Looks like digital TV switch to be delayed in US

[bendixG15]

Senate okays digital TV switch delay to June 12th. Obama for itt.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090127/tv_nm/us_dtv_congress

[Epicurus8a]

https://forum.videohelp.com/topic363144.html

[Noahtuck]

It seem's to me everyone always made a bigger deal of this than it actually was/is......

Regardless of when it happens.

[paulw]

Come June 12 and Joe Sixpak will still not be ready. Just do the switch on Feb 17..

[Mastrocalo]

Understand that change will be February 17th, Heheheeeeee.......no more waiting time.

[thecoalman]

Well there is at least one significant issue I see with this, there is two stations in my area that have already stopped broadcasting over analog. One stopped at the start of the year and the other just recently. I'm sure they are not going to be happy with this delay because there is going to be a lot of people that will not be receiving their signal while the other stations continue to broadcast over the analog.

I smell a lawsuit. :P

[jman98]

What an odd original post with the subject and link in the first post being completely at odds with each other.

A summary - the US Congress tried to change the digital cut over date, but the bill failed to get the required 2/3 vote of approval, so Feb. 17 is back on.
http://techfragments.com/news/331/Tech/Digital_TV_Transition_Delay_Bill_Failed_to_Pass.html

[jagabo]

Nothing unusual. The bill has to be passed by the senate, the house of representatives, and the president. It got through the senate, but failed in the house.

[jagabo]

The senate is trying again:

http://news.cnet.com/Senate-approves-digital-TV-delay%2C-again/2100-1025_3-6248837.html

[usually_quiet]

The delay is 100% voluntary, as it was in the previous piece of legislation. It will make no difference whatsoever whether the bill passes or not. The transition will still take place on February 17 regardless.

[jagabo]

The delay is 100% voluntary, as it was in the previous piece of legislation. It will make no difference whatsoever whether the bill passes or not. The transition will still take place on February 17 regardless.

So you know for a fact that every single broadcast station will switch on Feb 17 even if it's no longer mandatory?

[orsetto]

With all the other sh*t Obama needs to deal with, I can't believe he, Congress and the Senate are wasting time and brainwaves on this non-issue. Trying to force an 11th-hour delay is voter pandering of the worst kind and totally pointless: the "elderly" and "poor" who are not ready in two weeks will STILL not be ready in June, meanwhile the delay will cost taxpayers, municipalities and TV stations dearly in lost money and bandwidth. The transition sucks, but we're stuck with it, the sooner we get it totally overwith the better. Any stragglers will snap out of their comas when their screens go dark. The only people I feel bad for are those in extreme rural areas who just aren't ever going to get a usable digital signal: they're the ones getting most screwed by the switch to ATSC. The only solution for them is continued analog transmission, but that just isn't going to happen. They'll be stuck paying for satellite service sooner or later: delaying the transition to June will save them four months of satellite bills but won't fix their long-term problem: no more "free" TV.

[Epicurus8a]

The proposal has been revised and will likely be approved Tuesday.
http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2009/01/senate_approves_new_dtv_dday.php

[JimJohnD]

It will be 30 years from now and we'll STILL be on analog. It's like when we tried to switch to the metric system. People pizzed and moaned about it so much they finally gave up. They need to go ahead on schedule.

[edDV]

It will be 30 years from now and we'll STILL be on analog. It's like when we tried to switch to the metric system. People pizzed and moaned about it so much they finally gave up. They need to go ahead on schedule.

People want cellphones and wireless data more than they want analog TV. Time for the old farts to adapt.

[usually_quiet]

Considering that TV stations are screaming bloody murder about how much any delay will cost them, all but a relative few will make the switch on February 17. According to the last article cited, about 10% of stations will have already switched by February 17, or have gone on the record to say that they will switch on the original date. I expect the number of stations committed to the February 17 date to go higher if the ammended bill passes.

Due to legislation that passed late last year, stations were permitted to continue with an analog broadcast explaining the transition and providing emergency information for 30 days following the switch, on a voluntary basis, subject to FCC approval. Only about 300-some stations applied for and were approved for that program. Most did not apply, citing the cost, and some were not approved, presumably because their assigned frequency was needed by someone else.

