For the discussions on TVO's expenses regarding digital upgrades, the term "digital production facilities" mostly refers to the ability to have digitally produced [virtual] backgrounds, while the actual on set filming was done using a green or blue background.

http://www.cybercollege.com/tvp026-2.htm

Well, TVO acquired a digital HD "Air Pack" portable studio in 2008. The specs of which indicate it's capable (in fact designed for) HD recording. During 2008-2009, they launched their digital tapeless production facilities, and named them after a former Premier of Ontario. Doubtful they'd go to such lengths for the simple ability to produce digital backgrounds...

This might be sacrilege to some in this forum but for broadcasters like TVO maybe it makes sense to switch to internet distribution of their content in addition to BDUs and to not bother with OTA transmitters, particularly outside of the big markets. Given their unique educational focus and government ownership they could probably retain their "must-carry" status. Perhaps this is a better way for them to fulfill their vision which is "To empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. "

Wayne: The problem with Internet distribution is that broadband is still costly and/or logistically difficult to obtain in much of Ontario. There are many regions even in Southern Ontario that lack viable broadband options. Not everyone lives in a city or town with cable and/or DSL.

Wayne: The problem with Internet distribution is that broadband is still costly and/or logistically difficult to obtain in much of Ontario. There are many regions even in Southern Ontario that lack viable broadband options. Not everyone lives in a city or town with cable and/or DSL.That may be true but I would bet that for schools that showing content on PCs is a better option than watching on TV, especially if you have content available on demand. But for all I know they have been doing that for years.

This might be sacrilege to some in this forum but for broadcasters like TVO maybe it makes sense to switch to internet distribution of their content in addition to BDUs and to not bother with OTA transmitters, particularly outside of the big markets. Given their unique educational focus and government ownership they could probably retain their "must-carry" status. Perhaps this is a better way for them to fulfill their vision which is "To empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. "

Because of the fact TVO is funded by taxpayers, they have an obligation to deliver the service to people free of charge without forcing any of us to subscribe to a cable or satellite service, or require people to have internet access.

I really would like to see more of a DTV educational campaign going on here. I've already corrected several friends, who had assumed the digital transition meant they would be forced to switch to cable to receive any televison, that terrestrial reception was simply "going away". And even as far as to suggest I was pirating TV when I explained I was receiving high definition signals without paying anything.

the nice letter or email or whatever from Laura at TVO, points out thier position if you read it right:
"...by the required date of August 31, 2011; the mandatory markets in Ontario..."
It looks to me that TVO's position is that they are being forced to convert, which to me, sounds like it would be a gov't way of begging for more money from us taxpayers.
I suspect that they'll transition to DTV only if and when the Ontario Gov't tells them to. and wouldn't the ontario gov't want money from the Feds, since they're being forced to meet the "required" date for "mandatory" transition? I don't know where the 'free of charge' part comes in, I pay a lot of taxes.

I don't know where the 'free of charge' part comes in, I pay a lot of taxes.

TVO gets about $30 million a year from the Ontario government. By my calculation, that's less than $3 per Ontarian. Not a bad deal in my opinion.

Now if only they would get on with the conversion to DTV...

I don't know where the 'free of charge' part comes in, I pay a lot of taxes.

Let's be sure now to differentiate between *paying* for something, and being *billed* for something.

All of us in Ontario pay for this TV station to operate through our provincial taxes. Which entitles us therefore, to receive the service without being further *billed* to receive it. There is no charge, because you've already paid for it. ;)

This is why I would be quite upset if the government decided to continue TVO in a Cable/Satellite only fashion, as I believe this would be cheating many in Ontario out of TV they've already paid their fair share to receive.

The cost of converting to DTV will eventually pay for itself in the cost reduction of electricity usage, since DTV requires a lot less power to cover the same area.. Some small LP stations in the U.S. have done the conversion for as low as $100K per transmitter. I can understand why some broadcasters want to wait until the deadline so they don't have to operated 2 transmitters at the same time. The DTV stations currently operating in the major markets should be allowed to shut down their analog transmitters asap, meaning now.

The DTV stations currently operating in the major markets should be allowed to shut down their analog transmitters asap, meaning now.

There are a lot of people still using those analog broadcasts because they are unable to receive the DTV ones due to lack of awareness or lack of funds to buy a digital box. To allow the stations to shut down early without warning would be a huge disservice to those people. As it is we are running out of time to educate the public with the current shutdown date. Lets just focus on making the current schedule successful without pushing the agenda further.

I suspect that they'll transition to DTV only if and when the Ontario Gov't tells them to. and wouldn't the ontario gov't want money from the Feds, since they're being forced to meet the "required" date for "mandatory" transition? I don't know where the 'free of charge' part comes in, I pay a lot of taxes.
TVO already has HD production capability. I think they needed it to get 16:9 and HD for their foreign sales of children's programming. The French language side of TVO, called TFO, is already available on Rogers Cable channel 609 in 1280 x 720P. I think they will convert TVO to DTV on-channel where possible which means the conversion will probably be in 2011.

