U.S. DTV News & Discussion - Page 5 - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

smiles233 · 2009-01-07, 08:15 PM

i got my coupons last year but they expired fast ..... if you have one check the date....you only get about 3 months to spend the 2 cards.....

i wonder how long they will issue coupons.....when word gets out about how good the picture over the air has and how many channels you can get for free people might give it a shot...i get about 15 in the utica / syracuse area and after feb i hope to get about 20 or more once my cm4221 arrives

StoneyCreekOTA · 2009-01-08, 02:46 PM

http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet...a0108/GIStory/

Obama is asking congress to delay the transition!

jeneral · 2009-01-08, 06:21 PM

I think a lot of these coupons went to ebay sellers hoping to make a profit. Considering the low penetration of OTA, I'm suspicious about this news.

mason · 2009-01-08, 07:06 PM

My guess? Congress will extend cut-off to 2010 or 2011....

maybe.....Analog forever!

bigoranget · 2009-01-08, 07:09 PM

My guess is Congress will probably add more funds to the coupon program and terminate analog as scheduled.

If there is an extension, it will probably be very short 30-90 days at most.

foxfan · 2009-01-08, 10:25 PM

Remember that the original deadline was December 2006. They've already had over two extra years!

keef · 2009-01-08, 10:36 PM

I hope they go on the 17th as scheduled. The PSAs have been playing for months. Anyone that isn't ready by now needs more motivation. Turning off analog will certainly motivate them.

reidw · 2009-01-08, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeneral

I think a lot of these coupons went to ebay sellers hoping to make a profit. Considering the low penetration of OTA, I'm suspicious about this news.

OTA is much bigger in the US than it is in Canada. Americans have not embraced cable/satellite as much as we have up here. The switch to digital will have a much bigger impact in the States including a political fallout. Obama's request underlines this fact.

My prediction: The switch will be delayed from six months to one year.

foxfan · 2009-01-08, 11:03 PM

Quote:

The PSAs have been playing for months. Anyone that isn't ready by now needs more motivation. Turning off analog will certainly motivate them.

True. Many grannies just hit the mute button as soon as a commercial break starts and don't pay any attention to the ads. Some will still be taken by surprise but within a few weeks everyone will have switched over.

As for OTA being much bigger in the States, it is true when you compare it to English Canada, but in Quebec OTA is just as (if not more) popular. I think a CRTC report mentioned that 25% rely on OTA in the Montreal region.

Walter Dnes · 2009-01-09, 09:36 AM

http://tvdecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2...tal-tv-switch/

Quote:

Six weeks before the nation’s television stations are scheduled to convert to digital transmission, an aide to President-elect Barack Obama is asking Congress to consider a delay.

Just what we need to muddy the waters... NOT!. As a Canadian, I don't get a vote, but I hope the shutdown goes through as scheduled. Otherwise, we're all going to be bombarded with another round of PSA's when the next deadline is due.

mr_raider · 2009-01-09, 10:50 AM

Considering it happens three weeks after he takes office, I doubt it. Too many people have are ready to go, and there has been a considerable investment in that area.

rob50312 · 2009-01-10, 11:35 AM

No extension please.If people are not ready by now they never will until they receive static.A decision been made ,stick with it.

tricky · 2009-01-12, 09:04 AM

An hilarious column about digital converter boxes and the coupons (in the US) for them.

Lots of us here have been watching and paid for out of our own pockets for digital for several years now but it seems as it's come as quite a shock to some below the line

http://www.boblonsberry.com/writings...tory=2540&go=4

Blackburst · 2009-01-12, 10:43 AM

That request by Obama to delay the analog shutdown date is a bad idea.

1 - The TV stations, and the government have been running an extensive publicity campaign about the transition date. People have had plenty of time to arrange their situation. If they haven't acted on it by now, it's fair to say that they probably won't act on it with an extension.

