Jonbo298
join:2004-01-12
Council Bluffs, IA
| Analog Death Watch...
...has begun.  Though I hope they don't chop Omaha's analog anytime soon. Don't watch cable like I used to so I just use OTA digital. Fox, WB, CBS (local station versions) have either a dead signal or extremely choppy signal and but NBC and ABC come in perfect so its not the TV (tuner built in). |
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RayW
Premium
join:2001-09-01
Layton, UT
clubs:
 ·XMission
| Sounds like a political game
Here in the salt Lake City area we have both Analog and Digital going at the same time until the cutoff (according according to a friend of mine who is an engineer for one of the stations). I think it is someone beating their chest and trying to show that they are the biggest gorilla in the cabbage patch, not for any valid reason.
We just got our boxes and it is interesting to look at the differences between the two versions of TV side by side. Some Digital shows are in letter-box aspect whereas the analog versions are in 'normal' aspect. Most of the digital signals are little bit clearer, and they have the built in future program log so you can see what is coming up. And with the digital mode we have 3-4X the programing (4 * very little is still very little).
We are still playing with it and I have to put the other box on the other TV, we shall see what that one does since the previous owner who wired the basement did a shoddy job, and the signals are weaker.
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I am not lost, I find myself every time. |
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chronoss2008
Premium
join:2008-03-29 | in the news today
the ratings for every show dropped 75% for reasons unknown.
Seems people didn't buy into that digital crap and oh well the rabbit ears still work.... |
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n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY
 ·Optimum Online
| New York City
It looks like New York City is still on target to switch off on February 17th. The VHF low channels 2, 4 and 5 will be staying on their current UHF assignments, except 2 which moves from 56 to 33. Channels 7, 9, 11 and 13 will switch from their current UHF assignments back to their VHF channels. The UHF channels will return to their original positions except for those that are above channel 51.
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I support the right to keep and arm bears. |
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skuv
@rr.com
| I don't agree...
Unfortunately, some say that the fact that the city is so ready could mean that it’s not the best test city. Only seven percent of the city is using an analog-only signal which is a much lower rate than in other parts of the country. Isn't it better to do a city that is only 7% on analog as a full test of the transition?
Would you really want them to go to a rural area 5 months before the real cut over and cut off even more people that don't know the transition is happening that soon, much less in February?
It would be better to see on a small scale what needs to be done before February rather than to do it on a large scale and not be prepared to deal with tons of people that don't know what's going on, rather than a few. So that you can learn from small mistakes and issues when it comes time to cut everyone over. Instead of possibly having to rollback the test market.
Seems logical, but the opposition probably comes from the broadcasters still trying to get the February 2009 date pushed out. The last thing those people want is a successful test 5 months early. |
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I Want Analog
@swbell.net
| Rural Areas and Signal Strength
I live about 30 to 45 miles from broadcast towers and have already purchased a converter box. Nearly every day there is enough loss of signal that some pixelation of a show will occur. It will only get worse during winter months which always tend to have degraded signals.
Has the FCC really thought about what will occur in rural areas where only one station is often all folk can receive, and that station with poor signal?
I'm willing to bet that a very large number of rural folk will be left without television viewing, folk that can't afford to pay for satellite systems and subscriptions.
On the other hand there is such little programming of interest to older folk perhaps it simply doesn't matter.
Now where did I lay that library book? |
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EPS
join:2008-02-13
Hingham, MA
| When the switch occurs, channels whose analog channels on on the VHF-high frequencies (7-13) will for the most part go back to their previous VHF channels for digital- this should improve reception of the digital channels.
Note that the VHF-low frequencies are actually prone more to distortion of digital signals than even UHF, so those channels won't be used (with a few exceptions) |
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jdre
join:2008-03-27
| All 5 of my local full power stations went off the air last week, during the night 1:45 AM. For about 1/2 hour. One station had a message they were going off for "maintenance". I think they may have had to work on the transmitter antennas which are all in one location, or it was DTV transition test. |
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81399672
Premium
join:2006-05-17
Los Angeles, CA | Lawsuit time
I am sure once the country will switch, lawsuit will be flying left and right from those that are pissed they can't watch t.v.
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i am not a lawyer but I do play one on the internet |
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qworster
join:2001-11-25
Los Angeles, CA
·DSL EXTREME
·Brand X Internet
·RoadRunner Cable
 ·Vonage
4 edits | reply to EPS
Re: Rural Areas and Signal Strength
said by EPS  :When the switch occurs, channels whose analog channels on on the VHF-high frequencies (7-13) will for the most part go back to their previous VHF channels for digital- this should improve reception of the digital channels. Note that the VHF-low frequencies are actually prone more to distortion of digital signals than even UHF, so those channels won't be used (with a few exceptions) Any TV station that stays on low VHF is owned by IDIOTS! Those channels are the absolute WORST for HDTV! Ironically, there are only about THIRTY of them, and those 30 stations will be taking up 30 mHz of prime VHF spectrum in the entire USA that could be well used for other services (like many of us who want to extend the FM band from the current 88-108 to 76-108).
This is just another example of how poor a job the FCC does at regulating spectrum! The biggest peoblem is that the FCC has NO ENGINEERS as Commissioners; they are all lawyers. So, decisions that directly involve physics instead are made based upon politics. Unfortunately, even a lawyer can't override the laws of physics-they are what they are.
What's really going to be interesting is all the people who turn their DTV sets on the morning of February 17th to find that they can't receive half their favorite DTV stations. There are two BIG problems; first, every DTV set will have to be re-programmed because many DTV stations will be moving back to their current VHF or UHF analog channels in that overnight-and second, since most current DTV stations broadcast on UHF, many DTV owners have bought amplified indoor TV antennas that only work on UHF. These antennas won't pull in VHF DTV stations well, if at all.
