DTV conversion Feb, 2009. Will this help or hurt me?

Question

I live in a "fringe" area where I get 1 TV station well and about 6 others poorly. I understand that the DTV signal is "all or nothing". I want to know if I will thereafter get all of my channels perfectly, or none at all.

Answer 1

Yes - you will either get perfect reception, or none at all.  Unfortunately, there is no way to find out which it will be until you try.

As with analog TV, you may be able to help the situation with a better antenna.

Answer 2

If you use an antenna to get your channels, it will hurt you badly; no signal will come in via an analog signal, and you'll need a digital tuner to watch TV.

If you subscribe to satellite or cable, you won't be affected at all, since their signals are already digital.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, the only way to know is to try it.  You are obviously in one of the difficult stuations.  

I would consult http://www.antennaweb.org to make sure you have your antenna aimed properly.  If you are able to get enough signal that the receiver can lock to it, you will get a perfect picture.  If the converter box says "No Signal" you'll have to try a better antenna or an amplifier.

Good luck.