So what's new?

If you have a digital television set equipped with a digital receiver or a digital converter you will be able to watch WITN-DT on digital channel 7.1 or see the WITN 24/7 Weather Channel on channel 7.2 . In addition if you have a digital High Definition TV you can enjoy superior quality HDTV programming from NBC. Some of our cable carriers also offer WITN-HD on their local digital broadcast tier. WITN-HD can be found on channel 707 on Suddenlink (formerly Cox) HDTVDigital cable boxes (different from standard digital cable boxes) and the WITN 24/7 Weather Channel on channel 167 on Suddenlink Digital Cable boxes. In the southern part of our viewing area on Time Warner Digital Cable out of Newport and Jacksonville you can find WITN-HD on channel 934 and the WITN 24/7 Weather Channel on channel 931. In addition both the Dish Network and DirecTV offer WITN-HD as a local-to-local signal for subscribers to the high definition tier.

Some of our cable carriers also offer WITN-HD on their local digital broadcast tier. WITN-HD can be found on channel 707 on Suddenlink (formerly Cox) HDTVDigital cable boxes (different from standard digital cable boxes) and the WITN 24/7 Weather Channel on channel 167 on Suddenlink Digital Cable boxes. In the southern part of our viewing area on Time Warner Digital Cable out of Newport and Jacksonville you can find WITN-HD on channel 934 and the WITN 24/7 Weather Channel on channel 931. In addition both the Dish Network and DirecTV offer WITN-HD as a local-to-local signal for subscribers to the high definition tier.

All of the cable and satellite operators now take WITN's digital signal and down-convert it to Standard Definition on the basic channel tiers.

So what is digital television and what does it mean for you, the consumer?

What is Digital TV (DTV)?

Digital TV (DTV) is turbo-charged television, yielding clearer pictures, better sound, more programming and more viewing excitement than traditional analog television. Digital TV offers a picture free of "ghosts," "snow" or interference. The crisper, sharper image is due to the increased number of pixels the digital signal puts on the screen, the higher the number, the sharper the picture and High-definition Television (HDTV) has the highest resolution available.

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Switching TV broadcasts to digital is like switching from cassette tape to compact disc or from a VHS tape to a DVD, the pictures are clearer, and sound is improved, giving viewers the opportunity to experience their favorite programs on a whole new level. In addition, with a 16:9 aspect ratio compared to today's 4:3 aspect ratio of analog television, High Definition Television lets viewers see much wider images.

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Viewers with analog sets will be able to convert the digital signal on Channel 32 to an analog signal by hooking up a digital tuner decoder box to their sets; however, they will not be able to experience the crystal clear pictures and sound quality that an HDTV set provides, nor will they experience the advantages of datacasting or interactive television.

Please note that WITN-DT broadcasts on digital UHF channel 32, so you may need to upgrade to a new UHF antenna to be able to receive an acceptable signal.

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High-definition Television (HDTV) - An HDTV signal allows a broadcaster to transmit a wide-screen (16:9) picture with many times more detail than is contained in current analog TV pictures. HDTV brings viewers programming so crisp and so clear, it produces an image as sharp as reality, appearing almost 3-D. In addition HDTV offers unsurpassed audio quality.

Standard-definition Television (SDTV) - An SDTV signal is another type of signal that viewers experience through DTV. While SDTV signals eliminate ghosting and snow they are particularly remarkable because they occupy less space on the allocated spectrum than high-definition signals and bring viewers multiple channels of free, over-the-air programming from the same station.

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According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the total manufacturer-to-retailer products sold in 2004 totaled 7.3 million units 8 million in 2005 and 10.5 million in 2006. In 2008 it was projected that 32 million digital sets would be shipped and that by the end of the year 60% of the homes in America would have at least one digital television set.

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If I have digital cable, do I have DTV? If I buy a DTV, will it work with digital cable?

Digital cable is not the same as Digital Television. First, Digital TV can deliver picture quality superior to that of digital cable.

Digital cable refers only to how signals are transferred across cable. Moreover, because there are not yet universal interoperability standards, a digital set that is plugged into a digital cable set-top box only will receive an analog signal, withholding all the advantages of Digital Television from a consumer.

Some of our cable carriers are now offer WITN-HD on their local digital broadcast tier. WITN-HD can be found on channel 707 and the 24/7 Weather on channel 167 on Suddenlink (formerly Cox) digital cable boxes. On Time Warner Digital Cable out of Newport and Jacksonville you can find WITN-HD on channel 934 and 24/7 Weather on channel 931.

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You have nothing to worry about. Both the cable and satellite companies are receiving and retransmitting WITN's digital signal. They are taking care of the "conversion" for you. Therefore you do not need to purchase a new television, a digital converter box, or digital cable to watch WITN-TV. The cable or satellite company will pick up WITN-DT and then down convert the signal for you to watch or the channel that you have always used to enjoy WITN's programming.

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