For answers to technical questions about whether or not your television set is transition-ready and how to prepare for the switch, please consult the Government of Canada’s website.
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I'm having trouble getting your digital signal. What can I do?
If your location falls within the limits of the signal range indicated in our coverage maps, you should be able to receive our signal. That being said, many factors can affect and/or compromise the reception of over-the-air signals in your home.
Those include:
- Location of your home with respect to the transmitter (distance; local geography)
- Interference caused by trees, buildings, mountains, etc.
- Antenna type (VHF or UHF; set-top or roof-top)
- Antenna placement
- Quality of your converter box
- Weather
- Etc.
Unlike analogue signals, which could be recognized and watched despite low-quality reception (i.e. snowy channel), in the case of digital, you either see the picture perfectly, or you don’t see it at all. Remember, this is over-the-air technology. You’ll need to experiment with your set-up (move your antenna around, re-scan for channels) to improve reception and maximize the number of channels you’re able to receive.
Here are a few troubleshooting tips to help you if you’re having trouble finding CBC or Radio-Canada on your dial:
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Did you receive the analogue channel prior to the switch to digital?
No? Then you won’t likely get our DTV signal.
Yes? Then you should be able to get our new DTV signal (assuming your market has one). -
Have you checked your television set-up?
Make sure that your TV is digital ready (i.e. has a built-in digital tuner or is equiped with a digital converter box), that all cables are properly plugged in, and that your antenna is not damaged.
For more information click here.
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Have you tried scanning for channels?
Follow the signal scanning instructions provided by the manufacturer of your set top converter or TV with built-in digital tuner. A scan should, in most cases, find the signal. Here are some further instructions on scanning
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Channel scan didn’t work?
Try entering the channel number manually. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. CBC and Radio-Canada’s channel numbers are all listed here.
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Manual entry didn’t work?
Check your antenna type. There are various types of TV antennas as the TV band has different sets of frequencies. These are more commonly known as:
- VHF band (Very High Frequency – channels 7-13)
- UHF band (Ultra High Frequency – channels 14-51)
Antennas for VHF (classic rabbit ears) differ from UHF antennas (circular antenna). Most antennas today are equipped to receive both UHF and VHF – but not all. It is important you are using the correct antenna to receive digital TV signals.
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Everything checks out and you still don’t get it?
Your failure to receive the signal could be an unfortunate particularity about your location.
Multiple reflections unique to your area may be causing lower-quality reception in your home. Buildings, trees and mountains can indeed hamper an antenna’s signal reception, based on geographical location. Such technical issues are beyond our control.
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What is Digital television?
Digital television (DTV) is an advanced broadcasting technology involving the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV. Digital signals provide better picture and sound and will enable a more efficient use of the scarce airwave resources.
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How did CBC/Radio-Canada decide where to install its digital transmitters?
CBC/Radio-Canada has installed a digital transmitter for every one of its television stations, for a total of 27 transmitters (14 for CBC and 13 for Radio-Canada).
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Why can't you put up more digital transmitters?
The evolution of our industry has moved us towards the difficult balancing act of allocating scarce resources across a wide range of platforms and priorities.
Very few Canadians today use an antenna to watch TV. And as demand for over-the-air service continues to decline, the demand for service on new platforms – streaming online audio and video and mobile applications – increases. More people access our programming online today than they do over-the-air.
Our new five-year strategic plan places the regions as a top priority for CBC/Radio-Canada. We will be investing in the regions over the next five years. But instead of investing on transmitters that serve fewer and fewer people, our strategy consists of enhancing our local programming offer and finding ways of providing local programming on radio and on the web to the 7 million Canadians who don’t currently have local service.
Ultimately our industry should be aiming to have all Canadian homes connected to the digital economy through high-speed Internet, broadband satellite or cable, where the future of our industry clearly lies.
We’re conscious of the fact that subscribing to cable or satellite is expensive, indeed unaffordable for some Canadians. We believe that should change. The multi-channel universe should be accessible to all. That’s why the Corporation has proposed that the CRTC establish and affordable, small, basic package for cable and satellite companies so that for just a few dollars, all Canadians can get access to a minimum number of TV channels.
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How much does it cost to replace a transmitter?
The average order-of-magnitude cost of installing a new DTV transmitter is $1 million, although the cost can vary from site to site. As was the case with analogue transmitters, each DTV transmitter station requires a customized design, involving the balance of such factors as antenna design, height on the tower, transmitter power, etc.
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What did the transition to digital cost CBC/Radio-Canada?
The total capital cost for our digital transition plan was $60 million. That includes the cost of installing 27 digital transmitters, plus the building and installation of two HD satellite uplinks in Montreal and Toronto, as well as HD presentation outputs at these two locations.
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Is the fact that you’re not doing more just a matter of money?
Money is just one of several factors. Digital transmitters are very expensive to install. We invested around $60 million on the transition.
It's also a matter of industry trends. OTA technology is marginal in Canada. Only 5 per cent of Canadians use it today, and that number continues to drop every year. Investing huge money in a technology that is clearly in decline is something that we're not prepared to do given our limited resources.
Our new five-year strategic plan places the regions as a top priority for CBC/Radio-Canada. We will be investing in the regions over the next five years. But instead of investing on transmitters that serve fewer and fewer people, our strategy consists of enhancing our local programming offer and finding ways of providing local programming on radio and on the web to the 7 million Canadians who don’t currently have local service.
Update: May 30, 2012
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