digital tv transition '09
#151
Re: digital tv transition '09
1) If a station is committed to its 2/17 analog shutoff, it may shut off then, but it MUST re-notify FCC by Monday 2/9 and start running a lot of extra crawls and PSAs. Any prior notifications have no meaning.
2) No station may shut off between Feb 18 and March 13 (except for equipment failure)
3) Beginning March 13 (90 days before June 12) stations may plan to shutdown with 30 day notice to FCC and viewers
4) FCC "hopes" they will all stay on the air until June 12. If too many shut down, it may force some to remain on the air. Not clear how this threat will be carried out.
5) All stations must run their digital operation on their "pre-transition" license, which may affect power and channel. They may not change to post-transition digital operation without FCC approval (of course, that approval is automatic for June 12, until Congress decides idiots STILL aren't ready and delays again)
I think what really happens depends on what happens 2/17, and whether FCC can force anyone to stay on the air. If "most" analog stays on the air until June 12, I predict there will be another (perhaps many) delay(s). We may never go digital.
#152
DVD Talk Legend
Re: digital tv transition '09
So far it looks like all the station in my area (central Iowa) are planning to stick with the original plan and end their analog broadcasts as scheduled. At least one is ending analog early in order to finish some sort of construction project related to the switchover.
This delay is only going to add to the confusion.
This delay is only going to add to the confusion.
#153
DVD Talk Legend
Re: digital tv transition '09
Here, it looks like two of the big four are shutting down on the 17th, one is undecided, and one is staying until June.
#154
DVD Talk Limited Edition
#155
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
Re: digital tv transition '09
Can we get rid of AM radio next? The sound quality of that is crap.
#156
Re: digital tv transition '09
Hey, the President is delaying signature of this bill until at least Monday to collect public opinion. Read the bill and tell him what you think at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing_room/dtv_delay_act/
Hopefully you will tell him this is a bad idea and is making the situation even more confusin while delaying the full launch of digital (many stations are wrong frequency, reduced power, or reduced antenna height because of temporary facilities or interference issues). Let digital "be all it can be." Give the unneeded frequencies to first responders. Reduce greenhouse gases by stopping the broadcast of the same station on two frequencies.
But even if you it's good he cares about feeble people for whom more than one year of warning wasn't enough time to prepare, tell him what you think.
Edit: HEY MODS:
This has gotten fairly Political. Does it belong in TV or Politics?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing_room/dtv_delay_act/
Hopefully you will tell him this is a bad idea and is making the situation even more confusin while delaying the full launch of digital (many stations are wrong frequency, reduced power, or reduced antenna height because of temporary facilities or interference issues). Let digital "be all it can be." Give the unneeded frequencies to first responders. Reduce greenhouse gases by stopping the broadcast of the same station on two frequencies.
But even if you it's good he cares about feeble people for whom more than one year of warning wasn't enough time to prepare, tell him what you think.
Edit: HEY MODS:
This has gotten fairly Political. Does it belong in TV or Politics?
Last edited by OldDude; 02-06-09 at 02:17 PM.
#158
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: digital tv transition '09
I submitted a comment as well.
I believe one of the stations here (CW affiliate I think) said they were going to do the switch on Feb 17th no matter what.
I believe one of the stations here (CW affiliate I think) said they were going to do the switch on Feb 17th no matter what.
#159
DVD Talk Legend
Update on my locals: two network affiliates are switching in a week, two are waiting until June and two have yet to announce.
For anyone not ready for the transition, this "some here, some there" must be even more confusing.
For anyone not ready for the transition, this "some here, some there" must be even more confusing.
#160
Re: digital tv transition '09
Any station that has not announced is "waiting for a while." Starting today, stations shutting down 2/17/2009 must run a crawl for 5 minutes of every hour (on the analog channel).
If not on or before 2/17, no station can shut down prior to 3/14/2009 (there may be exceptions for transmitter failure), and must precede that shutdown with 30 days of crawls announcing it.
If not on or before 2/17, no station can shut down prior to 3/14/2009 (there may be exceptions for transmitter failure), and must precede that shutdown with 30 days of crawls announcing it.
#161
DVD Talk Legend
Re: digital tv transition '09
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Re: digital tv transition '09
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090210/...us_dtv_local_2
Chris
Many local TV stations to go ahead with DTV switch
1 hr 36 mins ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – About 40 percent of the nation's hundreds of TV stations will be broadcasting completely in digital signals next week, even after regulators delayed a mandatory nationwide switch to "DTV" by months.
The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday said 681 of the nearly 1800 television broadcast stations will have already stopped broadcasting in older, analog signals, or will by next week.
The U.S. House of Representatives last week voted to delay the mandatory change by four months -- to June 12 from February 17. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill into law shortly.
The switch is intended to free up spectrum for public safety and provide better television viewing.
But the delayed bill gave television stations, which say they've spent millions of dollars preparing and educating viewers of the switch-over, the option to transition to all digital on the original date, next Tuesday.