The way around this would have been for the FCC to mandate that all indoor antennas work on both VHF and UHF, but lawyers are too STUPID and IGNORANT of the physics to figure that out. As a result, there is going to be chaos out in TV land come mid Feb. |
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joako
Premium
join:2000-09-07
/dev/null
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to I Want Analog
I guess you can say I live in a rural area. I get 5 stations:
Fox Analog
Fox Digital
Fox HDTV
PBS
PBS Digital.
Fox analog is in b/w most of the time, the digitals aren't too watchable, it depends where people are walking.
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09:F9:11:02:9D:74:E3:5B:D8:41:56:C5:63:56:88:C0 |
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joako
Premium
join:2000-09-07
/dev/null
·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to qworster
said by qworster :The way around this would have been for the FCC to mandate that all indoor antennas work on both VHF and UHF, but lawyers are too STUPID and IGNORANT of the physics to figure that out. As a result, there is going to be chaos out in TV land come mid Feb. I disagree. I think we have enough stupid regulation to start regulating what sort of TV antennas can be sold, imported or manufatured.
It's all a big show to distract people from the *REAL* issues.
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09:F9:11:02:9D:74:E3:5B:D8:41:56:C5:63:56:88:C0 |
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Arctic nut
join:2006-11-26
Thief River Falls, MN
1 edit | reply to I Want Analog
Duplicate post deleted. |
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Arctic nut
join:2006-11-26
Thief River Falls, MN
 ·HughesNet Satellit..
 ·Alltel Axess
| reply to I Want Analog
said by I Want Analog :
I live about 30 to 45 miles from broadcast towers and have already purchased a converter box. Nearly every day there is enough loss of signal that some pixelation of a show will occur. .....
Now where did I lay that library book?
I'm in the same boat here. I get one station from Grand Forks, ND in digital. Some days are OK and others it's not viewable. There's nothing on worth watching so I guess it will be the marketers’ loss.  As for Washington knowing this will likely leave a good bit of rural America without an OTA signal...they don't care. As usual, they saw the dollar signs. As we all know, inside the Beltway, cash trumps the public interest every time.
Some will have DTV and HDTV and those of us rural folk who refuse to be ripped off by DTV and DISH will have NOTV |
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antwanp
Beyond FM, Beyond AM, XM Satellite Radio
Premium
join:2002-05-14
Cedar Hill, TX
clubs:
·T-Mobile US
·RoadRunner Cable
| Dallas/Ft. Worth Digital TV
It's great to live in a city (Dallas/Ft. Worth) that has great digital TV coverage way out into the suburbs. We can pick up over 50 digital TV channels (only the major networks are broadcasting in HD though). The picture quality is vastly better than analog. All of our DirecTV HD receivers work great for off air, and we can't wait for the 700MHz spectrum to be cleared!
-Antwan L.
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The Perils of Living in 3-D: »www.antwanpayne.com |
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antwanp
Beyond FM, Beyond AM, XM Satellite Radio
Premium
join:2002-05-14
Cedar Hill, TX
clubs: | reply to Arctic nut
Re: Rural Areas and Signal Strength
For rural areas, don't Low Powered stations have exemptions from the switchover? I know at my University in Nacogdoches, TXd, some of the LP Repeater stations are going to stay live after the switch. |
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alg
Just a shot away
Premium
join:2001-04-10
Houston, TX
clubs:
·Earthlink Cable Mo..
1 edit | Boxes
I recently installed a DTV box on a secondary TV at my parent's house. My dad was amazed by the picture quality and the sub channels despite the fact that they've had an HDTV picking up OTA DTV for about two years now. I guess he was just surprised to see a clear picture on that old and small set. Unfortunately no matter what I tried I couldn't get the tuner remote to turn the TV on and off. |
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BF69
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN
| reply to Jonbo298
Re: Analog Death Watch...
said by Jonbo298 :...has begun. Though I hope they don't chop Omaha's analog anytime soon. Don't watch cable like I used to so I just use OTA digital. Fox, WB, CBS (local station versions) have either a dead signal or extremely choppy signal and but NBC and ABC come in perfect so its not the TV (tuner built in). yeah but some of those channels will switch their assignments once the switch occurs so you'll get a better signal on them. Of course they can't do that now because they still are required to show both analog and digital. |
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Anonymous_
Anonymous
Premium
join:2004-06-21
127.0.0.1
clubs:
·RoadRunner Cable
·Time Warner Cable
·Time Warner VOIP
2 edits | reply to alg
Re: Boxes
said by alg :I recently installed a DTV box on a secondary TV at my parent's house. My dad was amazed by the picture quality and the sub channels despite the fact that they've had an HDTV picking up OTA DTV for about two years now. I guess he was just surprised to see a clear picture on that old and small set. Unfortunately no matter what I tried I couldn't get the tuner remote to turn the TV on and off. i can not get any OTA channels
maybe 2 Analog that is about it (Not watchable)
but if i pulgin my cable line i get 200 channels of unencrypted channels includes Video on demand |
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jimk
Premium
join:2006-04-15
Raleigh, NC
·AT&T Southeast
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to antwanp
Re: Rural Areas and Signal Strength
Low power stations are exempt from the digital requirement for now, rural or not. They may go digital, but can stay analog as well.
Interestingly, Wilmington's CBS affiliate (WILM) is low power, but they are already broadcasting as low power digital in prep for the transition. I suspect that many LP stations that are own by larger companies or are affiliates of major networks will switch to digital, while smaller community or college stations won't make the switch for now. But that is just pure speculation on my part.
Translator stations, which are all low power, will be able to stay analog as well. |
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