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#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
 
#81 ·
Unbelievable.

I'm sorry, but over the last 6 months there have been enough PSA's, commercials, on-air tests, promotions, etc. alerting the OTA viewing public about the change to all digital.

What rock were these people living under if they're totally unprepared? And why is the government subsidizing a completely optional form of time wasting?

Just do it already!!
 
#82 ·
The US government is subsidizing people who can't afford to buy converters because not to do so would be political suicide.

Frankly I think they're going the wrong way on this one. All that is being done is extending the life of power hungry obsolete equipment (CRTs) and moving the day when everyone has a digital TV that much farther into the future.
 
#83 ·
The transition to digital is about the government selling spectrum. To sell spectrum, the size of the band allocated to TV had to be reduced while keeping all existing stations on the air. The only way to accomplish this objective was a conversion to digital to permit adjacent channel operation. The government could not force the TV viewing audience to invest in new technology. High definition provides the incentive for part of the audience and coupons provide the means for the rest.

The government under estimated the demand for coupons and failed to provide the amount of funding required. The economic decline in the last half of 2008 probably increased the need for coupons as people lost their jobs and homes, or couldn't continue to pay for satellite or cable service. Over 2 million people are waiting for more funding from Congress to allow issuance of additional coupons. The need for a delay is directly linked to the unavailability of coupons and is not something you can blame on the people who need them.

If the coupons had been readily available the issue of delay would not even be in the news. The NTIA would be mailing them out and people would be heading down to the electronics stores to buy converters. Sometime in early February, media stories about converter shortages might have surfaced in some areas with store management telling reporters how they were getting deliveries as quickly as possible. In the last week and days before February 17, the slow to act and oblivious members of the population would be grumbling that the coupons they requested yesterday were not coming in time to get a subsidized converter. On February 17, the transition would have gone ahead.

I expect a delay to the June/July timeframe. The new administration does not want people loosing TV service to be a feature of the first 100 days in office. The transition has already been delayed once (3 years) to accommodate the broadcasters so a further delay of about 4 months for the audience seems reasonable.
 
#84 · (Edited by Moderator)
Senate Republicans block digital TV delay

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans on Friday blocked a bill that would have delayed next month's nationwide shutdown of analog TV signals until June 12, but Democrats vowed to bring the measure back for a vote next week.

The bill was defeated even after President-elect Barack Obama on Friday urged lawmakers to postpone the Feb. 17 transition amid mounting concerns that too many Americans who rely on analog TV sets to pick up broadcast channels won't be ready. Obama called for a delay largely because the federal program that subsidizes converter boxes for those viewers hit a $1.34 billion funding limit this month.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28695439/
 
#85 ·
i think they will delay it until june.....i recently put up my antenna's and couldnt believe how much i could get with the digital signals and the quality of the picture....i wonder if it will start to cut into the cable/satellite company profits once people really find out about this
 
#93 ·
FraserR, with the Senate Nearing a Deal To Delay Forced Digital TV Switch from February 17 to June 12, what is WCAX and the rest of the channels going to do, will they cut analog anyway, since I'm sure its only extended if the channels want to. for example some channels I've noticed are already digital only in some places. since i'm sure you've spent alot of money on advertising about how to receive digital. would like to hear your opinion on this, thanks.
 
#94 ·
Hmmm...didn't know Obama had requested the delay.

kool_105, an interesting part of the bill...they can STILL shutdown if they want to: "The bill would allow broadcasters to turn off analog signals before the June 12 deadline.". We'll have to see if our near by stations do it.

I'm sure the delay will pass for sure, check out this stat: The Nielsen Co. said Thursday that more than 6.5 million U.S. households are still not prepared for the upcoming transition and could see their television sets go dark next month. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/23/AR2009012303608.html

Thanks for that bit of news. All channels have been blasting commercials about it for the last year about it, with this week the special on this Tuesday at 7:30PM (I might watch it just for the heck of it).

I found this amazing quote from CBC news about the switch over:
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/01/09/obama-digital.html

One Canadian likely to be keeping a close watch on the U.S. transition struggles is Heritage Minister James Moore, who insisted last month that Canada's 2011 switch to digital television should remain on track to keep up with the U.S. industry.

"If better picture-quality signals are available from our neighbours, Canadians will turn increasingly to American stations," he said in a Dec. 3 speech to the International Institute of Communications in Ottawa.

Take that Montreal stations, I'm already there for the last year!
 
#95 ·
Here at the Digitalhome.ca site there is a specific forum for political discussions, while such topics are forbidden in all other forums here.

This US DTV Cutover thread contains news of the Obama Administration's recent discussions about extending the DTV cutover time period and several people have commented on that choice. I understand the points being made but I am now posting a warning to avoid general political analysis here so that we don't get into a political discussion.

