FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT COMMUNITY TELEVISION ON AT&T'S U-VERSE TV SERVICE

Is West Hartford Community Television available on AT&T U-verse?

Not yet. As of June 1, 2008, AT&T has not entered into any formal agreements with West Hartford Community Television to provide our programming.

Will I still see West Hartford Community Television on Channel 5 with U-verse?

No. Community television is handled differently under U-verse. West Hartford Community Television will be clustered with all the other community access stations in the state on an internet tab, labeled “99” and will not be located near the local broadcasters like Channels 3, 8, and 30.

So can I get to West Hartford Community Television by hitting channel 99?

No. Unlike the commercial channels, getting WHC-TV programs on U-verse will require additional steps. Rather than punching a single channel number, a customer must first switch to channel 99 and then scroll through potentially dozens of other communities’ stations, click on West Hartford Community Television, scroll again to an additional menu listing our three channels (public, educational and governmental) and waiting each time for the system to switch.

How long will it take to get from a show on any other channel to WHC-TV?

It takes about 45-90 seconds on U-verse. Then it takes about 20 seconds to switch from WHC-TV back to any of the commercial channels.

Note that at a test study performed in Clinton Township, MI, a majority of citizens given verbal instructions on how to reach the PEG channels were unable to do so without further assistance.


Can I surf to the Town Council Meeting during the commercials of my favorite show?

It will take over a minute to switch from a commercial television show to WHC-TV and back again.

My son performed in the Inter-El Concert. Can I DVR it to show grandma when she visits?

No. With the AT&T U-Verse system, DVR options only apply to commercial TV, not West Hartford Community Television’s programs.

Will I be able to read the school board’s budget power point presentation?

AT&T tells us that they plan to use a Windows Media Browser to telecast Community Access television, so some character generated messages look blurry and are difficult to read. An extra step is required to enlarge the screen, further degrading the picture quality.

Will this affect how I see sports, dance recitals and graduations?


AT&T’s delivery of Community Access television suffers from grainy “digital noise” sometimes called “bug swarms” and “mosquito noise” caused by their compression of our signal. These artifacts are noticeable especially around object edges, and choppy movement, graphics and transitions. The noise is more pronounced in programs if a show contains walking, running or dancing.


If I find something offensive on another town’s access station, will I be able to block it?

No. A parent cannot use the parental controls to block access to other community access channels because of the manner in which they are delivered by U-verse.