Posted on 12/22/2008 7:14:09 AM PST by re_tail20
The Federal Communications Commission sponsored a Nascar race car as part of its effort to inform Americans that on Feb. 18, television signals transmitted over the air will be transmitted solely in digital format. Old TV sets will no longer work.
It paid $350,000 to emblazon “The Digital TV Transition” and other phrases on a Ford driven by David Gilliland.
So how’s that going? In November, the car crashed during a Nascar race in Phoenix. It was the second crash in as many months.
And how is the digital TV transition going? According to critics, about as well, despite a major marketing campaign that includes nightly ads on TV.
According to surveys conducted by the Consumers Union, a consumer advocacy group that also publishes Consumer Reports magazine, while 90 percent of the nation is aware of the transition, 25 percent mistakenly believe that one must subscribe to cable or satellite after February, and 41 percent think that every TV in a house must have a new converter box, even those that are already connected to cable or satellite.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
analog signals follow the curvature of the earth. digital signals don’t. they can broadcast at full strength, but that doesn’t mean the signal will reach you like an analog one would..
Thanks.
I just haven’t looked into the TV details that much.
Great info.
Antenna over the air digital is great quality (usually) and many additional channels. The biggest problems are signal quality/strength and used ability.
Quality: When the digital has interference or poor signal strength, a very annoying picture chop or total loss of picture is experienced. And it does happen way too often. When analog interference or signal strength happened, a variety of picture quality issues occurred but you almost always could see and hear the program. I hate watching NFL games on CBS in Chicago because many seconds of plays are simply lost on the digital.
User ability: Many people have difficulty in coordinating the control of multiple boxes from multiple controllers or controllers with multiple functions. My wife is still struggling with our mix of a full digital TV, analog TV with a converter box, an HD-ready TV with separate digital tuner, and one still analog only set.
If you have satellite, you don’t need anything.
Wait until you try to receive that information as a big storm is approaching (or appppp... resync... )
but it is an analog signal. Its just digitally modulated
As with the lightbulb legislation, we are being forced to adopt other technologies, not because they ARE better, or because the market has abandoned the older technologies, but because Congress “said so”.
Record albums are still being made. We should legislate them away too, they use valuable petroleum.
If anyone is caught without a picture after the switch-off, they have no sympathy from me. There have been announcements and information out the whazoo.
The spectrum (frequencies) that analog TV uses is being reclaimed for other uses (EMS, Police, etc..) Also, companies can bid (via auction) on particular bands of frequencies, so the FCC does make a nice little sum on the DTV conversion via "spectrum auctions."
Meanwhile, the broadcasters, consumers, and cable companies are not really getting anything out of the deal... but getting screwed economically. DTV signals are hardly reliable even when a station goes full power (since DTV stations NOW are running at half-power)... so, really there is no value to you or I, but the FCC made out like a bandit...
So just to make sure I understand correctly, any type of outdoor antenna like the one you show in #20 will pick up the digital signal? I don’t need to buy an antenna that specifically picks up digital signals? (Sorry for the ignorance.)
It’s simple:
They are selling off the old VHF bandwidth. All digital stations are in the UHF band. Big bucks to the gov.
that’s the way it was explained to me, which is why some people are being told they MAY have to buy a super duper ultra mega-platinum first class antenna to replace the one they currently have to receive analog signals. A converter box, in and of itself, dependent upon location, may not be enough to get the revised signal.
No. This whole discussion is for rabbit-ears people. Irrelevant to anyone with cable or satellite.
Although being unable to watch the "All Obama. All the Time" broadcast channels after February doesn't really sound like such a bad thing. ;)
So basically the bottom line here is that if you are using an antenna now you need a converter box after feb 09.
Anyone using anything else is fine.
I am trying to figure what to do about my “emergency” TV’s.
Your that hooked on tv you have to have emergency ones? Listen to the radio.
Thank you for that explanation. I do remember this surfacing during the Clinton ‘desecration’. Would make sense since it was during that time that the ‘normalization’ of trade status with China was passed. What was I thinking??? Money is involved........and of course the ultimate: Power
Thanks again.
I didn't realize that
I bought a “coupon converter” for just that reason ... It works for standard def TVs. But for HDTV, you want the TV’s ATSC tuner hooked right to the antenna.
If you need a stronger signal, get a low noise amplifier. OTA HDTV is better than what comes through the cable or for that matter satellite, but it is usually just the broadcast stations. They are trying to get back in the compete game.
You are right they want you to get a cable subscription, it’s the whole reason for the massive confusion.
Blu-ray is the cats meow ... get a cheap blu-ray player if you have access to blu-ray disks locally. It’s the best of the best. It’s all about the source when it comes to HDTV. I got a Walmart Magnovox Blu-Ray for $125 on black Friday, it does the job.
Thanks for the info
The picture in #20 is a multi-band antenna... It receives UHF as well as VHF frequencies... DTV is in UHF... a UHF antenna is all you need, whether it is rabbit ears or a rooftop. If you have an analog TV set you’ll need the converter box to plug your rooftop or rabbit ears antenna into. If you have a TV with a ATSC (digital) tuner (generally HDTVs manufactured within the last 2-3 years have these, but there are many exceptions) then you do NOT need a converter box, and just need to adjust your UHF rabbit ears or rooftop antenna to receive the signal. Don’t be fooled by “HDTV antennas”.. all you need is an antenna capable of receiving UHF...
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