Antenna/Aerial - Knowledgebase Articles

EyeTV Hybrid and EyeTV 250 Plus don't need Digital-to-Analog Converter Box

Digital TV Transition In The United States

On June 12, 2009, a FCC mandated change for antenna signals in the United States took place. The older analog antenna system is transitioning to a new digital system.

Each channel is broadcast at a certain frequency, and those frequencies are often different from the older analog versions of channels.

See this page for more detailed information:

Elgato TV Tuners And The Transition To Digital Television

Here is the detailed FCC page on the transition:

http://www.dtv.gov/

EyeTV Hybrid And EyeTV 250 Plus Are Digital Antenna Ready

EyeTV products sold in the United States over the past few years are ready for this transition. Specifically, products like EyeTV Hybrid and EyeTV 250 Plus have digital TV tuners built in.

• EyeTV Hybrid and EyeTV 250 Plus customers do not need to use a Digital-to-Analog Converter box to receive antenna signals.

• EyeTV Hybrid and EyeTV 250 Plus have a built-in digital tuner, and can receive digital antenna signals directly from the antenna.

• If you try to use a Digital-to-Analog Converter box , then you will not receive HD signals.

All you need to do is connect an antenna directly to EyeTV, and then Auto Tune for "Digital - Antenna (ATSC)" channels:

1) Open the EyeTV Programs window
2) Visit the Channels section
3) For Service, choose Digital - Antenna (ATSC), and then press Auto Tune

After a few minutes, the scan for channels will be complete.

Other EyeTV-compatible hardware is also ready for this transition - look for ATSC in the specifications. Any product sold in the US that has Hybrid in its name should support ATSC.

If you need help with reception, or choosing the best antenna for your location, then visit http://www.antennaweb.org

After June 12, 2009, I Auto Tuned again and now some channels are missing

Digital TV Transition In The United States

On June 12, 2009, a FCC mandated change for antenna signals in the United States took place. The older analog antenna system is transitioning to a new digital system.

Each channel is broadcast at a certain frequency, and those frequencies are often different from the older analog versions of channels.

Furthermore, the frequency position of channels before June 12, is in many cases different after June 12.

These changes necessitate that you Auto Tune EyeTV again, so it can re-find your channels at their new positions.

1) Open the EyeTV Programs window
2) Visit the Channels section
3) For Service, choose Digital - Antenna (ATSC), and then press Auto Tune

After a few minutes, the scan for channels will be complete.

Antennas and Digital TV Frequencies

Digital TV is broadcast using two different frequency ranges:

1) VHF - This frequency range is associated with analog channels 2-13.
2) UHF - This is the frequency range associated with higher analog channels.

Antennas have traditionally shaped especially to receive VHF or UHF signals. For example, "rabbit ear" antennas (with extending metal rods) are for picking up VHF, and "loops" are for UHF. Of course, there are many other shapes as well.

Many antennas that have been sold for Digital TV use are shaped primarily for receiving UHF signals. This makes sense in general, since the plan was to have digital TV channels occupy the UHF band.

However, some digital channels are still in the VHF band, even after the June 12 transition. In most major TV markets, 1-2 channels are occupying lower frequencies, that many smaller antennas can't pick up.

An example is in the San Francisco Bay Area:

• Channel 7, KGO, started out by broadcasting analog TV at channel 7.
• Then, it occupied UHF channel 24 for the past few years, to broadcast digital TV - it still kept analog at channel 7. That UHF channel was easy for even small antennas to receive.
• After June 12, they turned off the analog TV signal, and moved their digital TV broadcast back to the analog channel 7 slot.
• At that moment many antennas could no longer pick up the signal, even after multiple Auto Tunes.

This problem happens via EyeTV, normal TVs, or any other tuner - it's associated with antennas that are not ideal for picking up some VHF signals, at least not clearly enough to work with digital TV.

