Will the switch to Digital TV Be Postponed

[JohnnyMalaria]

[flippant]I guess I'll have to risk getting struck by a bolt of lightning during the ferociously hot and humid summer. Or die of heat exhaustion inside the attic.[/flippant]

[Epicurus8a]

The Senate approved the delay:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28863961/

Let's hope the House doesn't have it's head up its a$$.

[edDV]

It looks like the 4 mo. delay will pass. I'm trying to find the bill to see if stations are prohibited from shutting down analog. Many already have.

This has never been a partisan issue in the past. The digital changeover has had near unanimous support from both parties.

http://broadcastengineering.com/RF/delaying-dtv-deadline-compounds-complexity-transiti...id=top3-012209

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jEqzyZfGUgUWJQfcJ98kJK_LiiOwD95V41187

None of the real issues are covered in the senate bill.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/162261-Rockefeller_Fast_Tracks_DTV_Bill.php

[Epicurus8a]

Mark Twain was right when he said, "Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself."

[lacywest]

Senate passes bill to delay digital TV switch
Transition date moved back four months from Feb. 17 to June 12
Link >>> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28863961/wid/11915829?GT1=40000

Problems if they delay the switch >>> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28818654/wid/11915829/

Analog TV shutdown delay poses problems
Viewer confusion, additional broadcaster costs among some of the issues

By Joelle Tessler

updated 3:14 p.m. PT, Fri., Jan. 23, 2009
WASHINGTON - With the clock ticking toward the Feb. 17 deadline for TV broadcasters to shut off their analog signals and go entirely digital, analysts say more than 6.5 million households are not ready. Now Congress appears poised to postpone the transition to June — but a delay could bring its own problems.

To avoid blacking out TV sets in unprepared homes next month, the Obama administration is seeking the delay to give the government more time to fix a subsidy program that has run out of money for coupons that help consumers pay for digital converter boxes for older TVs.

Senate Democrats late Thursday reached a deal with skeptical Republicans on a bill to push the digital transition to June 12 — setting the stage for a vote early next week. The House is likely to move quickly after the Senate acts.
But one big problem with extending the transition, critics warn, is that many TV viewers could be confused. A delay could also be expensive for broadcasters. And it could burden public safety agencies and wireless companies waiting for the airwaves that will be freed by the shutdown of analog signals.

Consumer awareness now high
Government agencies, consumer groups, television broadcasters and other parts of the industry have invested more than $1 billion over the past several years to educate consumers about the shift to digital broadcasting. The message all along has been that analog signals would be shut off on Feb. 17.

This aggressive campaign has pushed consumer awareness rates well above 90 percent, according to Megan Pollock, a spokeswoman for the Consumer Electronics Association.

"We have been working for almost three years to educate consumers that this is the day," Pollock said. "How do we re-create that? It will be hard to start over."

It will also be costly — forcing the government and industry to pour more resources into additional public service announcements and outreach efforts.

For many television stations, a delay would also mean the additional expense of continuing to broadcast both an analog and a digital signal for another four months.

According to Randy Smith, president of WSET, the ABC affiliate in Lynchburg, Va., the electricity bill alone to operate some transmitters can run $20,000 a month.

A delay would also upend carefully mapped transition plans that many stations have had in place for months, if not longer.

WSET, for instance, is broadcasting an analog signal on Channel 13 and a digital signal on Channel 34, and plans to move its digital signal to Channel 13 after the switchover. Yet it cannot begin construction on a new digital station until it shuts down the analog one. So for more than a year, WSET has had tower crews and other workers scheduled to begin on Feb. 18.

To address such scenarios, the Senate bill would let TV stations proceed with the analog shutdown early — an option that WSET is considering.

Chicken-and-egg scenario
But across the country, in Bend, Ore., Chris Gallu doesn't have that choice. Gallu is general manager of four TV stations in the Central Oregon town, including KTVZ, the NBC affiliate, and KFXO, the Fox affiliate.

To complete the move to digital, his stations are waiting for a larger, more powerful transmitter to arrive from a broadcaster in El Paso, Texas. But that transmitter won't become available until the El Paso station no longer needs it — and that won't happen until the Texas station switches channel assignments at the government deadline.