Backers of the delay feared that 20 million mostly poor, elderly or rural households were not prepared due to a shortage of government coupons meant to defray the cost of converter boxes.
The major U.S. television networks CBS Corp, General Electric Co's NBC and Walt Disney Co's ABC, vowed last week to continue to transmit TV signals in analog.
But the networks own only about 100 of the 1800 or so broadcast television stations in the U.S., according to an industry group.
The FCC gave broadcasters a deadline of Monday, giving them the option to decide and reserve the right to review the decisions.
(Reporting by Kim Dixon; Editing by Bernard Orr)
1 hr 36 mins ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – About 40 percent of the nation's hundreds of TV stations will be broadcasting completely in digital signals next week, even after regulators delayed a mandatory nationwide switch to "DTV" by months.
The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday said 681 of the nearly 1800 television broadcast stations will have already stopped broadcasting in older, analog signals, or will by next week.
The U.S. House of Representatives last week voted to delay the mandatory change by four months -- to June 12 from February 17. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill into law shortly.
The switch is intended to free up spectrum for public safety and provide better television viewing.
But the delayed bill gave television stations, which say they've spent millions of dollars preparing and educating viewers of the switch-over, the option to transition to all digital on the original date, next Tuesday.
Backers of the delay feared that 20 million mostly poor, elderly or rural households were not prepared due to a shortage of government coupons meant to defray the cost of converter boxes.
The major U.S. television networks CBS Corp, General Electric Co's NBC and Walt Disney Co's ABC, vowed last week to continue to transmit TV signals in analog.
But the networks own only about 100 of the 1800 or so broadcast television stations in the U.S., according to an industry group.
The FCC gave broadcasters a deadline of Monday, giving them the option to decide and reserve the right to review the decisions.
(Reporting by Kim Dixon; Editing by Bernard Orr)
#164
Re: digital tv transition '09
So what's happening in your tv market today?
Nationwide, just over one-third will be shut down by midnight tonight (or sooner), the rest staying at least for a while or maybe to June 12.
In Detroit area, 2 of 9 are shutting down analog later today and running "ending 2/17" crawls. No one else is running crawls, so they must be staying at least 30 days.
Nationwide, just over one-third will be shut down by midnight tonight (or sooner), the rest staying at least for a while or maybe to June 12.
In Detroit area, 2 of 9 are shutting down analog later today and running "ending 2/17" crawls. No one else is running crawls, so they must be staying at least 30 days.
#166
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#167
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Re: digital tv transition '09
In SF, 4 Stations, none of which I have ever watched are dropping analog today
The four stations - KCNS (Channel 38), KOFY (Channel 20), KICU (Channel 36) and KFTY (Channel 50) - will no longer be available to consumers with older TV sets that rely on over-the-air signals.
The four stations - KCNS (Channel 38), KOFY (Channel 20), KICU (Channel 36) and KFTY (Channel 50) - will no longer be available to consumers with older TV sets that rely on over-the-air signals.
#168
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Re: digital tv transition '09
Thank Christ that all four in my area are switching tonight at midnight. Good riddance to those incessant effing notices scrolling across the screen screwing up my HD.
#169
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: digital tv transition '09
Haven't turned the tv on today, so I am not sure what the stations in my area did yet. I will ahve to check when i get home from work. I am halfway converted right now. Still need to get some boxes for a couple of the bedroom tvs.
#171
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: digital tv transition '09
4 of the 5 channels I get are switching today. I don't know about the local ABC station as I hardly watch it.
I'm glad I won't have to see those digital TV commercials ever again.
I'm glad I won't have to see those digital TV commercials ever again.
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Re: digital tv transition '09
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterso...YEUl9sdHADMQ--
Chris
"Steady stream of questions" as stations switch to DTV
Wed Feb 18, 2009 11:48AM EST
More than 400 U.S. stations turned off their analog TV broadcasts Tuesday, and station managers say their phones are "ringing off the hook" with viewers confused by the early switch; that said, many admit they knew it was coming.
Variety reports that while most U.S. viewers were ready for the switch (indeed, a recent Nielsen survey found that more than 95 percent of viewers were ready for the analog TV shutoff), stations that made the switch Tuesday were inundated with "a steady stream of questions from "frustrated callers" who "wondered how to get coupons for [DTV] converter boxes … or how to get the devices working."
Now, hold on—didn't Congress vote to delay the DTV transition date from Feb. 17 to June 12? It sure did, but hundreds of stations lobbied the FCC to make the switch on Tuesday, the original analog TV shutoff date. (Only those with older, analog TVs and over-the-air antennas will be affected by the switch.)
As Engadget HD reports, a total of 421 stations turned off their analog TV transmissions on Tuesday, joining more than 200 others that had already made the switch. While the FCC initially denied the requests of more than 100 stations seeking to jump the June 12 deadline, 53 later got the go-ahead (according to Engadget HD).
