As of June 12, 2009, all televisions in the US must be capable of receiving DTV digital television broadcast signals. Analog televisions that cannot receive digital DTV signals will not be able to display most television channels without the aid of a digital converter box (DTV converter box) which accepts digital signals over the air and converts them into analog signals so that television broadcasts can be shown on television. This converter box is easy to install and reasonably priced, but requires a separate antenna. Thanks to this box, the displayed picture is of better quality and several additional television channels are available.
Step
Step 1. Place the converter box in an open space next to the television
. The converter box must be near the television in order to connect using one or more cables. The converter box will also be controlled by remote control so that it must not be behind objects that can block the remote signal. In addition, the converter box must be located near a power outlet or power strip.
Read the connection label on the back of the converter box so you know where the television and antenna connections are
Step 2. Turn off the television and all devices connected to it
Also turn off the power strip, if you use one.
Step 3. Connect the converter box with an antenna equipped with an RF coaxial cable
If you have an old antenna that won't connect directly to the Rf coaxial connector, read the section below about old televisions. Any stand-alone antenna can be used, but we recommend using an antenna designed to receive DTV signals for maximum reception. Rabbit ears antennas (two prongs) as well as outdoor antennas that can be mounted to the wall can also be obtained at affordable prices.
- If you are using a rabbit ears antenna, place it near the television. Connect one end of the RF coaxial cable to the ANTENNA RF IN connector on the connector box. Connect the other end of the cable to the TO TV connector on the antenna. It is convenient if you connect the RF coaxial cable to the antenna first, or the RF coaxial cable may already be connected to the antenna if it was previously connected directly to the television. The antenna also has a CABLE IN connector which is similar to the TO TV connector. You must not connect this connector to the television. If the antenna needs power, plug in the antenna's power adapter, but leave the antenna off until all components are connected.
- If you are using an external or mounted antenna, assemble it and attach it to a sturdy object. For external antennas, the RF coaxial cable connecting the antenna to the television must pass through the housing, usually through a hole drilled in the wall. Connect the RF coaxial cable to the antenna, and connect the other end of the cable to the ANTENNA RF IN connector on the converter box. If the antenna requires power, the cable segment provided with the antenna box must be installed between the converter box and the antenna along with the same RF coaxial cable that connects the converter box to the antenna. This cable segment will be connected directly to the RF IN ANTENNA connector in the converter box, and the RF coaxial cable cable that extends to the external antenna will be connected to the other end of the cable segment. The end of this cable must be equipped with a power adapter that will be plugged into an electrical socket.
Step 4. Connect the converter box with the television
Depending on the cables available, the converter box design, and the television design, there are several ways to connect the converter box to your television. Most converter boxes have connectors for RF coaxial cable and composite cable connections. If you have an older television that doesn't connect directly with RF or composite coaxial cable, see the section on older televisions below. The composite cable consists of one yellow video cable and two audio cables. The audio cable for the right speaker is red and the left speaker cable is white.
- Generally, televisions and connector boxes are connected by RF coaxial cable. This cable should be included with the converter box. Simply connect one end of the RF coaxial cable to the TV RF OUT connector in the converter box, then connect the other end of the cable to a similar connector on the television. The connector on the television should be labeled VHF/UHF.
- As an alternative, the converter can also be connected to the television using one composite video cable and two audio cables instead of a single RF coaxial cable if the connector is on your television (the converter box must also be connected to the antenna using an RF coaxial cable). This option is especially useful if you want to connect a separate audio system or self-powered speakers because the video and audio go through separate cables. The composite video cable connectors on the converter box and television should be yellow, while the composite audio connectors should be red and white. The red wire is for the right speaker, and the white wire is for the left speaker. Connect the audio and video cables to the converter box. Then, connect the yellow-tipped video cable to the yellow VIDEO IN connector on the television. Next, connect the red-tipped audio cable to the AUDI IN RIGHT connector on the television, and connect the white-tipped audio cable to the AUDIO IN LEFT connector on the television.
Step 5. Connect the converter box to the power socket
The power adapter may be supplied with the converter box, or the converter may be supplied with a standard permanent power cord. If the converter uses a power adapter, simply plug the adapter into a power outlet or power strip and connect the adapter to the converter box. If you are using a power strip, turn it off before you plug in the converter box's power cord. If it is installed, please turn on the power strip.
Step 6. Install the batteries in the remote control of the converter box
Remote control batteries may have been included with the converter box.
Step 7. Familiarize yourself with the remote control
This device controls many functions of the television and converter box. If a programmable universal remote is provided, it can control all the television's functions once manually set.
Step 8. Turn on the television and set it to channel 3 or 4
Do not use the converter box remote, instead use the television remote or replace it manually (unless the remote can be programmed for specific use on your television). The converter box will display the image on the television when you have set it to one of these channels. The converter box must also be tuned to channel 3 or 4, which is connected to the channel on the television. You can do this manually by pressing the button on the converter box, or through the converter box menu that appears on the screen. (see next step).
Step 9. Turn on the power of the converter box with the remote control of the converter
You can also press the power button on the converter box unit.
If the converter box can be set to channel 3 or 4 using the on-screen menu, set it to the desired channel, if needed
Step 10. Scan all television channels
Go to the on-screen menu and let the converter box scan the television channels automatically. The automatic scan will search for available channels and ignore the rest. If you don't receive many channels, you may need a better quality antenna or replace the antenna.
