A number of readers have written in telling me their stories about trying to pull in digital TV signals using their new converter boxes. (For those of you who have every TV set in your house hooked up to cable or satellite, you may skip this article.)
"The worst High Def station in Kansas City is KMBC," reads one letter. "Their picture quality is horrible compared to the others. What do you know about KMBC's High Def signal?"
Here's what I know. KMBC is the only station that is broadcasting digitally on VHF -- channel 7 to be exact. But not for much longer.
KMBC's road to digital bliss has been a bumpy one -- and we're not even talking about the glitches the first few weeks at its new HD studios. Originally the FCC assigned KMBC digital channel 14, right on the edge of the spectrum between VHF and UHF. That, as KMBC director of engineering Jerry Agresti explained to me last week, was a less than ideal position. So, in 2001, the FCC granted KMBC's plea to move to channel 7.
However, channel 7 was a "pre-transition" digital channel. On Feb. 17, 2009 -- the tenth anniversary of TV Barn, I just realized -- all analog TV signals are to be shut off. What will actually happen is that some stations will reassign their existing anlog signals to digital signals. In KMBC's case, it was planning to move its digitial signal back to 9. So: 14 to 7 to 9. Got it?
It doesn't matter, because none of those will be KMBC's final resting place.
Agresti has been hearing nonstop from viewers with rabbit ears who are frustrated trying to tune in all the UHF channels in the digital spectrum and KMBC. "I would say we get 5-10 emails and calls a day from people that can't receive us," said Agresti.
And so, earlier this year KMBC petitioned the FCC to move the digital assignment yet again, citing the "difficult engineering challenge" of operating a digital signal at channel 9 (yeah, I know, it operated just fine in analog there for 55 years).
"I've been telling people that for those of you worried about getting channel 9 after the transition, not to fear, they've petitioned the FCC to go to a UHF channel," Agresti said.
As soon as this week, the FCC is expected to approve the switch. When it does, nothing will change right away. But on Feb. 17, don't look for Channel 9 at Channel 9. Look for it at Channel 29. That's right, the current analog home of KMBC's sister station will be the "post-transition" digital home of Channel 9.
So where's the current Channel 29, KCWE-TV, going? I think it's going to 31, though at this point I'm sufficiently confused enough that I may have to draw up a cheat sheet. Anyway, whatever it was assigned to, it's still assigned to. That hasn't changed.
Now to a question from reader Tony Starr: "With all the off network shows that are in HD these days (Wheel and Jeopardy, Oprah, Two and a Half Men reruns), how come KSHB can show their off network shows in HD, but KMBC cannot? (They have KMBthat nice new tax-abated digital building for their HD news, after all!)"
KMBC's Agrest explains that the station has a bug in its server that stores HD feeds from its syndicators -- it's not passing along the closed captions. "That's a big no-no," said Agresti. It's true -- the FCC will fine ya for that. Agresti said a software upgrade should be installed within 30 days, "and we'll be rocking and rolling." If it's any consolation he added, "A few of these shows in HD have gotten off to bad starts (with technical problems), so I'm glad we had this unscheduled delay."
Well, for me, channel 9 is my BEST reception and I struggle constantly with channel 5. I get my attic antenna adjusted to pull it in and then a couple of weeks later it disappears. My next worst channel??? You guessed it channel 29. I don't look forward to this AT ALL!
Posted by: gwennie | September 23, 2008 at 07:49 AM