Emergency responders affected
TV stations are not the only ones concerned about a delay. The whole reason Congress is requiring broadcasters to go to digital signals is to free up valuable chunks of wireless spectrum for emergency-response networks and commercial wireless services. Both public safety agencies and the wireless industry are anxious for those airwaves to become available.

Emergency responders need the spectrum for "interoperable" communications networks that will allow police officers, firefighters and emergency medical workers to talk with each other and with counterparts in nearby communities. Typically such agencies have had their own radio systems and couldn't always communicate with each other.

In the suburbs of Washington, D.C., for instance, Prince George's County, Md., has spent $76 million over the past three years on a new radio system for the police and fire departments, paramedics and municipal public safety agencies. The county plans to begin six months of testing the system — on frequencies being freed up by the analog shutdown — on Feb. 18.

Wayne McBride, deputy director the county's Office of Homeland Security and Public Safety Communications, said a delay would push back that entire process, which needs to be completed by Oct. 1. After that, leaves fall off the trees, which could throw off the tests of the system's effectiveness — since leaves can interfere with radio signals.

The Senate bill would allow public safety agencies to take over vacated spectrum as it becomes available, but it would not guarantee access to all the promised airwaves until June.

Wireless industry issues
The wireless industry, too, is concerned about the costs of postponing the digital transition. AT&T and Verizon Communications — which won licenses to much of the spectrum being freed up — have both said they would support a one-time, limited delay.

But Qualcomm is lobbying against a delay. The company has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in a new wireless service, called MediaFLO, that lets consumers watch live television on their wireless phones.


Qualcomm is already offering the service in 65 markets around the country, where it has been paying broadcasters to drop their analog signals early. And it paid more than $550 million for spectrum being vacated by the digital transition to be able to expand the service in 25 markets, including Boston, Houston, Miami and San Francisco, beginning on Feb. 18.

According to Qualcomm Chief Operating Office Len Lauer, a delay would cost the company tens of millions of dollars — in additional payments to broadcasters to vacate their analog spectrum for another four months and in lost revenue from new markets.



I just want to say ... if they switch over ... cool ... if they dont ... It just means I will get to use the TV Guide feature a little longer in my Panasonic EH50 DVD Recorder ... I do have the ability to watch the Digital signals but at this moment I dont have a DTV Converter Box in my bedroom to use with my EH50 ... the HDTV in my bedroom does have a Digital Tuner ... and in the living room I have a Panasonic DVD Recorder with digital tuner [but no harddrive] to feed the Sony 51" HDTV and it does not have a digital tuner. We bought the Sony HDTV ... summer of 2005 from Circuit City.

[Epicurus8a]

...analysts say more than 6.5 million households are not ready...

It's not that these 6.5 million households weren't informed, they simply chose to do nothing. And who can blame them, after all most of the stuff on TV is useless.

[JohnnyMalaria]

But Qualcomm is lobbying against a delay. The company has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in a new wireless service, called MediaFLO, that lets consumers watch live television on their wireless phones

Well, that's alright then. Not only can I watch pointless jibberish on the go but now I can pay for the privilege of watching it on a screen smaller than the first TV sets ever sold. As long as their cr@ppy reception for which I pay beaucoup$ dollar$ works.

[edDV]

The law of unintended consequences has no appeal. Government always screws up.

[Epicurus8a]

Digital Transition Delay Would Cost $22 Million
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/01/26/arts/AP-TV-Digital-Transition.html?_r=1


And that's just for the PBS stations!

[lacywest]

...analysts say more than 6.5 million households are not ready...

It's not that these 6.5 million households weren't informed, they simply chose to do nothing. And who can blame them, after all most of the stuff on TV is useless.

Not happy with your comment ... their are plenty of TV shows worth watching in our household ... sure you have your opinion but not everybody agrees with you.

[lacywest]

I already have access to DTV in all our rooms ... Im just pissed that I wont be able to program shows into my EH50 DVD Recorder anymore ... with these cheap boxes ... I wont be able to.

Got to go ... I have IRS on the phone

[edDV]

Got to go ... I have IRS on the phone

Tell them Geithner didn't pay so you want the same deal. Good luck on that.

[Frank-0-Video]

Greetings ...

"DELAYS! DELAYS! NOTHING BUT DELAYS!" -- Evil Scientist in the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Water, Water Every Hare!"