Antenna Changes That Can Help Receive Missing Channels

The solution for such a problem usually falls in one of three areas:

1) Re-orient the antenna
2) Amplify the antenna
3) Purchase a new antenna, that can receive both VHF and UHF

For advice as to what antenna is needed in your particular situation, see AntennaWeb:

http://www.antennaweb.org

By visiting AntennaWeb, you can find out what RF Channel each station is using. That number corresponds to the older analog frequency slots - it may not match the number the station calls itself. Each station can only use one RF Channel.

Some stations identify themselves with a low number like Digital TV 5, but really are using a higher RF Channel like 29 - that means they are actually broadcasting from UHF, which may be easier for many antennas to receive.

If the RF Channel number is in the 2-13 range, then a good VHF antenna may be needed to receive it.

For Personalized Assistance

In all cases like this, where some Digital TV channels are now missing, and you can't find a solution via AntennaWeb, then please contact Elgato Systems Technical Support for further troubleshooting.

You can visit http://support.elgato.com to report your problem. Please let us know that you tried the steps in this article (#3753).

We would also want to receive a record of your Auto Tune process:

1) Locate your EyeTV Archive folder. It may be in the Documents folder.
2) If you can't find it, then visit the EyeTV Preferences and choose the Recording section. The path to your EyeTV Archive will be listed there.
3) Locate the EyeTVAutoTune.log.
4) Attach this file to your support ticket.

Can I receive digital antenna signals with EyeTV after June 12, 2009?

Digital TV Transition In The United States

On June 12, 2009, a FCC mandated change for antenna signals will take place. The older analog antenna system will be transitioning to a new digital system.

In many situations, the same kind of antenna can be used before and after the transition. However, not all TVs, or TV tuners like EyeTV, will be ready to take advantage of this new system.

See this page for more detailed information:

Elgato TV Tuners And The Transition To Digital Television

Here is the detailed FCC page on the transition:

http://www.dtv.gov/

EyeTV products sold in the United States over the past few years are ready for this transition. Specifically, products like EyeTV Hybrid and EyeTV 250 Plus have digital TV tuners built in. All you need to do is connect an antenna, and then Auto Tune for "Digital - Antenna (ATSC)" channels:

All Digital Antenna Users Should Auto Tune Again

Due to the digital TV switch in the United States on June 12, 2009, some digital channels that EyeTV users have been watching for the past few years may suddenly change frequencies.

This means that EyeTV won't be able to find them, unless you Auto Tune again.

Therefore, it's recommended that all EyeTV users receiving digital TV over antenna, should Auto Tune again on or after June 13, 2009.

Many stations are transitioning at midnight, and may be off until early Saturday morning. Due to this, you may want to Auto Tune again sometime Saturday afternoon.

A benefit of this is that you may find more channels than before, since new channels may start broadcasting, and many channels may increase the strength of their signal.

New Features Of Digital TV Over Antenna

• New Channel Numbers

These digital antenna channels, in the ATSC format, will have multipart channel numbers. For example, what was channel 5 will now be called 5-1, and there may be a 5-2 or 5-3 as well. This means that channel 5 is actually broadcasting at multiple channels, and each sub-channel may have different content going on at the same time.

• Open Multiple Channels From Same Frequency

EyeTV has an advantage over a TV, in the sense that you can open up multiple sub-channels at the same time. See this article for instructions:

How do I open several multiplex channels?

• HD Content

These new digital channels often are in high definition (HD), either in the 720p or 1080i format. If you want to find out the resolution of a digital channel in EyeTV:

1) Open Live TV Window for that channel, from the File menu.
2) Choose Show Stream Info from the File menu

A transparent overlay will appear on top of the video, telling you all about that channel.

On average, a HD 720p channel may take 6GB per hour of recording, and a HD 1080i channel may take 8GB. In the US, HD over antenna is in the MPEG-2 format.

• Dolby Digital Audio

You may also notice that Dolby Digital audio may be present. If the channel supports multi-channel audio, then it will say Dolby Digital 5.1. Check your Audio menu in EyeTV for the available audio tracks for that channel.

Elgato TV Tuners and the Transition to Digital Televison

On February 17, 2009 the United States will shut down all traditional analog television broadcasts. In its place, local television will be broadcast over-the-air in a digital format. After this date, you will require a digital (ATSC) television tuner and antenna in order to receive these television broadcasts.

