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U.S. DTV News & Discussion

155K views 600 replies 141 participants last post by  Robbers Bhell 
#1 ·
FCC Cites Dell For Failure To Label TV Sets
(Broadcasting & Cable)

Dell.com has joined the list of online TV sales Web sites cited by the FCC for failure to label analog-only TV sets.

As of May 25, sets without digital tuners must be clearly marked, either on the set or in close proximity, with the warning that the set will not receive over-the-air broadcasts after February 2009 unless equipped with a converter box.
http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=152842
 
#29 ·
Iowa Station: Simulated DTV Flash Cut for 19 hours on Aug. 25

It won't be a real flash cut, but analogue viewers will get a superimposed, mid-screen text scroll of DTV info right in their faces. This will be very helpful to many people involved in the DTV transition for its "lessons learned" data.
WHO to Test Conversion Aug. 25

Local TV's Des Moines, Iowa, station to conduct 19-hour digital-conversion test.

By Michael Malone

Local TV ’s WHO Des Moines, Iowa , will conduct a 19-hour digital-conversion test from 5 a.m.-midnight Monday. The test will help viewers to realize if their televisions will pass or fail February’s analog-TV shutdown. Viewers who are up to speed on the conversion will not be impacted by the test. Viewers who are not digitally equipped will see a crawl about one-third of the way up the screen that informs them that they’re not prepared and instructs them on how to fix the issue. Regional vice president and general manager Dale Woods said the idea was hatched at a leadership meeting about one month ago. “It’s one way to help viewers understand how prepared they are,” he added. “We wanted a way to break through the clutter of informational messages and really target those people who we know it will impact.”
http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=495039

http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8885613
 
#30 ·
Despite Hurricane DTV test in NC to Go Ahead

FCC plans to go through with DTV test in NC

By JOHN DUNBAR – 1 day ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said Friday that he is unlikely to delay plans for an important test in North Carolina that could disrupt television service for some viewers in the path of Tropical Storm Hanna.

Wilmington, N.C., is serving as a test market for the national conversion to digital broadcasting. The city's four commercial network affiliates will stop broadcasting an analog signal at noon Monday, leaving viewers unready for the change unable to watch those channels.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g5dldBjW5-ihoK4rBYMrH2FbcDwgD930SSV00

Nothing like a baptism by fire! :eek:
 
#31 ·
Wilmington DTV Project Set for Monday

Wilmington, N.C., stations to proceed with early analog shut-off Sept. 8 in wake of Hurricane Hanna

By John Eggerton

The Wilmington, N.C., market's pilot analog shut-off program is a go for Monday, Sept. 8, now that Hurricane Hanna has blown through town with minimal damage.

According to Louis Sigalos, program manager for the program, the stakeholders met Sunday morning and are setting up for the big shut-off event Monday. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is schedule to preside over the symbolic cut-off, but Sigalos wouldn't say just how, maintaining that he wanted to preserve the drama.
http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=508681
 
#32 ·
First Wilmington Lessons Learned - Easier DTV box instructions needed

Wilmington Transition Issues: Programming Converter Boxes

Viewers Were Aware Of Change, Not How To Adjust Equipment

By Linda Haugsted

The majority of trouble calls made by Wilmington, N.C. residents dealing with Sept. 8 digital TV transition test were prompted because local viewers had not properly programmed the converter boxes they bought, according to data collected by a group of university students monitoring the market.
http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=511290

I think the act of "scanning" for channels is a paradigm shift for those who are used to simply powering-on their new TV, selecting a channel, and watching it.
 
#33 ·
Thanks Stampeder for posting this. There was also a piece on the NBC Nightly News last night, but it probably would have made you cringe - the reporter said viewers "need to re-program their rabbit ears".:rolleyes:

The was also an article on cnn dot com yesterday or today saying how converter boxes were hard to come by yesterday at Wilmington area retailers.
 