Thanx-A-Lot, Frank-0-Video

[usually_quiet]

Do I have sympathy for the able-bodied guy living in a major metroplitain area who has not bothered to find a converter box? Absolutely not. I just don't believe that description represents all of the people who are still unprepared.

Some of those who have not yet purchased their converter boxes are living out in the middle of nowhere -- small towns where it's necessary to drive 100 miles to go out to dinner or do any shopping beyond basic necessities. Unless there's a WalMart around or they have internet access, people in those circumstances had greater than average difficulty obtaining converter boxes.

Some small TV stations are also apparently unprepared. Did we not have a post yesterday from sombody at a TV station that is still trying to deal with transition-related problems at this late date?

This transition should have been phased in by region, like the rest of the world was smart enough to do.

[SmokieStover]

I helped two family members prepare for the analog shut-down. Neither would have acted in time without me......and I knew that.

Started with number one mid June, 2008, when the Zenith boxes with analog pass-thru were first available at retail about 40 miles from home. Hooked up a box and soon found the rotator atop their 32 foot tower was not working; they never noticed on analog, but DTV is far, far more directional. They called their antenna man the next day and found he was booked up thru mid September. On the evening of August 28th the rain started....it rained 15 of the next 18 days for a grand total of 17 inches. So mid September turned into the 3rd week of October. November was a bearcat for wind and damn cold too with plenty of ice and some snow....no more than 5 days in the whole month fit for working atop a 30 foot tower. I remember the month of November very well because I re-roofed a small hay shed on my horse lot.... a 4 day job that was almost not finished before winter set in.

There are very few people doing antenna work these days, so if you need one, better get on the phone well before winter breaks.

[lacywest]

Greetings ...

"DELAYS! DELAYS! NOTHING BUT DELAYS!" -- Evil Scientist in the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Water, Water Every Hare!"

Thanx-A-Lot, Frank-0-Video

I can see your ready ... your Panasonic DVD Recorder has a Digital tuner in it

[edDV]

I helped two family members prepare for the analog shut-down. Neither would have acted in time without me......and I knew that.

Started with number one mid June, 2008, when the Zenith boxes with analog pass-thru were first available at retail about 40 miles from home. Hooked up a box and soon found the rotator atop their 32 foot tower was not working; they never noticed on analog, but DTV is far, far more directional. They called their antenna man the next day and found he was booked up thru mid September. On the evening of August 28th the rain started....it rained 15 of the next 18 days for a grand total of 17 inches. So mid September turned into the 3rd week of October. November was a bearcat for wind and damn cold too with plenty of ice and some snow....no more than 5 days in the whole month fit for working atop a 30 foot tower. I remember the month of November very well because I re-roofed a small hay shed on my horse lot.... a 4 day job that was almost not finished before winter set in.

There are very few people doing antenna work these days, so if you need one, better get on the phone well before winter breaks.

Most people don't realize that digital channels and transmitter power will be changing after analog shutdown. The changes will mostly improve digital reception but in many markets, there will be months of tower work to replace old antennas (mostly lower VHF) with new ones optimized for the new digital channels. In some cases there will be months of temporary digital coverage while workers are on the towers.

A delay until July means that much of this work will extend into next fall and winter.

[Epicurus8a]

...analysts say more than 6.5 million households are not ready...

It's not that these 6.5 million households weren't informed, they simply chose to do nothing. And who can blame them, after all most of the stuff on TV is useless.

Not happy with your comment ... their are plenty of TV shows worth watching in our household ... sure you have your opinion but not everybody agrees with you.

I'm intimately familiar with the broadcast stations in your area. Moreover, Newton Minow's words are more true today then they were in 1961.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasteland_Speech

Broadcast TV is little more than opium for the masses.

[Frank-0-Video]

Greetings ...

I can see your ready ... your Panasonic DVD Recorder has a Digital tuner in it

Well , it did indeed come with a digital tuner. But for whatever reason, the digital tuning capacity has since died. Now, it will tune in only analog channels.

Thanx-A-Lot, Frank-0-Video

[lordsmurf]

I have cable, I don't care anymore.

[JohnnyMalaria]

I have cable, I don't care anymore.

Are the two related?

[RLT69]

Are the two related?

Yeah since the cable company is handling the conversion on their end, it doesn't matter when the switch will occur.