Please stick to sharing news of the US DTV Cutover.

cheers :)
 
#97 ·
The US government and people are still missing one of the biggest problems of this switch - antennas.

Currently you can own either a converter box setup or an ATSC capable television and receive digital broadcasts.

Whenever the switch takes place many who thought they were all set are in for a surprise when they cannot receive digital channels that they had previously received.

Why? Because of the incredibly foolish removal of the upper UHF band that many stations currently use for their digital transmission. Many stations will revert to the upper VHF band after the switch. So the antenna that currently picks up all the current digital signals may not pick up all digital signals after the switch.

I imagine some people are going to be furious to find out that they scrapped a perfectly good VHF antenna replaced it with a UHF only antenna and now will have to purchase another antenna after the switch.

TV stations have been less than honorable when it comes to this issue. In the Rochester, NY area the most recent announcement is that users will have to perform a new channel search with their ATSC TV or converter after the switch takes place.

Sadly there is no solution to this problem that involves good antenna usage practices i.e. proper size, range and band.
 
#99 ·
Why? Because of the incredibly foolish removal of the upper UHF band that many stations currently use for their digital transmission. Many stations will revert to the upper VHF band after the switch. So the antenna that currently picks up all the current digital signals may not pick up all digital signals after the switch.

I imagine some people are going to be furious to find out that they scrapped a perfectly good VHF antenna replaced it with a UHF only antenna and now will have to purchase another antenna after the switch.

TV stations have been less than honorable when it comes to this issue. In the Rochester, NY area the most recent announcement is that users will have to perform a new channel search with their ATSC TV or converter after the switch takes place.
My understanding is that each station had a choice whether to go to a UHF frequency or stick with a VHF frequency. VHF-lo is mostly being abandoned (there are exceptions in some areas) because it tends to be a bit noisy for Digital signals.

Some stations that currently use VHF frequencies for analog signals wish to keep their traditional frequencies post transition. While that's understandable, it is unfortunate, as it would be much easier for everyone involved if all stations moved to UHF.

Both the government & the TV stations have dumbed down their PSAs so they don't confuse folks, but they really went too far in that they didn't make some important info widely available.

I'd be surprised if there were many folks that scrapped their broadband antennas pre-transition. I'd expect most folks are probably still using them to watch VHF analog, & just playing with converter boxes to see how they work. Most folks with rooftop antennas will probably not need a new antenna at all, if they get decent analog reception with their current antenna.

Dave
 
#100 ·
Since stations are allowed to switch over early, I think they should shut off analogue for a week or something, just so people realize, and then say "in 6 months, this will not come back on."
I think that would have a greater effect on the people who just ignore the banners and ads about DTV switchover.
 
#101 ·
Bad move to delay the analogue shutdown.

As for the antenna issue. Part of the problem is the FCC allowing re-mapping. People don't really know what channels some of these DTV channels are really on.

All channels should be forced to I.D. their current digital channel along with their analog Channel. And to provide a PSA indicating what channel they will really be on post-analogue shutdown.

This re-mapping business is a mess.
This entire thing must stop. Get those lazy marketing people to do their jobs and market the new channel numbers that these stations will be on.
 
#103 ·
U.S. Senate OKs Digital TV Delay
The House is expected to act this week.
By Swann
Washington, D.C. (January 27, 2009) -- The U.S. Senate last night voted to delay the nation's switch to Digital TV from Feb. 17 to June 12 and the House could do the same as early as today.

On February 17, 2009, all full-powered local stations are scheduled to switch their analog signals to digital which means viewers will need a Digital TV, a digital converter box or a pay TV subscription to continuing watching television.

But the Obama administration has urged Congress to delay the transition from analog to digital, saying that millions of people are not ready for the switch and therefore could lose their TV signals.

The president and others have noted that the federal government has run out of funds for $40 coupons that consumers can use to defray the cost of the converters. Obama's proposed economic stimulus legislation includes $650 million to refund the converter coupon program.

The Senate passed the delay bill last night on a voice vote, but key senators have said for weeks that the nation is not ready for the transition.

"I firmly believe that our nation is not yet ready to make this transition at this time," said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Rockefeller who proposed the delay bill.

To generate Republican support, Rockefeller has promised not to seek more delays past the June 12 deadline. Additionally, local stations are permitted to switch to digital before June if they get approval from the FCC.
 
#104 ·
CFTM in Montreal always identified itself as "Canal 10" for decades, yet they evolved and everyone refers to them as "TVA".

Same thing with CFCF being identified as "Montreal's 1-2 watch, CFCF-12". Now they are referred to as simply "CTV Montreal".

Why can't the American stations do the same? Using channel numbers seems so primitive.
 
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