#34 ·
Another story:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2008-09-08-digital-switch-wilmington_N.htm

How incredible is this ?!?!:
Eager to learn from Wilmington, the FCC has set up a consumer hotline. It also is paying local fire departments $15 per converter box to help residents who have difficulty installing digital gear.
How do we sign up for the Wilmington F.D.? I guess the Police Department cuts your lawn when it's slow, and the garbage collection workers will also hang out your laundry? Who is liable for damages when your house is on fire, but the F.D. is across town making sure little Ms Daisey can watch her "stories"?

You can't see it on the web, but this article was on the front page of the paper. There is a picture showing 2 tv's; one with a clear picture from a CECB box, and another one with an analog set completely unwatchable from ghosting. It does not mention whether the signals are from the same antenna however.
 
#35 ·
Reminds me of Sicko and Michael Moore's incredulity that France's health care system would actually pay for someone to help new mothers with their cleaning and laundry.

Thank God America has Universal Television Care!
 
#37 ·
Excerpts from the FCC's "unofficial announcement":
The 400,000 viewers in the Wilmington area represent an estimated 180,000 households, of which nearly 14,000 receive free over-the-air television programming with roof-top antennas or “rabbit-ears.” During the first day of the transition, approximately 800 (797) area residents or less
than one-half of one percent of area homes called the FCC helpline asking questions and seeking
help with the switch-over to digital television. On September 9, the second day of the transition, the
number of calls decreased by almost 50 percent from the first day to 424.
Based on calls to the FCC helpline through the first day, most consumers were aware of and
ready for the transition. The Commission’s helpline received just 23 calls from consumers who said
they were not aware of the switch to digital television and/or did not know the date of the transition.
Chairman Martin directed his team of engineers and outreach staff to identify and
understand the problems viewers were facing and work to resolve them to the extent possible.
These FCC teams are already working to assist residents in resolving their problems. A significant
number of consumers who called the helpline with converter box, reception or other technical issues
have already had their issues resolved.
Specifically, more than 160 calls were from viewers who had initial difficulty in setting up
their converter boxes properly. For example, consumers had difficulty understanding the
instructions for setting up the converter box and scanning for channels. Seventy-five of these
consumers were successfully guided through the installation process by call-takers and were able to
view channels after re-scanning their televisions.
Of the total number of calls to the helpline, 178 were by viewers who were experiencing
problems with their television reception or had other technical issues. We were able to resolve
reception and other technical issues for 22 of the 178 consumers by explaining where the
broadcasters’ new digital channels are located, helping them re-scan channels, and/or by assisting
them with re-positioning or adjusting their antennas. We are continuing to work with these viewers
to understand and resolve their issues.
A significant number of calls (232) were related to the viewer’s inability to locate the
Wilmington NBC affiliate. Prior to the digital switch, the Wilmington NBC affiliate signal was
available to viewers outside the television market as far south as Myrtle Beach, SC and as far north
as Raleigh, NC. The Wilmington NBC affiliate’s new coverage area does not include these out of
market communities. Some of these complaints were from these viewers who will continue to
receive their local NBC affiliates in Myrtle Beach and Raleigh.
 
#38 ·
Uh-huh..Notice there's no estimate of viewers who had no clue what was happening, or who to call, and probably just gave up and sat around moping all day. Well at least it appears that the FCC is willing to step in and help as much as is practical. I somehow doubt that Industry Canada/CRTC is going to be so helpful or forthcoming 3 years from now.
 
#41 ·
WNED 17/43.1 airing "Get Ready for Digital TV"

Probably nothing new for us, but may be helpful for any of your non-techy friends in who use OTA. The following times are from TitanTV listings...

12:30 PM Tuesday 2008/10/07

1:30 AM Wednesday 2008/10/08

12:30 PM Friday 2008/10/10

1:30 PM Sunday 2008/10/12

10:30 PM Thursday 2008/10/16

1:30 AM Friday 2008/10/17

10:00 AM Friday 2008/10/17
 
#45 ·
This isn't really news, but I thought people would be interested in knowing which physical channels will be used by Full Power stations in the US after the analog shutdown. I received my data from the DTV Final Channel Designations.

