VTC - Frequently Asked Questions

Your Complete Communications Provider

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Will I need a special TV in 2009 when everything is changing over to Digital?
No. If you have Venus TV - you are already 100% Digital. Our set-top box reformats the digital signal to an analog signal so you can view it on the same tv you already have.

I am going to buy a new TV. Should I get an HDTV set?
Maybe.....What are your current viewing demands? Venus Digital TV is just that - DIGITAL. We do not offer HDTV (high definition television) yet and do not plan to for a couple more years. However - with new HD-DVDs you can watch high definition DVDs on your HD-DVD player on your HDTV.

I thought I had to have HDTV service by 2009?
NO WAY! - this seems to be a huge mis-conception right now. The FCC says by 2009 - all local broadcasters must broadcast in Digital. Venus has been picking up these digital signals since it's TV inception in late 2003. The only people this pertains to is those still using a roof top antenna to pick up their television programming. Most new TV's now have a SDTV tuner built right in to them so an additional set-top box would not even be required for these select few anymore. (SDTV = Standard Digital Television)

Why does the picture shrink up on my TV sometimes (ie - black bars on the sides)?
We are currently smack dab in the middle of a technology change-over. Like when we all switched from cassettes to CDs. Currently some of the programming we pick up is in HD format. All HD programming is broadcast in a 16:9 format. So when channel 4 - WTAE - is broadcasting in HD - that is the way we recieve it - in 16:9 format - the problem is - you are more than likely watching it on a 4:3 format TV. When they go back to SD programming - it is then sent to us in a 4:3 format - which is what you are used to viewing. When any program is broadcast in 16:9 format, this is the way our equipment sends over the signal. It is a way to keep the whole picture on your screen without cutting anything out. Unfortunatly - is makes people look tall and skinny and puts spaces on the right and left of the picture. Eventually the technology will either allow for automatic formating - or all programming will be standardized to either SD or HD. At this time we have no solution for this. HD is also having technolog problems with voice sync. This is why sometimes you'll see the voice or audio not matching the picture or video.

Why can I only watch two differnt programs with your service? With cable I could watch as many different shows as I have TVs.
Our TV service is Digital. In other words - when you had cable, all channels were sent to you all the time. This is standard for any analog TV Service. Each channel is set to a frequency (example: Channel 3 = 61.25MHz & Channel 4= 67.25MHz). This allows for you to change your TV channels freely and pick up different channels (frequencies) by simply tuning them in. With the advent of the Digital TV signal - this can no longer work. All the digital signal is, is a series or 0s and 1's. Your TV would have no idea what this is and result in a snowy picture. The Digital Set-top box we install in your house re-formats that 010101011110000 into an analog signal that your TV can read. That digital signal that your set-top box reads and reformats is a pretty big chunck of information. About 4.4 Mbs to be exact (roughly 4,400,000 zeros and ones per second / per channel) With two channels - what we offer - double that number. There is only so much bandwidth to use and watching 2 different TV programs uses about the maximum amount that technology allows for at this time. Dish - or Direct TV has the same problem - because it is digital. With digital Cable - you have a set-top box and only have a digital signal to 1 tv. The rest are still analog.
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