Lip Synch Problems

    Among the undesired byproducts of digital TV are the increased incidents of lip synch problems.  It is very disturbing to watch someone speaking on camera when the audio slightly ahead or behind the movement of the person’s lips.  I won’t go into the myriad reasons that this is more prevalent with digital technology. Suffice it to say it is.

    Over the past few days we know that some of you have experienced lip synch problems watching “The War” in HD.  We are sorry for this but there was little we could do since the problem was encoded at PBS. 

    Problems can be caused by several different factors.  Some, like the PBS issue with “The War,” can’t be solved locally by CET technicians.  If the problem does happen here in Cincinnati we try to address it by rebooting our systems or changing other settings.

    Sometime the problem can actually be in your TV or Set Top Box.  At home I have noticed that if I leave my Time Warner Digital Set Top Box “on” and only turn off the TV, when I come back to watch a few hours later, the lip synch can be way off.  If I turn “off” the Set Top Box for a few seconds, when I turn it back on, the problem goes away.  You might try that fix if you experience lip synch problems in the future.

    Today’s digital TV systems here at CET are increasingly complex and the technology changes constantly.  Our highly skilled engineering and operations staff work hard to make your viewing a pleasurable experience.  Most often we are successful, sometimes we fail.

    If you have problems with this or any of the CET services, let me know.  By sharing the problem and hopefully the answer here on this blog we can help each other.

The Sky is Falling …DTV is Coming…

    Today’s morning Enquirer carried a Cox News Service story about Congressional hearings regarding the termination of analog broadcasting. To recap, at 12:01 AM, Tuesday, February 17, 2009, analog TV broadcasting will be no more as the United States joins many other countries of the world in adopting an all digital broadcasting system.  In my opinion the story had a “Chicken Little” flavor since many of us will not be affected even if we still are then using our existing analog TVs.  The reason is that according to Nielsen Research, only about 20% of the households in the Cincinnati market ( and the US as a whole) require  broadcast over-the air signals to watch TV; the other 80% use either cable, satellite or a combination of both.  Since the cable and satellite set top boxes already convert digital signals so they can be viewed on analog TV sets, the fact that stations like CET will no longer be broadcasting in analog is irrelevant.

    For those who want to stick to receiving signals over the air, Congress has developed a voucher program that will award two $40 vouchers to each household requesting them.  The vouchers can be used to offset the cost of purchasing small digital converters that will receive digital over-the-air signals and convert them to analog signals that even your trusty old RCA with aluminum foil on the rabbit ears can handle.  They are still working out the details for distributing these vouchers.  I’ll be sure to let you know when an announcement is made.

     Congress also has mandated that retailers make sure that anyone buying a new TV, no matter the size, has information about what kind of tuner is installed.  If it has only an analog tuner, the set must have a label stating that it will no longer be able to receive over-the-air signals after February 17, 2009.

    Recently I took a field trip to see how various retailers were handling this disclosure requirement.  I browsed through some major “big box” stores.  I was surprised by what I found, or I should say, what I didn’t find.  Today, analog TV sets are as scarce as VHS machines.  For example, a stroll through “Best Buy” found no analog TVs at all.  Even the small inexpensive counter top sets had ATSC tuners built in.  That means that they have digital tuners capable of receiving the digital broadcasts.  They are not High Definition sets nor do they have wide screens, but they can receive all the broadcasted digital signals.  The good news is that the price seems about the same as the analog-only sets of last year.

    Seems like the “sky is falling” predictions that warned of millions of TV viewers would be looking at blank screens when they wake up on February 17, 2009 may be a bit over blown.  I’ll keep you updated.

Will my TV still work?

In 2004 we bought a Sharp TV (model 25R-S100) with energy star rating. Will it work after Feb. 17 or can a converter box keep it working?

John Cimprich

Mr. Cimprich,

The Sharp model 25R-S100 is a very nice Analog TV and has only an analog tuner built in.  After February 17, 2009 you will need to purchase a Digital Converter Box if you plan to receive off-the-air broadcast signals.  If you are a cable or satellite subscriber,  your set will work just fine.  Of course, since the screen on the Model 25R has a 4×3 ratio any wide aspect digital programs will be rendered in a letterbox on your screen even with the converter.

Hope this helps.

Jack

Welcome

    Welcome to the CET Tech Info Blog.  We hope to use this blog to bring you up to speed on various technologies related to CET and our audience. 

First a test is in order.

    The new ATSC standards adopted by the FCC will assure that both interlaced and progressive scanning can coexist in the 8VSB transmitted bit stream and as long as all the PIDS are present the video can be displayed on monitors with resolutions ranging from 480p/i to 1080i/p.

    If you completely understand the last sentence you will find little of interest in this blog.  You already know more than I do.  You can stop reading right now. On the other hand, if you feel that the sentence above might have just as well been written in some Klingon dialect, I think you will find the blog informative, helpful and entertaining.

    Recently Bill Gates proclaimed that this is the Digital Decade.  Who can disagree?  Hardly any facet of our daily life is untouched by some digital gizmo.  Cars that park themselves, maps that talk to you, cell phones that double as credit cards … all made possible because some machine is able to put “0s” and “1s” together. 

    Wading through the hype and “geek speak” can be intimidating and expensive.  Do I really need to upgrade now?  Will my TV still work in two years?   Unfortunately there are few places to turn for clear unbiased information and advice.  The “big box” stores have legions of staff ready, willing and able to tell you why you need a 1080p TV set rather than a 720i model.  The recommendation, of course, will have little to do with the fact that the 1080p set has a higher price tag and better mark up.

    We plan to cover the gamut. We will look at home entertainment systems and the latest in high definition TVs.  I’ll point you to good online web sites and give you a peek at what might be the next “must have” device.  I promise to keep the jargon to a minimum and also respect the fact that your intelligence should not be measured by your ability to understand everything your pocket-protector-clad know-it-all next door neighbor might utter.

    We want your questions and comments. 

  Jack Dominic

Executive VP & COO