VHF-LO (total 38 or 2%)
Ch. 2 - 7 stations
Ch. 3 - 8 stations
Ch. 4 - 2 stations
Ch. 5 - 13 stations
Ch. 6 - 8 stations

VHF-HI (total 450 or 25%)
Ch. 7 - 68 stations
Ch. 8 - 63 stations
Ch. 9 - 61 stations
Ch. 10 - 68 stations
Ch. 11 - 57 stations
Ch. 12 - 57 stations
Ch. 13 - 76 stations

UHF (total 1323 or 73%)
Minimum stations on a channel = 24 (channel 14)
Maximum stations on a channel = 48 (channel 19)
Average stations on a channel = 36
 
#48 ·
VHF-LO (total 38 or 2%)
Ch. 2 - 7 stations
Ch. 3 - 8 stations
Ch. 4 - 2 stations
Ch. 5 - 13 stations
Ch. 6 - 8 stations
So why don't they just tell 17 out of 1800 stations to abandon channels 2/3/4 and hand them over to the "White Space Coalition", and Google can stop whining? As someone who receives weak remote TV signals, I dread the possibility of Joe cranking up their device like the CB nutcases of years ago.
 
#47 ·
Im not sure I would want to be one of the few broadcasters in the low VHF band knowing full well that most of the technical support and antenna deisgn will be in the UHF and high VHF.

Will be interesting for some rural TV dx'ers during E-layer propagation to see if they can get digital on channel 2 and 3, etc from 1000 miles away during the solar flares. I doubt it though. Whenever they have happened in the past I always remember huge fluctuations in the phase - the audio would be from a channel in Georgia while the video would be from another station two states away, for example.
 
#49 ·
From Broadcastengineering
TV antennas getting congressional attention

Last week Sen. Bernard Sanders, an independent from Vermont, said the FCC has failed to warn over-the-air TV viewers that they may need new antennas to get DTV reception and that the commission has inaccurately downplayed the likelihood of the necessary modifications to those antennas.
...<snip>...
Sanders cited the study by Centris, a consulting firm, which said the FCC had underestimated the homes that would need antennas to receive over-the-air signals. He also cited a study of the digital transition in Britain that said that 35 percent of consumers would need to buy new antennas.
And living in Canada, this didn't even cross my mind???
Sanders, who is from Vermont, noted it was dangerous for viewers to install outside antennas in very cold weather. He envisioned the risk to senior citizens trying to climb onto the roof in the Vermont winter.
Yikes! At least in Canada they lucked out by picking a date in August. I wonder if that was even a consideration?
 
#50 ·
Sanders, who is from Vermont, noted it was dangerous for viewers to install outside antennas in very cold weather. He envisioned the risk to senior citizens trying to climb onto the roof in the Vermont winter.
Gee, I don't know what the problem is. I always have my 83 year old mother do all of my antenna work. :eek: :rolleyes:
Is this guy on drugs?
At least in Canada they lucked out by picking a date in August.
If anyone waits untill the last minute, that is their problem. I can't beleive "rabbit ears" are still being sold. Note, I said "rabbit ears", not indoor antennas.
 
#51 ·
videobruce said:
I can't beleive "rabbit ears" are still being sold. Note, I said "rabbit ears", not indoor antennas.
Well, if you are using a 2-bay bowtie as an indoor UHF antenna, a set of "rabbit ears" are about the only indoor option for picking up DTV stations that will be reverting to VHF.
 
#52 ·
If anyone waits untill the last minute, that is their problem.
Maybe Buffalo broadcasters have been kind but in Rochester signal strength has varied since OTA DTV began - not in the expected ways of weather and seasonal changes but long periods i.e. months of stronger or weaker signals - so it has been difficult to determine whether or not the homeowners current antenna will suffice.

Add to that the move of some channels currently in the upper UHF band to their previous VHF locations. I for one will not be silly come February and venture on the roof, but someone's anger is going to outweigh their common sense and I foresee accidents after the cut off date.
 
#54 ·
I have a feeling that only two in Rochester are at full power, WXXI and WUHF.

I hope the Canadians are learning from this and start calling on their government to get broadcasters to adhere to a better transition than the US is experiencing.

People should have been able by now to determine whether or not their existing antenna would do the job. Maybe come February I should write Hillary asking her to come help me on my roof if reception gets worse.:eek:
 
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