You heard the chatter. You received the flyers in the mail. By now, hopefully you’ve responded and have secured your DTA (Digital to Analog) boxes to assure your TVs are still working now that Ritter’s all-digital transition is in motion. But after attaching the boxes and learning to use your new remote, you’re still curious: why was this action necessary?
In short, we’re trying to improve our services and keep up with the demands of our customers. In order to do so, we’ve upgraded the way we send signals to your home. TVs need a little help handling the improved signal, and that’s what the DTA box does.
Prior to recent changes, companies like Ritter sent three signals to your home or office: one for digital cable, one for analog cable and one for your internet. The analog signal took up significantly more space than the other two. In fact, in the amount of bandwidth it takes to stream one analog channel, you could send six standard-definition or two high-definition channels. By eliminating the analog feed, we can free up a large amount of space that can be used exclusively by the digital and internet feeds.
Under the old system, we completely maxed out our bandwidth capability, which is the amount of data that can be carried from one point to another in a given time period. That made it impossible to offer higher internet speeds or add new channels to our cable packages. By eliminating the analog feed, we cleared up room in our system to make those improvements.
If you currently have a digital cable box attached to your TV, you’re all set. You can continue to enjoy the benefits of your cable provider’s improvements without making any adjustments. On the flip side, if you plug your cable cord from the wall directly into your TV, you need to get a DTA box from your provider if you haven’t already done so. As we discontinue the analog platform, each of your TVs needs a box to translate our digital signal into one your TV can display. If you don’t have DTA boxes on your TV after, your TV won’t properly display programming.
Ritter Communications is offering two DTA boxes to customers at no charge for the first two years. Some Medicaid patients are eligible for five years of free equipment. If you need more than two DTAs, you’ll be charged a small monthly equipment fee. At the end of the two-year period, you’ll have to pay a small monthly fee for each of your boxes. .
If you need help connecting your DTA box, click here to view instructions. If you’re interested in more information on Ritter’s digital conversion, we’ve answered some Frequently Asked Questions here.
We hope you’ll find this progress beneficial as we strive to keep up with the latest technologies and in turn provide you with better products and services.