With the DTV transition now set for June 12, I'm wondering how folks like myself, who do not have digital cable (I have expanded basic from Time Warner), will be able to see the digital stations when the analog ones go off the air. I fully understand that folks who do have any kind of cable service (including bare-bones basic, which is local channels only) will not notice any difference when the switch is made. What I am wondering is how the ATSC digital signals will be converted so that standard NTSC televisions can receive them, without a cable box. I spoke recently over the phone with a TW customer service representative, who told me that for subscribers with any level of cable service, the conversion will be handled by a box-shaped device on the roof. I live in a 12-unit apartment building; almost all the tenants, myself included, have cable (I think there may be one person here who still uses rabbit ears).
I don't know, however, how many tenants have flat panels with built-in ATSC tuners or are using cable boxes ahead of the sets; most of us have cable because OTA television reception in this area is terrible.
My question: How can one ATSC->NTSC converter be used with (for example) a dozen televisions, without signal-strength problems at either end of the line?
I'm thinking the signal may be split among the sets by means of one or more signal splitters, of the type used with antennas serving several TVs, with an in-line amplifier to compensate for signal losses in the cable.
BTW (for wa2ise): When did you move from New Jersey to Seattle? I recently looked up your amateur radio callsign on Buckmaster's callsign server and found that your license still has your Oradell, NJ address. If you're in Seattle permanently, I'd change the address on the license ASAP. As you know, the FCC has very strict rules as to licensees keeping their addresses current. After the one-year mail forwarding order expires, the FCC may not be able to find you if you are 3,000 miles from the address they have in their database. This can cause real problems the next time you renew your license, or if the FCC tries to send you any type of correspondence. In fact, failing to keep your current address on file will in itself be a violation, and could cause the Commission to deny your next renewal.