The digital TV transition and Windows
A Windows Media Center guide to surviving the switch to digital TV in the United States
By now, you've probably heard about the digital TV transition—or digital switchover—that requires all full-power TV stations in the United States to broadcast exclusively in the digital format by June 12, 2009. If you use Windows Media Center to watch and record TV on your PC, there's a chance that this transition might have an impact on you.
Whether you'll be affected by the transition depends mostly on two things: the type of TV signal you are receiving, and whether your TV tuner supports the signal. You are most at risk if you have a TV tuner that is only compatible with the NTSC signal type (see below for a description), and you receive your TV signal from an over-the-air antenna or directly from a cable jack in the wall (no set-top box).
The digital TV transition should have little impact on your Media Center experience if:
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Your TV signal is ATSC or QAM (see below for descriptions).
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You're using a set-top box provided by your cable or satellite provider to connect your TV signal to your Media Center PC.
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You're using a Digital Cable Tuner to receive premium, high-definition channels from your cable provider.
Why is the transition happening?
Before June 12, 2009, most stations were already offering digital TV because it provides a clearer picture, better sound, and more programming choices than analog. Going all-digital will free up parts of the airwaves for future services and allow TV stations to improve their existing services. The end result is better-quality television programming for everyone.
Read on to determine if your service will be affected by the transition, and what you can do to make your PC compatible with digital TV.
What type of TV signal are you receiving?
Before you run out and buy a new TV tuner, you should know what kind of TV signal you'll be using with it. Below, you'll find information about the three main types of TV signals that are commonly used with TV tuners and Media Center PCs in the United States. (If you have a cable subscription, you can also contact your cable provider to learn more about your TV signal.)
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TV signal type
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Stands for
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Will it work with my TV tuner after the transition?
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NTSC
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National Television System Committee
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It depends. NTSC is being phased out in the United States as part of the transition. If you have a TV tuner that is only compatible with NTSC, and your signal comes from an over-the-air antenna, your tuner will no longer work after the transition. If your signal comes directly from a cable jack in the wall, your tuner will only work if your cable provider still supports NTSC for basic channels.
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ATSC
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Advanced Television Systems Committee
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Yes. An ATSC-compatible TV tuner will continue to work after the transition.
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QAM
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Quadrature Amplitude Modulation
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Yes. There are essentially two types of QAM signals: unencrypted QAM (sometimes called ClearQAM), and encrypted QAM. Most QAM-compatible TV tuners only work with unencrypted channels, and will continue to do so after the transition. Premium cable content is usually encrypted, and requires the use of a Digital Cable Tuner from your cable provider.
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Does your TV tuner support the right type of signal?
A TV tuner is a device that receives a TV signal. TV tuners come in two basic model types: external TV tuners, which usually plug into a USB port on your computer, and internal TV tuner cards, which you must install inside your computer.
For detailed information about TV tuners that are compatible with Windows Vista, see the Windows Vista Hardware Compatibility List website.
Here are a few ways you can find out what type of signals your tuner supports:
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Check the device itself. The labels on many external TV tuners indicate which type of signals they support.
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Check Device Manager on your computer.
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Click the Start button 
, click Control Panel, click Hardware and Sound, and then click Device Manager.
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Double-click the TV tuner device (it will probably be located under Sound, video and game controllers) and review the information in the Properties dialog to see if it lists the types of TV signals the tuner supports.
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Check the documentation that came with the TV tuner, or contact the device manufacturer.
What you can do if you're affected by the digital TV transition
Here are some possible solutions if you are affected by the digital TV transition.
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If you're using an over-the-air antenna and you're no longer receiving a TV signal after the digital TV transition, here are some of your options:
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Upgrade to an ATSC-compatible TV tuner. This option will allow you to receive over-the-air digital broadcasts.
If you're using Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, you must have Update Rollup 2 installed before you can use an ATSC-compatible TV tuner. For information about how to install Update Rollup 2, see Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
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Get a digital-to-analog converter. These are set-top boxes that can receive the new digital broadcast signal and convert it to an analog signal that will work with your NTSC-compatible TV tuner. However, some older antennas might not work with this setup. You might need to purchase an antenna that's compatible with digital broadcast signals.
When you set up a digital-to-analog set-top box, you'll need to connect this set-top box to your TV tuner and then set up your TV signal again in Media Center to update the Guide listings. For more information, see Set up a TV signal in Windows Media Center.