It amazes me that some people on this list are for market forces when it comes to things technology and that government should keep out of it. But when it came to digital broadcasts, you were all too ready to shelve your ideals and jump on the government regulation bandwagon.

If people wanted digital broadcasts the MARKET would have killed analog a long time ago. They didn't.

You wanted government intervention, so deal with the consequences. :P

[JohnnyMalaria]

I was wondering more along the lines of:

I have cable and, on a completely unrelated note, I don't care anymore.

[RLT69]

I was wondering more along the lines of:

I have cable and, on a completely unrelated note, I don't care anymore.

Sorry I took it to mean, "I have cable so this does not impact me."

[edDV]

Are the two related?

If people wanted digital broadcasts the MARKET would have killed analog a long time ago. They didn't.

You wanted government intervention, so deal with the consequences. :P

The people (87%) took down their antennas long ago and subscribed to cable or direct satellite. At the same time they the people (>90%) signed up for cellular and other wireless services. They also demanded better emergency service intercommunication after 911 (unanimous vote in house and senate).

The result is reduction of nearly 40% of RF spectrum devoted to broadcast television and lease of that freed spectrum to AT&T, Verizon, Qualcom and emergency services.

They could have kept analog and just cut the number of TV stations but chose instead to adopt digital broadcasting which allows closer channel spacing in a given market and multi-cast of up to 6 subchannels in one 6MHz channel slot. Improved picture quality and high definition are additional benefits.

All in all the people are getting what they wanted. The transition will be over by the end of the year regardless.

[RLT69]

All in all the people are getting what they wanted. The transition will be over by the end of the year regardless.

Right

That's why government had to mandate the end of analog broadcasts. Government was asked to step in order to mandate an end. The market could not do it by itself.

The market could not pull the trigger, government had to.

So again, you don't like the delay, live with it. If the market had it's act together it could have switched to digital a long time ago and dropped analog service.

[edDV]

All in all the people are getting what they wanted. The transition will be over by the end of the year regardless.

Right

That's why government had to mandate the end of analog broadcasts. Government was asked to step in order to mandate an end. The market could not do it by itself.

The market could not pull the trigger, government had to.

So again, you don't like the delay, live with it. If the market had it's act together it could have switched to digital a long time ago and dropped analog service.

RF spectrum allocation is one are area most would agree that requires tight regulation and centralized mediation of interests. This all began with the Telecommunications Act of 1995 and IMO has been implemented well by the FCC and broadcasters. The Congress should stop grandstanding and let it happen as planned.

[MOVIEGEEK]

That's why government had to mandate the end of analog broadcasts. Government was asked to step in order to mandate an end. The market could not do it by itself.

The market could not pull the trigger, government had to.

So again, you don't like the delay, live with it. If the market had it's act together it could have switched to digital a long time ago and dropped analog service.

Not true at all,the delay is the result of Congress.
All of my local broadcasters have been transmitting digital for two years.
Here's a rough timeline:
1987:Broadcasters petition for DTV.
1995:A committee sets guidelines and approves DTV.
1997:The FCC starts to issue DTV licenses,approx. 1600 stations sign up.
2004:Over 1700 stations have licenses,Congress sets analog shut off date of 12/31/06.
2006:Over 85% of broadcasters are transmitting digital,Congress pushes shut off date to 2/17/09.
2009:Congress and President push shut off date to 6/17/09.

[usually_quiet]

It looks like the House voted against the delay this afternoon. No surprise.

The "87% have paid TV service" is an over-simplification. Many of those households also have TVs that use an antenna because it is impractical or too expensive to connect them all to whatever paid service they have. That is one of the reason why the coupon program has used up its funding more quickly than expected. The number of people who use an antenna was under-estimated.

As far as the 2006 deadline, 15% of broadcasters were not ready, though in my community I believe 3 out of the 8 network-affiliated stations had not begun digital broadcasts. Consumer electronics were also not ready. I went shopping for DVD recorders in the fall of 2006, and none that I saw had digital tuners. I also looked at inexpensive TV's, few of which had digital tuners.

[MOVIEGEEK]

consumer electronics were also not ready. I went shopping for DVD recorders in the fall of 2006, and none that I saw had digital tuners. I also looked at inexpensive TV's, few of which had digital tuners.

I agree the FCC et al botched the ATSC tuner requirement,it wasn't mandatory in all tv's until 7/07.