DTV Hooking Up a Converter Box

Less than 48 hours from now, broadcast television in andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://www.kxne...  More »

Less than 48 hours from now, broadcast television in andamp;lt;a href=andamp;quot;http://www.kxnet.com/t/north-dakotaandamp;quot; class=andamp;quot;kxInlineLinkandamp;quot;andamp;gt;North Dakotaandamp;lt;/aandamp;gt; - and across the nation - will become all-digital. That means we'll be shutting off our analog transmitter as of 10-am on Friday. After that, you'll need one of three things to keep watching local channels: A newer, digital-ready television such as an HDTV. A converter box to transform the digital signals to a form your old-style analog TV can understand. Or, a subscription to a cable or satellite TV service. Tonight, we offer you a quick and easy lesson on how to hook up one of those digital to analog converter boxes. andamp;quot;Each unit comes with a remote control and a coaxial cable. It may also have audio-video cables with yellow, red, and white plugs like this, and may have a seperate power supply and cord. First, locate the cable currently running from your antenna to the TV, take it out of the antenna, or VHF/UHF jack on the TV, and put it into the 'antenna in' jack on the converter box. This may also be labeled something like 'RF in' or 'From Antenna'. Next, take the coaxial cable supplied with the converter box, put that in the 'antenna out' jack on the box (this may also be labeled something like 'RF Out' or andamp;quot;To TV') and then put the other end of that coax into the antenna in jack on the TV. Or you can also use audio/video cables instead of the coax if your set has the corresponding inputs. If you use a VCR or DVD player, the setup is similar, but you'll have to connect the input of the VRC or DVD player into the output of the converter box. Finally, turn on your TV and put it on channel 3 or 4. If you're using the audio-video cables for hookup, select the TV to AV or Video. Then, plug the converter box power cord into a wall outlet. Turn on the converter box using the remote and you should see the output of the converter box on the TV screen. It ususally appears with a setup menu. If you don't see anything at all, try changing the channel on the TV - some boxes come tuned to channel 3 and some to channel 4. Once you see the converter box output, it will probably prompt you to scan for local channels. You may also need to go to 'menu' and select 'setup' to auto-program or set up channels. Before you run the scan, make sure your antenna is connected and located where you intend to keep it. And remember from now on, you need to use the remote that came with the converter box, not the remote for the TV to change channels.andamp;quot; You can get lots of your questions about digital television answered at this website: DTVANSWERS.COM. And remember, after 10-am on Friday, we will be broadcasting only in digital.  « Less