You might also need to manually edit the channels in the Guide in Media Center, so that they match the channel numbers used by the set-top box. For information on how to do this, see Set up Guide listings for use in Windows Media Center.
If you use a Media Center remote control and you want it to control the channels on the digital-to-analog set-top box, you'll need to set up an IR blaster so it will work with a new set-top box. An IR blaster is a small, infrared device that is packaged with many Media Center remotes and TV tuners. For more information, see the documentation that came with your IR blaster.
If you're TV tuner is connected to a cable jack in the wall and your service is interrupted by the digital TV transition, here are some of your options:
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Contact your cable provider. As part of the digital TV transition, many cable providers are transitioning basic channels from analog to digital. Your cable provider might be able to provide you with a digital-to-analog converter.
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Upgrade to a digital TV tuner. If you're using Windows Vista, and your computer is running the Windows Media Center TV Pack, you can use a digital TV tuner to receive unencrypted QAM channels directly from a cable jack in the wall. The TV Pack comes pre-installed with some versions of Windows Vista—you can't install it yourself. To find out if you have the TV pack installed, see the "More Information" section in the Windows Media Center TV Pack Help and Support article on the Microsoft website.
If your Guide listings in Media Center are affected by the transition, here are some things you can try:
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Set up your TV signal again. If you're receiving Guide listings for analog TV channels, there's a chance that they won't show up properly after the transition. Setting up your TV signal again might fix the problem. For more information, see Set up a TV signal in Windows Media Center.
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Make sure you have the most recent updates. You might need to install recent Windows updates before the Guide listings in Media Center will appear correctly. For information on how to do this, see Install Windows updates.
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Remove channels that don't work from the Guide. As part of the transition, you might see additional channels in the Guide listings in Media Center that you can't access. If this is the case, it's best to remove these channels manually to avoid problems with scheduled recordings. To learn how to manually remove channels from the Guide, see Set up Guide listings for use in Windows Media Center.
An overview of the digital TV transition
The following table provides a high-level look at the possible effects of the digital TV transition—depending on your Media Center setup—and possible solutions to problems.
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Your TV signal is received from
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And your TV tuner is compatible with
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Possible effects from the digital TV transition
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Possible solutions
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Other things to keep in mind
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An over-the-air antenna
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NTSC
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Loss of TV signal; incorrect Guide listings in Media Center
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Make sure you have the latest Windows updates installed; set up a digital-to-analog converter box; set up an IR blaster for your Media Center remote (you'll need to plug this into your remote control receiver to use the remote); set up your TV signal again in Media Center (you'll need to select a cable provider in your area even if you don't subscribe to a cable service, then select the option for using a set-top box); manually edit the channels in your Guide listings in Media Center.
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Install an ATSC-compatible TV tuner; set up a digital over-the-air antenna; set up your TV signal again in Media Center; manually edit the channels in your Guide listings in Media Center.
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If you're running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, you'll need to have Update Rollup 2 installed to use an ATSC-compatible TV tuner.
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An over-the-air antenna
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ATSC
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Additional channels might be added to your Guide listings in Media Center.
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Set up your TV signal again in Media Center; make sure you have the latest Windows updates installed; manually edit the channels in your Guide listings in Media Center.
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A cable jack directly to your TV tuner
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NTSC
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Your cable provider might transition some channels from analog to digital. If this happens, you will not be able to receive the digital channels.
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Additional channels might be added to your Guide listings in Media Center.
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Set up a digital-to-analog converter box; set up an IR blaster for your Media Center remote; set up your TV signal again in Media Center; make sure you have the latest Windows updates installed; manually edit the channels in your Guide listings in Media Center.
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If you have a version of Windows Vista that came with the Windows Media Center TV Pack installed, you can upgrade to a digital TV tuner.
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A cable set-top box
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Any
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Additional channels might be added to your Guide listings in Media Center.
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Set up your TV signal again in Media Center; make sure you have the latest Windows updates installed; manually edit the channels in your Guide listings in Media Center.
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A satellite set-top box
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Any
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Additional channels might be added to your Guide listings in Media Center.
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Set up your TV signal again in Media Center; make sure you have the latest Windows updates installed; manually edit the channels in your Guide listings in Media Center.
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