What do I need to watch HDTV?

Preface: Since KTVL-DT is a broadcast television station, this discussion will concern itself with reception of KTVL's digital High Definition broadcast signal. You can also get HDTV programs from satellite or cable. You will need to subscribe to their HDTV service and obtain their HDTV "converter box." You also get to send them money every month. KTVL's HDTV service is free. There are no recurring fees to pay for KTVL's broadcast high definition television service. Our HDTV signal is now available on Charter Cable (channel 780), and should be available on satellite soon.

1. An HDTV set: There are "HDTV monitors" and "HDTV sets". HDTV monitors do not have built-in tuners. There are "HDTV ready," "HDTV capable," "HDTV compatible" and several other ambiguous terms applied to HDTV sets.

A true "HDTV set" is supposed to have analog and digital tuners, while "HDTV ready," "HDTV capable," and "HDTV compatible" sets will probably have an analog tuner, but not a digital tuner.

The first question is do you want a monitor or a TV? You can connect a lot of stuff to a monitor, including a DVD, a VCR, and a digital or analog tuner. The advantage of a TV is that you have one less thing to connect and fewer remotes to keep track of. The advantage of a monitor is that as digital tuner technology advances (more features are added), you can upgrade the tuner without buying a new TV set.

You should select your HDTV set based upon picture quality and any extra features that it may have. If the set you have selected does not have a built-in digital tuner then you can purchase an external tuner to watch broadcast HDTV. The price difference between a "set" with a tuner and a "set" without a tuner is pretty much the cost of the tuner.

The second question is do you want a wide screen set? HDTV is shown in the wide screen 16x9 format (the ratio of width to height). Normal TV's have a 4x3 format. Wide screen pictures displayed on a 4x3 format TV will result in black bands at the top and bottom of the set. If this bothers you, you will probably want a wide screen set.

The last question is what type of set, "direct view "or projection? Your selection would depend upon what size set you want, which depends upon the size of the room you are going to put it in.

One word of caution concerning HDTV sets, regardless of type or size. Every HDTV set has a "native format" it uses to display the picture. The set (or monitor) will convert all pictures to this "native format" for display. For example, KTVL sends a 1080i signal and the native format of your set is 480p, then your set will convert our 1080i signal to 480p before it displays it.

Any set with a native format of 480p (or 480i) is NOT a high definition TV set and you will NEVER see HDTV on such a set. A true HDTV set (or monitor) will have a native format of either 1080 or 720 (with an "i" or a "p" after the number). If the salesperson does not know (or will not tell you) the native format of the set they are trying to sell you, RUN (do not walk) to another retailer. "480," "720," or "1080" are the only valid answers to this question. "HDTV" is not a valid answer. If "480" is the answer, it is not an HDTV set. The picture on this 480 screen is still very good; it's just not HDTV.

2. An External Digital Tuner (if your set does not have a built-in digital tuner): A "converter box" and a "digital tuner" are not the same thing. The digital convertor boxes most retailers carry are designed to receive over-the-air digital broadcasts and then convert them for viewing on an old, analog TV set. An external digital tuner is necessary for an HD monitor to receive and display over-the-air digital TV broadcasts.

3. An Antenna: Just about any "normal" television antenna will pick up a digital (HDTV) signal. There is nothing magical about HDTV that requires a special antenna. However, if you have a UHF antenna, you may not receive our VHF (channel 10) signal. That said, the further you are from the transmitter or translator, the larger the antenna needs to be. If you are far enough away from our transmitter/translator, you may need to put the antenna on your roof, or on a pole, or in the crawl space beneath your roof. You may also need an antenna amplifier.

If you absolutely refuse to install an antenna, you do not need a digital tuner. You will have to subscribe to cable or satellite services to receive our digital signal.

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