Although the vast majority of TV markets in the U.S. still have most of their stations broadcasting in both analog and digital, a few areas—notably San Diego and Santa Barbara, Calif.; Madison, Wisc.; Sioux City, Iowa; Waco, Texas; Scranton, Penn.; and large swaths of Rhode Island and Vermont—saw most or all of their major stations make the DTV switch on Tuesday, according to Variety.
Phones at those stations were "ringing off the hook" Tuesday, with one Providence, R.I. volunteer telling Variety that he had to explain to "agitated" viewers that "the digital switch is not something we're doing to extort them of money."
Other viewers sheepishly admitted that they'd known about the switch all along, with an exec for a Scranton PBS station noting: "Everybody admits that it's their fault … some people seemed to be mad at themselves for not doing something sooner" (this from the Variety story).
Indeed—and with many stations now only broadcasting bare-bones, "nite-lite" analog crawls telling viewers how to get DTV converter boxes, I'm sure many analog TV viewers have been jolted out of their DTV denial.
Meanwhile, President Obama's just-passed stimulus package is set to give the stalled DTV converter box coupon program a much-needed kick in the pants.
Engadget HD notes that once $650 million from the stimulus package flows into the $1.5 billion program (which provides two $40 coupons per households for the $50-$60 DTV converter boxes), the backlog of four million applications should be cleared within two weeks.
So yes—the DTV transition (which has been in the making for 10 years now, and will make way for new, 4G wireless technologies and improved transmissions for rescue workers) couldn't be more of a mess, but at least we're making some headway. Now let's hope that the new, June 12 deadline stays put.
Wed Feb 18, 2009 11:48AM EST
More than 400 U.S. stations turned off their analog TV broadcasts Tuesday, and station managers say their phones are "ringing off the hook" with viewers confused by the early switch; that said, many admit they knew it was coming.
Variety reports that while most U.S. viewers were ready for the switch (indeed, a recent Nielsen survey found that more than 95 percent of viewers were ready for the analog TV shutoff), stations that made the switch Tuesday were inundated with "a steady stream of questions from "frustrated callers" who "wondered how to get coupons for [DTV] converter boxes … or how to get the devices working."
Now, hold on—didn't Congress vote to delay the DTV transition date from Feb. 17 to June 12? It sure did, but hundreds of stations lobbied the FCC to make the switch on Tuesday, the original analog TV shutoff date. (Only those with older, analog TVs and over-the-air antennas will be affected by the switch.)
As Engadget HD reports, a total of 421 stations turned off their analog TV transmissions on Tuesday, joining more than 200 others that had already made the switch. While the FCC initially denied the requests of more than 100 stations seeking to jump the June 12 deadline, 53 later got the go-ahead (according to Engadget HD).
Although the vast majority of TV markets in the U.S. still have most of their stations broadcasting in both analog and digital, a few areas—notably San Diego and Santa Barbara, Calif.; Madison, Wisc.; Sioux City, Iowa; Waco, Texas; Scranton, Penn.; and large swaths of Rhode Island and Vermont—saw most or all of their major stations make the DTV switch on Tuesday, according to Variety.
Phones at those stations were "ringing off the hook" Tuesday, with one Providence, R.I. volunteer telling Variety that he had to explain to "agitated" viewers that "the digital switch is not something we're doing to extort them of money."
Other viewers sheepishly admitted that they'd known about the switch all along, with an exec for a Scranton PBS station noting: "Everybody admits that it's their fault … some people seemed to be mad at themselves for not doing something sooner" (this from the Variety story).
Indeed—and with many stations now only broadcasting bare-bones, "nite-lite" analog crawls telling viewers how to get DTV converter boxes, I'm sure many analog TV viewers have been jolted out of their DTV denial.
Meanwhile, President Obama's just-passed stimulus package is set to give the stalled DTV converter box coupon program a much-needed kick in the pants.
Engadget HD notes that once $650 million from the stimulus package flows into the $1.5 billion program (which provides two $40 coupons per households for the $50-$60 DTV converter boxes), the backlog of four million applications should be cleared within two weeks.
So yes—the DTV transition (which has been in the making for 10 years now, and will make way for new, 4G wireless technologies and improved transmissions for rescue workers) couldn't be more of a mess, but at least we're making some headway. Now let's hope that the new, June 12 deadline stays put.
#173
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Re: digital tv transition '09
Tough shit to those that are lazy instead of being proactive towards preparing for digital transition. They just need to do the switch, damn those that held off for so long.
#174
DVD Talk Hero
Re: digital tv transition '09
I know of 2 local stations that announced they're turning off their analog signal.
I have a co-worker who uses a small local cable company and they had to get converter boxes because the cable company wasn't doing the converting.
I have a co-worker who uses a small local cable company and they had to get converter boxes because the cable company wasn't doing the converting.
#175
DVD Talk Legend
Re: digital tv transition '09
I don't get it. If he's getting a cable signal, that's going through wires in the ground. The issue here is that signals would stop being sent through the air, so cable is irrelevant. At least, that's my understanding.