# Digital Transition



## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

I don't understand why this is happening. I have an HD widescreen TV... digital ready, ATSC tuner blah blah blah... And it won't work when the digital switch happens. The stations have done two test periods where they've shut down the analog transmissions, leaving just the digital signal, and this TV won't receive... I get this splash screen saying something about this TV not being ready for digital. That's crap; it IS, it's a ***kin' digital tuner. Meanwhile the crappy little 6 year old analog set with the converter box works just fine. 

I tried calling Phillips to ask, but their "customer service" is not tech people, it's just a bunch of talking heads in a call center somewhere who know nothing about TVs or Phillips products; if your problem falls outside the range of what choice menus they have on their computer screen they can't help you (and they won't admit that's what they are, they just treat you like a moron and pretend to know what they're talking about, which they clearly don't). No one believes me, and no one will help. They just talk down at me like I'm making this up or I'm too stupid to know what kind of TV I have.


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## Monstermaker (Aug 4, 2008)

Rev,
Have you looked at your menu/program set-up yet? On my tv I have to "turn on" my option to receive digital, as analog is the default mode for mine. I found out the hard way when they were doing those tests around here.


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

MM --
I thought that myself, but I can find no mention (either in the manual or the set-up onscreen menus) of any "mode" setting for digital vs. analog. From what I'm reading, this thing is supposedly just plug n play; it looks for signals and decodes them if available. I even rescanned last week, and it said it picked up two new channels. But this morning they did another test run and -- sonofabitch -- same thing. "This TV is not ready for the digital TV transition on February 17, 2009."

Now, here's the 64-dollar question: *Where the hell is that splash screen coming from?* Can't be an analog transmission, because the test is turning off the analog signal. And how can it be a digital transmission if the TV "isn't ready" to receive them? And why would a message saying you can't receive digital be encoded on a digital signal in the first place? That's like a Braille hologram; it makes no sense.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Ok, stupid question... But having worked in tech support you have to ask them so... Question: have you tried googling the net for that message or your television model and similar problems others may have? The later is important because when you find that others are having the same trouble you know you aren't alone.

None of our TV's are digital but I have Comcast Digital Cable so the boxes take the sweat off that one for us.


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## Phil (Sep 2, 2007)

Rev, "digital ready" normally means it is not equipped with an ATSC tuner but can display a 1080P image. First I would double-check that it is actually equipped with the tuner.
If it is equipped, there is likely a menu option buried somewhere.
If you want to post the model number I can check into it at work.


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

It is definitely equipped with an ATSC tuner. I'm still looking for that menu option; I don't have very high hopes on that because the manual doesn't mention one. The TV is a Philips 32PFL5332D/37 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV (whew... ya can't even name anything out loud anymore without taking a breath in the middle). If ya come accross anything Phil I'd appreciate it. If I was a morning person I might have thought of taking a pic of that screen when they did the test this morning... unfortunately at 6am my only coherent thought is "coffee.....coffee...."

I gave a cursory search online for anyone with my particular problem; lotsa similar things but nothing on the money. I need to keep looking. The "Customer Service" (hah) reps at Phillips know less about TV than I do.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Eet eez pozzezzd bie de DEBBILL!!

Sorry. I am of no help, but we did lose our cable for 5 days and we nearly killed each other. I feel your pain.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Did you try calling a super nerd at the local tv station? or (if there are any left around you) a tv repair guy for advice ? Most tv stations have somebody on hand to answer these types of questions. Other than that, there might be some FCC or state agency that coudl help you.

Or, just take it back & say it doesn't work. Easy-peasy.


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## Phil (Sep 2, 2007)

You just can't trust morning people. 
Rev, I will have to wait to get back to work Sunday as I don't find much online for that model. 
Couple of questions - are you using a conventional mast antenna? Do you typically receive good, strong analog channels? Do you have another DTV in the house that receives these channels? Do you know of any near neighbors who are successfully receiving the DTV channels?


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

Phil -- yes, it's a regular rooftop mast antenna. Analog reception is very good. Granted, the antenna is very old, and some bits have been repaired over the years several times due to weathering... maybe analog reception is more forgiving of connections that are getting a bit snakey, I don't know much about that sort of tech. But I do know that the little 6 year old analog TV with the rabbit ears is coming in loud and clear through the converter box, so the signals are plainly reaching us. I've rescanned and the most recent test still shot craps. I don't understand... the TV can plainly detect that there is a digital signal coming in as you can see by this (blurry, sorry) photo:









But when the test comes, all I get is this:









I'm of the understanding that a lot of stations are temporarily running a weaker signal (why, I don't know, but that's what I read on dtv.org). So maybe this weaker broadcast coupled with an old antenna that's on it's last leg may be the culprit and a new antenna may fix the problem. But until I see this thing pass a test during the broadcast, I'm going to assume that _something_ is wrong. And I'm not real happy with people from the company (that I paid a BUNCH of money to) talking down at me like I'm making this up and wasting their precious time.


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## Phil (Sep 2, 2007)

Rev it looks like you should be pulling in the digital broadcasts to me. I will check a few things tomorrow and see what might be going on.


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

Well, you still have some time. Digital has had a reprieve until June now...


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

As an aside: no customer service person should ever treat you like an idiot or give you the slightest "tone" like they are condescending or short tempered. I would tell the person how you feel and ask for someone who is having a better day. I worked in a special unit, as a trouble shooter at an insurance company for 10 years, and never took a tone with anyone, even when they were screaming at me. "Tone" was cause for a write up or getting fired. As a customer, you don't have to take any nonsense from someone who is getting **PAID** to be nice, patient & professional.


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## bradbaum (Jul 26, 2008)

My TV has two inuts to the two diffrent tuners, I have to switch to the digital tuner (ATSC) to recieve the digital broadcasts. I will continue to run on the analog tuner (NTSC) even after the conversion because I have Cable.

The other thing you need to make sure of is that you have a UHF antenna, the lower channels (2-13) are VHF and are going away. The digital channels are located in th UHF band. If your antenna is only a VHF antnna it will not work for the digital channels.

In a side note - I think the FCC has proved itself to be inept in this transistion. The conversion from black and white to color was done correctly. This conversion has been botched by a stupid, lazy goverment agency. I am waiting for the turn off, when all he little old ladies in Kansas call their congress people to complain that they can't watch their stories!


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## Phil (Sep 2, 2007)

Rev, I don't find anything odd reported on your TV model. There is no menu option or dedicated input that I could find in the manual. There is a firmware update posted on Philips site but it appears fairly old.
I did find that KETC channel 9 in your area (I think) did inaccurately broadcast the warning screen that you received ("This TV is not ready...") on an earlier test.
Your screen shot showed the TV identifying 7 digital broadcast channels - are you unable to receive any of them?


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