- If you know the exact channels that should be received but are not detected by the auto scan, you can add them using the on-screen menu of the converter box, and adjust the position of the antenna until the channels are received successfully.
- Additional channel scanning can also be performed using the on-screen menu to search for and add channels that were not detected during the initial scan.
- Sometimes, there are channels that are successfully accepted and added to the television channel list, but you don't want them. You can delete them using the edit channel function (or a similar function) in the on-screen menu.
Step 11. Check reception and signal strength
Poor signal reception will make the image appear “pixelated” or “checkered”. The antenna may need to be adjusted or moved. Poor signal reception will display the words " NO SIGNAL " or " NO PROGRAMMING " on the television screen, but this also indicates that no channels can be received. To check the signal strength of a channel in real time, use “signal strength” or a similar option using the remote control. Adjust the antenna when using the signal strength option to see which settings or antenna locations are capable of displaying the best image quality. If you use an antenna that is ridden far from the television, such as a rooftop antenna, one person can monitor the signal indicators on the television, while another person moves the antenna around until the picture is good.
Step 12. Specify the desired image “aspect ratio” (aspect ratio) format
The converter box may initially show the picture on the television in a ratio format designed for widescreen HDTVs. There are several sizes and ratios of images that can be viewed on a television, depending on the particular channel and/or show. The aspect ratio can be adjusted via the converter box menu to match the standard 4:3 analog television display.
-
Television shows shown in widescreen format will fill the screen on the left and right, but not at the top and bottom of the television. However, this is the most suitable format because the original recorded image can be viewed on the television screen.
To display the widescreen format (which fills the left and right sides of the screen), select the “letterbox” option or an equivalent ratio. The “auto” option can display the same result
- Some shows will appear in 4:3 format that will fill the entire television screen. Events displayed in this format will fill the entire screen, regardless of the aspect ratio format selected.
-
Some events will only fill the center of the screen (there are blanks at the top, bottom, right, and left of the screen). The event may be scaled down to 4:3 or widescreen format. This show needs to be cropped properly so that it fits snugly to fill the screen.
To ensure the image always fills the screen regardless of the channel, set the aspect ratio to “cropped” via the onscreen menu
Step 13. Watch your television with joy
Using Old Television
Older televisions and antennas that don't have RF coaxial cable connectors, but do have screw terminals can use a transformer adapter. This transformer is available at stores such as ACE Hardware for around IDR 50,000.
- One type of transformer will connect to the VHF screw terminal on the television and allow the RF coaxial cable to be connected to the television and the TV RF OUT connector on the digital converter box. Connect the transformer to the television using a screwdriver, then connect the RF coaxial cable to the transformer and digital converter box.
- There are other types of transformers that can be connected to the ANTENNA RF IN connector in the converter box. Connect the antenna to the transformer using a screwdriver, then push the transformer into the digital converter box.
Tips
-
If you are using a DVD player with a converter box, these two devices must be connected to separate connections on the television. Usually, you can find S-video, composite, and component connections on DVD players.
- DVD players usually have different types of connections.
- If the converter box is connected to the television via an RF coaxial cable, you can connect the DVD player to the television using a composite video and audio cable. You can also connect the yellow composite video cable to the television and connect the red and white audio cables to a separate stereo system or external speakers.
-
Most televisions have a component cable connection. This cable provides good picture quality. The three component cables are used only to connect the video (as opposed to the composite cable which uses only one video cable).
- Cable videos The component consists of one green wire (Y), one blue wire (Pb), and one red wire (Pr). Do not until you connect the red component video cable (Pr) with the red audio connector.
- Cable videos components are connected to the back of DVD players and televisions. The audio cable must also be connected so that the television produces sound.
- Usually red and white audio cables are connected to component video cables, but other types of audio connections can be used with component video cables.
-
Many DVD players and speaker systems have OPTICAL audio connections that can be used with composite or component video connections. This type of connection provides clearer sound quality.
- Configuration if using optical audio cable and component video cable.
- Configuration if using optical audio cable and composite video cable.
-
Cables can be connected to the television in a variety of configurations, depending on how the television is connected to the converter box, DVD player, and separate audio system (if used).
- Configuration if the converter box is connected to the television via an RF coaxial cable and the DVD player is connected to the television via a composite audio and video cable.
- Configuration if the converter box is connected to the television via an RF coaxial cable and the DVD player is connected to the television via a composite video cable. Audio from the DVD player is connected to a separate audio system (not shown).
- Configure if the converter box is connected to the television via an RF coaxial cable and the DVD player is connected to the television via a component red and white video and audio cable.
- Configuration if the converter box is connected to the television with an RF coaxial cable and the DVD player is connected to the television via a component video cable. Audio from the DVD player is connected to a separate audio system (not shown).
- The converter box configuration is connected to the television using composite audio and video cables (red and white audio cables), and the DVD player is connected to the television via component red and white audio and video cables.
Warning
- Electronic devices such as converter boxes and antennas can cause electric shock if not handled and installed properly.
- In the US, only full power television stations are required to switch to digital broadcast signals as of February 17, 2009. There are still many public and low power television stations that transmit analog broadcast signals and some DTV converter boxes cannot catch them.
