Digital TV transition: what it means for you
By: calendar iconMay 19th, 2011 a 1:54pm

You’ve likely started to see public service announcements (PSAs) about the upcoming Digital TV (DTV) transition taking place on August 31, 2011. Rogers TV customers will not be impacted by the DTV transition.

What is the DTV transition?

The Digital TV (DTV) transition is when over-the-air (OTA) television broadcasters in most Canadian cities will make the change from analog broadcast signals to digital signals. OTA television are those stations that viewers can watch via antenna (like Citytv, OMNI and CBC).

How will this impact me?

If you are a Rogers TV customer – whether analog or digital – the DTV transition will not affect you. You will retain your current channels and you will not require any new hardware due to the transition.

The only situation where you might be impacted is if you have multiple TVs and not all are connected to cable. For instance, if you are using an antenna or rabbit ears to receive TV programming on one of your televisions, you could lose the ability to watch TV the way you are used to on that one television set.   One easy option is to add extra outlets on the set that was previously using antenna. This feature is available with your Rogers cable TV service.

Alternatively, to continue to receive OTA programming, you can purchase a digital-to-analog (DTA) converter box and combined VHF/UHF antenna or you can purchase a TV with a digital tuner and combined VHF/UHF antenna.

If all your TV’s are on antennas or rabbit ears, you can either purchase a DTA converter box or subscribe to a TV service provider like Rogers in order to receive analog or digital cable TV.

Why the switch?

The transition is a government mandate. The government’s DTV transition site states: “Digital signals provide better picture and sound and take up less airwave space. The freed up space will be used for other purposes like advanced wireless and public safety services, such as those used by police and fire departments.”

You will be hearing more from us over the coming months about the DTV transition. For more information please see our DTV Transition information page or take a look at the public service announcement below:

Sarah Daly is a regular contributor to RedBoard

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  1. Warwick5 says: May 21st, 2011 a 9:59pm

    What does this mean for my customers who are buying or bought plasma, led, and LCD TVs with a digital tuners built in? They are Rogers customers and do not or want to own or rent a set top box or pvr but want to know If their tv qam tuner will get your channels unencrypted. As well will it be SD only or SD with some HD channels like CBC too?

    • RogersSarah says: May 30th, 2011 a 2:04pm

      Hi Warwick5,

      Thanks for your patience while I looked into this. If the information isn’t what you were after, I’d suggesting sending us further information through the contacts at the “Talk to Us” link above.

      It sounds like you’re referencing Rogers TV customers who are analog TV subscribers. If so, they will not be affected by the DTV transition. For Rogers customers who don’t want a set top box, analog cable is the best option.

      If your customers have no paid TV service and still want to be able to continue receiving OTA channels, they need a built-in digital tuner and a combined VHF/UHF antenna. If your customers are talking about OTA channels, they don’t need to be unencrypted – they just need the right equipment.

      Regarding SD and HD – if they are Rogers customers they will get HD and SD channels as long as they have digital cable service with an HD box.

      If your customers have no paid TV service and want HD, they will need a high quality antenna and possibly an HD converter box. It is best to check with the hardware retailers of these DTA converter boxes or the government’s DTV Transition site: http://digitaltv.gc.ca

      • Warwick5 says: June 14th, 2011 a 12:47pm

        Hi thanks for the response Sarah. Just to be clear , Rogers customers on analog cable will only get analog without a set top box even though the tv has a digital tuner. In order to get digital or high def is to purchase or rent a hd set top box. One more thing, did you mean when you said for customers who don’t want a set top box analog is the best option, then they can still use their crt (tube) tv? Or will your analog signal lower band channels switch to digital therefore they need a lcd or plasma. thanks again for your help !