The following Elgato TV tuners are NOT affected by the transition:

EyeTV Hybrid (2008 Edition)
EyeTV Hybrid (2007 Edition)
EyeTV 250 Plus (2008 Edition)
EyeTV 250 Plus (2007 Edition)
EyeTV 500
HD HomeRun

All of these Elgato TV tuners receive free over-the-air digital television with an antenna.

What's more, EyeTV Hybrid and EyeTV 250 Plus have analog inputs and come with break-out cables for composite video and S-Video. You can continue to use them to connect a set-top box to your Mac for encrypted digital cable and satellite services after the transition.

The 2008 Editions of EyeTV Hybrid and EyeTV 250 Plus are also capable of receiving Clear QAM unencrypted digital cable.

The following Elgato TV tuners ARE affected by the transition:
EyeTV 250
EyeTV EZ
EyeTV 200
EyeTV Wonder
EyeTV USB

These Elgato products are older models and receive analog television only. In order to use them to receive over-the-air TV broadcasts with an antenna after 2/17/09, you will require a converter device with a digital tuner. Since the EyeTV products come with analog inputs, you can continue to use them to connect a converter device to your Mac after the transition.

For more information about converter devices with digital tuners, go to https://dtv2009.gov/.

Which product do I own?

Click here for product pictures

More information:

DTV Facts
dtvfacts.com/faq

Federal Communications Commission
www.dtv.gov
1-888-225-5322
TTY: 1-888-835-5322

Antenna/aerial provided with some DVB-T products contains a magnet

Some EyeTV hardware like EyeTV Hybrid, EyeTV DTT Deluxe or EyeTV for DTT stick are bundled with a rod antenna/aerial with a magnetic base.

Please leave sufficient space between the antenna and any equipment which is affected by electromagnetic fields (such as a portable computer, a disk drive, a magnetic card, etc.). Elgato Systems is not liable for damages caused by improper usage of this product.

The product's rod antenna was developed to provide reliable signal quality, even under conditions unfavorable for reception. It might be necessary in some cases to use an active antenna or a roof antenna - instead of the rod antenna - if there is an insufficient number of transmitters or if the nearest transmitter is too far away.

The electromagnetic field emitted by the base can interfere with pacemakers. In general, a distance of at least 20 centimeters should be maintained between the magnet and your pacemaker. If you feel the antenna's magnetic base interferes with your pacemaker, please move away from the antenna. Please discuss this matter with your doctor.

Which EyeTV for DTT devices can power an external antenna?

All EyeTV for DTT devices are bundeled with an aerial antenna suitable for users in DTT covered regions, and in most cases these antennas work just fine. In some regions, changing the antenna is required to get sufficient signal quality. Replacing the antenna with a larger passive antenna should be enough. Some antennas include an amplifier, that usually is powered by the RF plug of the attached device.

EyeTV devices can not power these antennas sufficiently, without getting warmer or failing. The USB specification allows 5V and 500mA for eacht USB 2.0 connector. This is already taken by most EyeTV devices for normal work. EyeTV 410 can power certain antennas though its RF connector, when attached to power block (not included).

If your setup requires an actively amplified antenna, please choose one with a separate power supply.

I'm missing a certain group of channels with my DTT receiver

After Auto Tuning, some channels can be missing if the DTT signal is too low, or too high. When that happens, some channels (perhaps just one multiplex) can be cut off. That means a related group of channels may be missing. Often, this happens with ITV in the UK.

Units like the TVMini or EyeTV for DTT may exhibit this problem, especially for customers with a very high signal strength (approaching 100%)

A few customers with this circumstance have found that signal attenuators have helped.

Those are very inexpensive ways to slightly reduce the signal, which can help receive channels like ITV.

See these examples: http://www.dastv.co.uk/DAS/Products/ProductSearch.aspx?category=0&RangeName=Search&rangeid=0&freetext=attenuator&x=0&y=0

We recommend that you try with a variable attenuator 0-20dB.