In the SunTV News Channel Application Means No DTV Anymore? (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=125936) thread there is some speculation about what could be done with SunTV's OTA transmitters. One of the ideas was they could be sold to TVO. The Ottawa and London transmitters are not only on the same tower as TVO, but they are using the same antenna. For Toronto, they are both on the CN tower. With these three transmitters, they could be up and running with minimal effort and greatly reduced expense in early 2011.

TVO doesn't have a Hamilton transmitter, so that one could be moved to either Windsor or Thunder Bay for post transition use. They may also be able to scavenge bits from SunTV's 2 analog transmitters.

It is also conceivable that SunTV could give them to TVO as a charitable donation and get a tax receipt. The big question with this is, does SunTV own the transmitters, or are they leased. If leased, they would have to either take over the lease or buy them from the actual owner. Since I believe TVO owns the tower in London, it is conceivable they already are the owner of that transmitter.

I would have thought CBC owned the Byron tower and site, but might not because they got into TV later (1988 or so, when Blackburn dis-affiliated CFPL from CBC).

I would have thought CBC owned the Byron tower and site, but might not because they got into TV later (1988 or so, when Blackburn dis-affiliated CFPL from CBC).
I might be wrong. I just seem to remember reading somewhere (Sun TV's DTV application?) that TVO owned the tower.

I would have thought CBC owned the Byron tower and site, but might not because they got into TV later (1988 or so, when Blackburn dis-affiliated CFPL from CBC).

CBC doesn't own it.

http://cbctransmission.ca/

CJBK Radio in London had a piece on the Byron tower (about how it was the tallest tower in London) back in 2005 or 2006, and it was identified as being owned by TV Ontario. They even had a TVO engineer on the phone talking about the tower.

I believe TVOntario also owns several towers in Northern Ontario, not including their vast number of low-power repeaters.

I decided to write an email to asktvo@tvo.org to ask about when the Toronto digital switch-over might occur. Within minutes I received the following response:Thank you for writing to TVO. We’re very glad to hear that you and your family are such ardent fans of TVO and are pleased to address your question regarding off-air high definition broadcasting.

As a not-for-profit broadcaster that relies on provincial funding and public donations, our conversion to digital broadcasting is taking place in a series of phases that will allow us to meet the Canadian deadline while adhering to our budget. In 2007, the CRTC established August 31, 2011 as the cutover date for the transition from analog to digital conventional television in Canada; subsequently, the CRTC recognized that the costs associated with the digital transition could make it financially impractical for some stations located in smaller markets to convert. In March 2010, the CRTC released a policy document (CRTC 2010_167) establishing a baseline group of mandatory markets that must make the transition by August 31 2011.

TVO, along with other conventional broadcasters is planning for its transition to over-the-air digital broadcasting by the aforementioned date. We will be converting our transmission equipment in the mandatory markets outlined by the CRTC (those with populations greater than 300,000, the National Capital Region and communities with multiple originating stations) by the required date of August 31, 2011. The mandatory markets in Ontario include Toronto, Kitchener, London, Windsor, Ottawa and Thunder Bay. TVO’s plans for converting medium/full-power transmitters in the rest of the province are not yet solidified - as a relatively small player, we are also waiting to gain an understanding of how the rest of the industry will handle Ontario markets beyond the mandatory ones.

Working collaboratively with the industry and the CRTC, we will be providing viewers with comprehensive public education on how to access TVO’s off-air high definition signal once plans are finalized. You may be interested in knowing that the CRTC is currently working on plans for a possible subsidy to help defray the costs for over-the-air viewers to purchase digital receiving equipment. In addition, the CRTC is looking into how to make available a free cable and satellite package that would consist of all local and regional conventional over-the-air television signals. TVO, along with other over broadcasters, is following these developments closely.

We hope you find this information helpful and would like to assure you that when our digital conversion plan is completed, you will be able to enjoy our programs with continuing improvements in signal clarity, picture sharpness, and sound quality.

Regards,

Alex
Customer RelationsIn a nutshell, it is going to happen in compliance with the deadline in 2011. So no new information but at least it's an update.

Interesting. I notice that TVO speaks clearly of high definition in their reply. That is very encouraging as I was afraid that they would take the simpler route of going digital but staying in standard definition. This is an option that many people don't yet understand. I suspect that many smaller market stations are going to adopt this approach in 2011 instead of converting to high definition. If they do then there will be a real digital divide in this country between the bigger and the smaller centres.

That's too bad. TVO might be a small player but in this case it could have become a market leader by converting to digital OTA across Ontario. For example, Quebec's public broadcaster is planning to converting *all* its analog OTA transmitters to digital by August 2011 — even in small markets.