WISH-DT Information

WISH-DT has been on the air, serving Central Indiana with free digital & high definition programming since December of 1998!  WISH-DT has viewers all over Central Indiana, from north of Muncie to Bloomington.  The WISH-DT signal reaches everywhere that the regular WISH-TV 8 analog signal does. What do you need to receive it?  You need an antenna, a HDTV with digital tuner or an analog convertor box.   The analog convertor box will recieve our digital signal and convert it to an analog signal that older TVs can use.

Antenna:

TV antennas that work fine for regular analog TV reception will work fine for DT.  It does NOT have to say digital or HD for the antenna to work well, even though most of them are marketed that way these days.  As has always been true, the further away from the TV transmitting tower you are, the bigger the antenna you need, and possibly more gain, from an amplifier.  The WISH-TV tower is located on the northwest side of Indianapolis.

Plain old familiar rabbit ears may be all you need for a distance of 10 miles, or even more, from our tower.  Up to 25 miles or more, you'll want at least a modest antenna in your attic, or on the roof somewhere.  After more than 25 miles or so from our tower, you may need an amplifier as well as a better antenna.  There are some antennas on the market these days that look very different than the antennas of old, and are much more pleasing to the eye, especially if you find you need to mount it outdoors. Compare performance of models you like.

One very important factor is to make sure that the antenna can receive both VHF  (channels 13 and lower), and UHF (channels 14 and higher). Some HD stations, WISH-HD included, broadcast over VHF channels. Even more stations will do so in the future.

Try to resist the urge to overdo it.  It's possible to have too much gain, especially if you have an amplifier.  Overloaded amplifiers create distortion, causing worse reception, not better. Also, use a good quality cable to run from the antenna to the TV. If an existing cable is more than a few years old, think about replacing it, especially if it's run outside anywhere.

Very, very important:  be careful installing antennas, not only because you don't want to fall off a roof, but you also don't want to come in contact with any power lines.  Follow all safety precautions in the instructions.

Cable or Satellite:

You have nothing to worry about.  Your cable or satellite company is already recieving our digital signal and downconverting ot analog for you.

HD-ready TV set or monitor:

Most HD TVs or monitors come in the new "widescreen" look, though some are in the more traditional, closer-to-square format.  To be thought of as an HD set, it will have a resolution of 1280x720, or more.  The first number (1280 in this example) is the number of "pixels," or dots, going across the screen horizontally.  The second number is the number of lines running vertically.

Various broadcasters use different formats to send their HD shows, but all are either 1280 x 720p, or 1920 x 1080i.  Your HD set will display only 1 format, but it or the tuner will take care of translating formats for you.

What are the "i" and "p?"  They are short for "interlace" and "progressive."  Without getting really technical, both have their strengths and weaknesses.  Just buy the very best picture that you can afford, knowing that the set or tuner will take care of translating into the format you need.

HD Tuner:

Some TV sets have an HD tuner built in.  This is espically true for TV purchased in the last year.  For any of those, make sure that the tuner says that it will receive an ATSC signal. You can also recieve WISH-DT through your cable or satellite provider.

If you have a separate device for your HD tuner, make sure that you connect it to your HD set with the best available type of connection.  Your first choice should be either an HDMI or DVI connection. Those both keep the signal digital, and pristine. Next choice would be component, which uses 3 coaxial cables, all of the same length (as short as possible!).  Those are the only 2 methods that will really allow you to experience the full beauty of HD.

If you do not have a HD-Tuner and analog converter box will allow you to recieve our digital signal, although not in a high-definition format.

Tips on Tuning:

WISH-DT is actually transmitted over TV channel 8.1.  The thing we tell people is that they should connect a regular TV to the antenna system they want to use for WISH-DT.  (Maybe even drag a little portable set in from the kitchen for this test!) If you're getting a good, clean, crisp signal on WISH-TV 8, that's the single best clue that you'll be able to get a great signal on WISH-DT, over channel 8.1.

Most people have the best luck in having the HD tuner do an automatic search for channels.  Occasionally that does not work as well as it should.  You can also try to manually tune in channel 9.  That's where WISH-DT is broadcast.