, I get either nothing digitally or intermittent (unwatchable) signal. It is not solely dependent on distance. Also, no, apartment dwellers do NOT have the right to an external antenna, most leases prohibit modification of the apartment without approval of the landlord. And some of us absolutely refuse, under any circumstances, to get cable.
My statement wasn't phrased well.
I was trying to express that your overall digital reception will be similar to your overall analogue was-- if you had a few channels that came in well before, a few that didn't, one or two that are unwatchable, you will probably have some problem channels in digital too.
It is certainly not solely dependent on distance, but general distance to the source is still the greatest factor. My impression is that line of sight plays a greater role in digital.
I have almost line-of-sight to downtown Chicago; Sears tower about 4 miles away as the crow flies; analogue reception sucked for many channels (snow, ghosts) and digital is perfect, same antenna.