U.S. DTV Transition Not Going Very Well

[Timby]

Can someone tell me why they are forcing the chance? What good does it do?

Frees up much needed bandwidth for other uses.

Easy to say, but not true. As far as I remember, cellular providers have already bought up the spectrum that is due to be vacated next month.

The "need" for the digital transition is largely nonexistent. Its roots are in the telecommunication lobby demanding its own special brand of protection.

 

[Samurai8472]

Monday night- I saw a quick blurb about " lessening the power on the analog signal to prepare for Feb 17th"

Tuesday morning- all analog channels are fuzzy or completely out. Digital is fine(ofcourse)

Thursday morning- analog signals back to full power.




Funny thing as i'm typing this post i'm getting scroll about the change to dtv and the use of a converter box on everybody love raymond

 

[Small White Car]

The "need" for the digital transition is largely nonexistent. Its roots are in the telecommunication lobby demanding its own special brand of protection.

Well, it's a decade too late for that. If you'd stopped them before they got the second channel, well, great. But now every broadcaster has 2 channels - One analog and one digital.

They can't keep BOTH forever. That's not what you're advocating, are you? The deal was that they would give one back. It's high time they did.

 

[nevermore]

It's going to be a disaster when all of the old people and people who haven't been paying attention turn on their TVs on February 17.

It's also not going to be good when they can't get half of the stations that they could with analog TV. We recently got a digital TV where I work, and before the only station we couldn't get was CBS (though sometimes messing around with the antenna we could). Now we can't get NBC, Fox and sometimes we can't get ABC (depending on if the television gods are smiling on us or not).

Yes, but those stations will switch over to digital, so you will be able to get them. They're just slow...all the networks in my area have had both digital and analog signals for a year or more. My digital TV gets them all in crystal clear, whereas the analog signal on my old TV was complete and utter shit.

 

[RobertVA]

Note that many digital stations are operating on UHF frequencies which may be less compatible with the typical telescoping "rabbit ears" antennas than the smaller UHF loop and "bow tie" antennas. For digital TV services the "channel" number no longer indicates the broadcaster's transmitting frequency or their status as VHF (use rabbit ears) or UHF (loop or bow tie may be better).

As many ads and banners that have run over the last several months, what rock have the people who are unaware of the analog cutoff been living under? They certainly haven't been watching much television! Here in SE Virginia there have been so many public service announcements, banners, TV news stories and "tests" (where the video portions of the analog stream is cut off for five minutes) it's getting tiresome.

I'm not seeing that great a percentage of Americans losing reception if over the air analog broadcasting ends on the scheduled date. The broadcasters aren't going to be suffering from a big loss of audience.

The average life cycle for consumer electronics isn't all that long. While there are some people still using older TV receivers, a significant percentage of TV receivers have been replaced in the several years since digital tuners became mandatory in newly manufactured 30 inch and larger receivers and nearly two years since digital tuners became mandatory in newly manufactured smaller receivers (does not include "digital ready" displays that lack any tuner at all).

A big percentage of Americans are already enjoying digital satellite or cable television services. These customers will continue to enjoy reception courtesy of the digital to analog converters they are already using or conversion equipment located at the cable provider's head end.

The very fact that the coupon program has exhausted its allocated funding is an indication that a large quantity of coupons have already be issued and used to purchase converters.

There are plenty of converters and TVs with digital tuners on the shelves of consumer electronics dealers who are desperate to make sales after a slow holiday season. Yes, the coupons are a valuable resource for reducing the cost of a converter, but the same converters can be purchased without the coupons.

 

[Kolrad]

I don't know what the advertising is like around the country, but in my little corner of Illinois, the commercials for the "transition to digital" don't make any sense. It took me over a year of seeing them before I had any idea what they were trying to inform me about. Whoever wrote those commercials doesn't have a clue how about advertising.

The commercials in Ohio seem to be like that too. I have a suspicion that the commercials (run by the cable company) are designed to be unclear so that people who don't need to change anything will think they do, call the cable company to ask, and get talked into buying a more expensive plan.

(But maybe that's just me being paranoid.)

 

[Captain Shaw]

I do not know what it like in the US but in the UK i have seen dtv boxes for only £20 but the aerials are still quite expensive.
I have read that the government was thinking about helping poorer family's with the switch over but i do not see why they should TV is not as important as heating and food which some people are struging with so i think the goverment should spend its money elle where.

 

[Turbo]

Jacksonville, FL ran a test about a month ago which exposed problems with both the way the satellite companies were getting the digital signal and also flooded the stations with calls from people who'd either lost the signal or couldn't get their converter boxes to work. They're running another test on Monday, and it'll be interesting to see how many people have fixed their problems since then. The satellite companies say they have; and they're expecting most people to have converter boxes now, thanks to the first test.

 

[Tomato]

Can someone tell me why they are forcing the chance? What good does it do?

Progress

Frees up frequency which then can be resold for other wirless communciation. ie. cellphones.