2 - If they ran out of money to issue more coupons, this is just a bad oversight on the part of the government. They should have offered only 1 coupon per household not 2. If you can afford to have 2 TV's in your home, you can afford to spend $40 out of your pocket for a converter box. A single coupon per home would have done the job, and would have allowed at least minimum access to DTV broadcasts. Now, it's too late. If coupons issued are not used, and expire, then that money can still be used to reissue more coupons. But, this time they should send only 1 coupon per house. Besides, if you can't afford to spend $40 on a converter box, I doubt very much that TV is the top item on your mind.

3 - Delaying the Analog cut off will hurt OTA stations. At present, most or all of them are running two transmitters. The Analog transmitters are electricity hogs. So, it's really best that the February 17th cut off date is respected.

4 - Some stations and markets have already shutdown their analog transmitters before February 17th. Just this past week, Jan. 11, Maine PBS shutdown all their analog transmitters, and are only on air in digital. On Jan. 15, the analog shutdown happens in Hawaii. That is a couple of days from now. There is a market in North Carolina that shutdown analog back in September 2007. The shutdown is on the way, and any delays will only make a mess of the thing.

5 - The channel spectrum for Channels 52-69 have probably already been auctioned off for other uses. Any delays will probably effect new services, and thus cost money to companies that got some of those frequencies for other use.

No extensions, no delays. The sooner the analog shutdown happens, the sooner people that haven't purchased a converter box will do so if TV is that important to them. If TV is not important to them, then they'll never act on getting a converter box anyway. Why hold up the transition for such people. BTW, TV is a luxury. TV is not a right. The coupons are a nice gesture on the part of the US government. They didn't really have to offer them. Buying a $40 converter box to get years of free over the air TV is not a make or break situation. You all know how fast $40 can be spent on other useless items.

Davepet · 2009-01-13, 03:10 AM

I agree that they should stick with the well advertised cut-off date. They should also just add funding to the coupon program, they are making many times the cost of the coupon program by selling the freed up bandwidth. That money should be used first & foremost to reduce or eliminate all costs to the citizens being forced to buy boxes they don't want & wouldn't need otherwise.

Keep in mind that anyone wanting to continue recording OTA programing with their VCRs will need two boxes. I'll be retiring a couple of battery TVs because it's just not worth $50-60 to get boxes for them, they only get used during power outages.Owning multiple TVs doesn't mean you are made of money, some small battery TV's originally sold for about the price of these boxes.

Dave

2009-01-10, 11:35 AM	#72
rob50312 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: derry + winston Mississauga Posts: 1,300	No extension please.If people are not ready by now they never will until they receive static.A decision been made ,stick with it. __________________ CM 4248 at Buffalo,XG43 at Toronto,M4 at Buffalo,CH 11 yagi at Ham.

2009-01-12, 09:04 AM	#73
tricky Join Date: May 2005 Location: Waterford, Ont Posts: 230	Converters boxes and coupons :) An hilarious column about digital converter boxes and the coupons (in the US) for them. Lots of us here have been watching and paid for out of our own pockets for digital for several years now but it seems as it's come as quite a shock to some below the line http://www.boblonsberry.com/writings...tory=2540&go=4 __________________ Panasonic PT47WX53, Humax HFA100, Denon AVR 1610 surround, CM4228 Antenna, WD TVlive Last edited by stampeder; 2009-01-13 at 03:55 AM. Reason: URL fixed

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2009-01-07, 08:15 PM	#61
smiles233 Rookie Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Holland Patent ny, 1hr east of syracuse Posts: 29	i got my coupons last year but they expired fast ..... if you have one check the date....you only get about 3 months to spend the 2 cards..... i wonder how long they will issue coupons.....when word gets out about how good the picture over the air has and how many channels you can get for free people might give it a shot...i get about 15 in the utica / syracuse area and after feb i hope to get about 20 or more once my cm4221 arrives

2009-01-08, 02:46 PM	#62
StoneyCreekOTA Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 38	http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet...a0108/GIStory/ Obama is asking congress to delay the transition!

2009-01-08, 06:21 PM	#63
jeneral Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Mississauga, ON Posts: 323	I think a lot of these coupons went to ebay sellers hoping to make a profit. Considering the low penetration of OTA, I'm suspicious about this news.

