The switch to digital TV
TV broadcasts as we know them will end on February 17, 2009.
That's when the government has told local stations to turn off their
traditional analog transmitters and switch to a new digital
television system. If you get your TV through an antenna (as opposed
to cable or satellite), and you haven't done anything to prepare for
the switchover, your sets could go dark on the morning of February
17. Want to learn what's going on with the DTV transition and
how to prevent a TV disaster in your house? Don't wait till the last
minute!
Check out my DTV Facts Page now.
DTV Transition news
Here are the latest headlines about the DTV Transition:
NAB seeks escape hatch from complete switchover
The National Association of Broadcasters' Television Board of
Directors has voted to support legislation that would allow TV
stations to continue transmitting emergency alerts and information
about the digital TV transition over their analog channels for
several weeks after the Feb. 19, 2009 switchover.
This is the first crack in the alliance between broadcasters and the
government, which has been telling everyone how wonderfully the
transition campaign has been going and resisting attempts to tinker
with the deadline. The FCC, with congressional backing, has told
broadcasters to turn off their analog transmitters Feb. 19.
Currently, local stations arebroadcasting simultaneously in both
formats.
The change will leave millions of analog sets dark unless the owners
have hooked up digital converter boxes. TV sets hooked to cable or
satellite feeds -- and 80 percent of American homes have at least
one -- will not be affected. Cable companies will continue to
provide analog signals to their customers for several years, at
least.
Millions who receive broadcasts over-the-air, with antennas, have
bought converter boxes, but millions more haven't gotten around to
it yet. And 8 to 10 percent of Americans still aren't aware of the
switchover, according to the latest surveys.
There's also evidence that even with converter boxes, 15 to 20
percent of over-the-air viewers won't be able to get all the
channels they get now unless they buy a new antenna -- an expense
that can run into hundreds of dollars.
One problem is that folks who buy converter boxes now won't know for
sure whether they'll get all their channels until the day of the
switchover. That's because so many channels will be switching
frequencies -- in addition to using a new digital transmission
system.
Because digital signals don't always behave like analog
transmissions, some digital signals that come in fine on the
temporary frequencies local broadcasters are currently using may be
not be strong enough on their permanent frequencies. Digital signals
also suffer from the so-called "cliff" effect: if they're strong
enough, they produce superb images, but if they're not, you won't
get anything on that channel.
Given these potential problems, it makes sense to give stations the
option of continuing to broadcast emergency information and messages
alerting viewers about the transition for some time after the
official date. Aside from the fact that worried politicians want to
squeeze the switchover between the Super Bowl and the NCAA
basketball tournament, there's no reason it has to be done in one
day.
Unfortunately, the even if the bills (Senate 3663 and House
Resolution 7013) become law, it won't help all viewers. Stations
that have chosen to broadcast digitally on the same frequency they
used for analog broadcasts won't be able to use both transmitters
after the change.
"This voluntary commitment would apply only to stations where the
continuation of the analog signal is technically feasible,"
the NAB board said it a resolution approved on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
"The NAB will work closely with the FCC in implementing a reasonable
program taking into account local stations' technology and market
specifics."
The legislation is sponsored by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.)
FCC to kick off DTV transition tour
Still worried about a potential political train wreck when the nation's broadcasters turn off their analog transmitters in February, the FCC plans a tour of major markets to explain how viewers can keep from being left in the dark. From PC Magazine (Aug. 18)
Casualty of transition: Cell phone TV broadcasts
One
casualty of the DTV transition is the wireless industry's
long-range plan to provide widespread, direct-to-phone TV broadcasts in the U.S. Although Verizon and AT&T
both offer TV broadcasts on some models, the service is a limited
repackaging of highlights from network and cable channels
broadcast over a
specialized UHF system that requires special hardware in
the phone -- and not a full-scale portable medium for full
broadcasts of entertainment, news and sports.
Read the AP report.