The "need" for the digital transition is largely nonexistent. Its roots are in the telecommunication lobby demanding its own special brand of protection.

How is it protection?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The "need" for the digital transition is largely nonexistent. Its roots are in the telecommunication lobby demanding its own special brand of protection.

How is it protection?

Please try to attribute quotes properly. I have never said that.

And I definitely don't believe it's "protection" of any kind, nor is it some grand conspiracy theory. Most people have cable or satellite now anyway. Who's left that has rabbit ears? Progress in general should not be held back just because some people won't get basic cable. Do we ban all cars just because not everyone can drive?

 

[pookha]

LOTS of people refuse to address a problem until it smacks them in the face. And that's going to smack the TV biz in the wallet.

Maybe that's a good thing.

On both counts.

As for the question of 'luddites' - meh. This isn't gaddam rocket science. Either get a converter, or get BASIC FUCKING CABLE. Even luddites can do that, can't they?

i wonder if some of you even have elderly relatives or people who live in rural areas.
these are the people who are having trouble.

cable costs $$$$ that people on a fixed income may not have.

and it isnt just the cost of the converter box.
in a lot of places people will have to get a special antenna even if before they didnt need because of differences in the coverage area.
so even if they got the coupon for the box they may be looking at almost 100 dollars to cover any cost in the converter not covered by the coupon plus the cost of the antenna.

i dont know why i am still amazed at the lack of empathy toward others.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

As for the question of 'luddites' - meh. This isn't gaddam rocket science. Either get a converter, or get BASIC FUCKING CABLE. Even luddites can do that, can't they?

Yes.

However, both of those cost at least a small amount of time and money (and I, along with my family, will never pay for cable, the biggest rip-off going these days).

Luddites were fine with free to air. It meant it was FREE. And didn't involve anything new. And with 8 TVs in this house, that's a lot of change for us.

Sorry, but it's not always as easy as some people think. I know many people (I live in the Detroit area) who have MUCH more important things to worry about than stupid converter boxes.

But hey, as long as everyone is understanding...

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

i wonder if some of you even have elderly relatives or people who live in rural areas.
these are the people who are having trouble.

cable costs $$$$ that people on a fixed income may not have.

and it isnt just the cost of the converter box.
in a lot of places people will have to get a special antenna even if before they didnt need because of differences in the coverage area.
so even if they got the coupon for the box they may be looking at almost 100 dollars to cover any cost in the converter not covered by the coupon plus the cost of the antenna.

i dont know why i am still amazed at the lack of empathy toward others.

Well stated!!

 

[John Picard]

Personally, I don't see how people could not know this is going to happen. It's been all over the news for the last several years and for the better part of the last year tickers and commercials have been on TV explaining the switch over.

Partly, I'm astonished anyone but a very small percentage still receives OTA signals, but I digress.

Personally, I think those of use awaiting, wanting and loving the digital revolution should just leave the Luddites behind.

No kidding. I have rabbit ears and have noticed an INCREASE in the number of crawls that inform people about the changeover to digital on 2/17. I don't see what's so confusing about it:

Q: Do you receive TV programming using an aerial antenna or rabbit ears?
A: Yes. Well, then you'll either need to get a converter box, satellite, or cable TV.

A: No. Then you have nothing to worry about.

Can someone tell me why they are forcing the chance? What good does it do?

Frees up much needed bandwidth for other uses.

Count me as one of those who's surprised that this is even news. While I have no desire to see anyone cut off from service...I mean, come on. There's been plenty of time to get a converter. In my local Best Buy there's still hundreds of them. I'm sure that with a minimal amount of effort, they can still be had.

Partly, I'm astonished anyone but a very small percentage still recieves OTA signals, but I digress.

Personally, I think those of use awatiing, wanting and loving the digital revolution should just leave the luddites behind.

Agreed. I also have a hard time lamenting the end of analog TV. It's progress. Analog OTA is obsolete. Get over it, people.

But is it progress? With digital, it's either "all or nothing". With analog, if it's possible to pull a signal, then you can receive information even if there is snow.

Well, maybe now some people will get ouf of the house, read a book, go to the beach, so forth.


Can someone tell me why they are forcing the chance? What good does it do?

Frees up the bandwidth in those channels for other uses, not the least of which being for communications for public service and, I believe, cell-phone use.

Now look who's uninformed! Cell phones are all digital. The bandwidth would be used for expanded broadband Internet usage primarily to reach people in remote/rural areas.

 

[ATimson]

Most people have cable or satellite now anyway. Who's left that has rabbit ears? Progress in general should not be held back just because some people won't get basic cable. Do we ban all cars just because not everyone can drive?

No, but by your logic we should rip up all the sidewalks that work perfectly well for people to get many places they want to go, just because most people have cars.

 

[ATimson]

and it isnt just the cost of the converter box.
in a lot of places people will have to get a special antenna even if before they didnt need because of differences in the coverage area.

Maybe not--most DTV stations are underpowered now, but that'll change once they're no longer outputting an analog signal.