2009-01-08, 07:06 PM	#64
mason Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Greater Torana Area Posts: 118	My guess? Congress will extend cut-off to 2010 or 2011.... maybe.....Analog forever!

2009-01-08, 07:09 PM	#65
bigoranget Veteran Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Hamilton Posts: 2,942	My guess is Congress will probably add more funds to the coupon program and terminate analog as scheduled. If there is an extension, it will probably be very short 30-90 days at most.

2009-01-08, 10:25 PM	#66
foxfan Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Montreal/Ottawa Posts: 1,022	Remember that the original deadline was December 2006. They've already had over two extra years!

2009-01-08, 10:36 PM	#67
keef Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Minnesota Posts: 84	I hope they go on the 17th as scheduled. The PSAs have been playing for months. Anyone that isn't ready by now needs more motivation. Turning off analog will certainly motivate them.

2009-01-09, 10:50 AM	#71
mr_raider Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Westmount, QC Posts: 298	Considering it happens three weeks after he takes office, I doubt it. Too many people have are ready to go, and there has been a considerable investment in that area.

2009-01-12, 10:43 AM	#74
Blackburst Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Saint-Laurent Borough, Montreal, QC Posts: 804	That request by Obama to delay the analog shutdown date is a bad idea. 1 - The TV stations, and the government have been running an extensive publicity campaign about the transition date. People have had plenty of time to arrange their situation. If they haven't acted on it by now, it's fair to say that they probably won't act on it with an extension. 2 - If they ran out of money to issue more coupons, this is just a bad oversight on the part of the government. They should have offered only 1 coupon per household not 2. If you can afford to have 2 TV's in your home, you can afford to spend $40 out of your pocket for a converter box. A single coupon per home would have done the job, and would have allowed at least minimum access to DTV broadcasts. Now, it's too late. If coupons issued are not used, and expire, then that money can still be used to reissue more coupons. But, this time they should send only 1 coupon per house. Besides, if you can't afford to spend $40 on a converter box, I doubt very much that TV is the top item on your mind. 3 - Delaying the Analog cut off will hurt OTA stations. At present, most or all of them are running two transmitters. The Analog transmitters are electricity hogs. So, it's really best that the February 17th cut off date is respected. 4 - Some stations and markets have already shutdown their analog transmitters before February 17th. Just this past week, Jan. 11, Maine PBS shutdown all their analog transmitters, and are only on air in digital. On Jan. 15, the analog shutdown happens in Hawaii. That is a couple of days from now. There is a market in North Carolina that shutdown analog back in September 2007. The shutdown is on the way, and any delays will only make a mess of the thing. 5 - The channel spectrum for Channels 52-69 have probably already been auctioned off for other uses. Any delays will probably effect new services, and thus cost money to companies that got some of those frequencies for other use. No extensions, no delays. The sooner the analog shutdown happens, the sooner people that haven't purchased a converter box will do so if TV is that important to them. If TV is not important to them, then they'll never act on getting a converter box anyway. Why hold up the transition for such people. BTW, TV is a luxury. TV is not a right. The coupons are a nice gesture on the part of the US government. They didn't really have to offer them. Buying a $40 converter box to get years of free over the air TV is not a make or break situation. You all know how fast $40 can be spent on other useless items.

2009-01-13, 03:10 AM	#75
Davepet Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Northern California Posts: 39	I agree that they should stick with the well advertised cut-off date. They should also just add funding to the coupon program, they are making many times the cost of the coupon program by selling the freed up bandwidth. That money should be used first & foremost to reduce or eliminate all costs to the citizens being forced to buy boxes they don't want & wouldn't need otherwise. Keep in mind that anyone wanting to continue recording OTA programing with their VCRs will need two boxes. I'll be retiring a couple of battery TVs because it's just not worth $50-60 to get boxes for them, they only get used during power outages.Owning multiple TVs doesn't mean you are made of money, some small battery TV's originally sold for about the price of these boxes. Dave