 

[Tomato]

The "need" for the digital transition is largely nonexistent. Its roots are in the telecommunication lobby demanding its own special brand of protection.

How is it protection?

Please try to attribute quotes properly. I have never said that.

My bad.. didn't want to double post and got sloppy with the tags. Should be fixed now. Forgiveness please.

Now look who's uninformed! Cell phones are all digital. The bandwidth would be used for expanded broadband Internet usage primarily to reach people in remote/rural areas.

Seriously.. did you just say that??

How do you think cell phone work. Yes it is digital but through the airwaves called spectrum/frequency. Where do you get that spectrum. Well by re allocating spectrum (in this case the move to DTV). Now when you mean bandwidth are you talking about the over the air internet (ala wi fi) or broadband.

Well Wi-Fi or 3G or using over the air to get the internet is kind of going on right now. All the cell phone companies have this internet stick which uses the cell phone towers to get you the internet. The problem is that the frequencies they are using I think it is 1.9Ghz, the propagation (how far the waves can go before they die out) isn't as good as the frequency that DTV is going to free up. The lower the frequency the farther the wave could travel without using as much power. I believe there is still 800 Mhz kicking around but not all the companies have access to this spectrum. DTV will free up the 700 HHz band I believe.

In the case of broadband. It is more of a telco/cableco doing a business case and finding out that to get the equipment needed to butt fuck nowhere isn't really worth it for that $30/ month that farmhouse is going to bring in. On a side note internet has not really made money for telco/cableco for the past many years. The need to upgrade in technology, etc.. has a NPV of practically zero.

Guys this should be a good thing. More spectrum = more cell phone companies. More companies = more competition. More competition = lower prices.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

The conveter box costs $40 - $50. I would suspect many could "afford" that one-time expense. Sure they may have to skip a carton of smokes or a couple packs of Bud, but it's not a ton of money, exactly.

No but it is requiring that people who are currently receiving something for free make an additional expenditure. I mean, this current transition is unprecedented in terms of forced technological obsolesence. Buy new equipment or stop receiving the same free signal that has been provided for 50 years. Televisions that have functioned perfectly fine for all those decades despite having become rediculously outmoded due to the advent of color and those sorts of things, even those could still function without the requirement of a forced new purchase up until now. The way I see it, if the government is going to force networks to discontinue their analog broadcasts, the government should provide the equipment that allows the previous technology to adapt to it.

And all the condescending technocrats can go to hell.

 

[Trekker4747]

Please. It's a one-time $50 "additional expenditure" for something they're still going to get for free.

Something they "get for free" after they buy a multi-hundred dollar piece(s) of equipment.

Digital broadcasting is the future and a change that needs to come sooner or later just for the quality of the media alone.

People've had YEARS to get read for this, They could've saved $2 a month for the last two years and been able to buy a convertor box. It's not a lot of money, hardly something people should fret over and demand from the government.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

As for the question of 'luddites' - meh. This isn't gaddam rocket science. Either get a converter, or get BASIC FUCKING CABLE. Even luddites can do that, can't they?

Yes.

However, both of those cost at least a small amount of time and money (and I, along with my family, will never pay for cable, the biggest rip-off going these days).

Luddites were fine with free to air. It meant it was FREE. And didn't involve anything new. And with 8 TVs in this house, that's a lot of change for us.

Why the hell do people keep wanting and expecting everything for free? It ain't gonna happen, folks. Nothing is free anymore.

Most people have cable or satellite now anyway. Who's left that has rabbit ears? Progress in general should not be held back just because some people won't get basic cable. Do we ban all cars just because not everyone can drive?

No, but by your logic we should rip up all the sidewalks that work perfectly well for people to get many places they want to go, just because most people have cars.

You are throwing out my logic and substituting your own.

Walking is not obsolete. There are times and places where it is entirely appropriate. Some people walk for exercise, some do it because they have to (i.e. they don't have a car), some do it just for fun. But the fact remains, walking is normal. It's expected. Walking has not been made obsolete by driving, and it's completely normal to do both, depending on circumstances.

Analog TV via rabbit ears, though? Please. *That* is obsolete. If you must use an antenna (which, I grant, some people still have to do), then fork over FIFTY LOUSY BUCKS and get a converter! As has already been pointed out, people have had YEARS to prepare for this. If they'd put away a fiddling amount of change per month, they could have had the converter paid for in 2 years - and we've known about this changeover, and how much the converters would cost, for much longer than that.

Time is running out, people. You can't expect to jump in at the last minute and get it. Would you expect to get prime tickets at a Yankees game if you show up on game day 5 minutes before the gates open? Of course not. You also cannot expect to get front row seats at the concert of your choice if you buy your tickets on the day of the performance. And people who are only just NOW looking for a converter should not be confused when they find out they can't fucking GET one!

And let's all just cut the horseshit about 'forced obsolescence'. You can keep whatever TV you already have. All you need is the converter. How hard can THAT be? Geez.