Those 300+ stations are the only ones that would conceivably continue analog broadcasts of their usual programming after February 17. However. one month is a very different thing than four months, I'd be very surprised if any of them continue transmitting an analog signal for longer than 30 days after the original date, or if most opted to broadcast their usual programming.

The way it has been written, this legislation is mostly about shifting the blame for transition-related problems to broadcasters. The only part that will be helpful is additional funding for the coupon program.

As for the converter boxes, I have 3, two of which I purchased using coupons. I plan to keep them until my televisions, VCR, and DVD recorder wear out. The only person I know who bought one and is not still using it did indeed replace his TV -- it broke.

[edDV]

Most stations have limited access to the few tower crews available. The old lower VHF antennas need to come down and UHF antennas need to be optimized for the new assigned channel. There will be months of work before all digital channels are at full potential. The Senate is grandstanding, the House knows it doesn't pay to upset the broadcasters. They are all up for election in 21 months.

[usually_quiet]

Time for the old farts to adapt.

I hope you don't expect any compassion when you are old and technology has passed you by. I have to deal with my folks' technology issues on almost a daily basis, so I understand some of their problems. They are adapting as well as they can.

There is more going on than just not liking the changes. As people age, it becoimes harder and harder to learn, even without dementia. Their hands are not as nimble and their reflexes are not as quick. This causes difficulty with remote controls for the new electronics. Mom and Dad have trouble pressing the numbers and the dash for the digital subchannels quickly enough to enter them directly and don't manage mult-function buttons very well.

Without their children and grandchildren to help them, their lives would be far more frustrating and confusing.

[edDV]

Time for the old farts to adapt.

I hope you don't expect any compassion when you are old and technology has passed you by. I have to deal with my folks' technology issues on almost a daily basis, so I understand some of their problems. They are adapting as well as they can.

There is more going on than just not liking the changes. As people age, it becoimes harder and harder to learn, even without dementia. Their hands are not as nimble and their reflexes are not as quick. This causes difficulty with remote controls for the new electronics. Mom and Dad have trouble pressing the numbers and the dash for the digital subchannels quickly enough to enter them directly and don't manage mult-function buttons very well.

Without their children and grandchildren to help them, their lives would be far more frustrating and confusing.

I am sympathetic but this transition has been in the works for 14 years. The Telecommunications Act of 1995 mandated the reduction of TV spectrum to make way for wireless digital services. 911 resulted in more of the freed spectrum going to public safety communications. The horse is out of the barn. It is not going to stop without serious consequence. We are three weeks from the date.

I've helped all in my immediate neighborhood and others get ready for the change. There is no government entitlement to TV reception although I see that coming. Four months delay solves nothing. Tuners are in ample supply in the stores. If you didn't plan for the coupon then pay the $49 bucks out of your pocket or wait. Buy some tuners for the elderly and help install them. A year ago the Democrats in Congress were wanting a speedup in analog cut off for public safety reasons. There was ample time for Congress to extend funding the coupon program but they didn't.

[SmokieStover]

DTV in the works for 14 years. And how long have good DTV tuners been available? Seems the delay untill 2009 has been for good reason.

I and all I know are ready for the DTV transition. Looks to be some TV channel losses here when analog is shut down....only a year or 2 of time will tell how much.

The decision made 14 years ago was all about taking back some TV spectrum and putting it to higher and better uses. And from my perspective, considering the decline in the quality of TV programming and an ever increasing bloat of ads, which I have witnessed over the last 53 years (my Dad bought our first TV in 1956), it will not take much to find higher and better uses for it.

Go ahead and get the DTV transition over with. But please don't muck with radio!

[genki500]

Many tv stations are not ready. Many will lost channels even they have boxes. Bad planning to begin with. And, how many extra channels do we actually get? More informerical channels mostly.

[edDV]

Many tv stations are not ready. Many will lost channels even they have boxes. Bad planning to begin with. And, how many extra channels do we actually get? More informerical channels mostly.

I don't understand how they are not ready. They have all filed their plans with the FCC. They have a choice of doing the approved plan or turning off their TV station. There may be some hardship cases but the TV stations usually cooperate if disaster strikes. When a tower fell in Arkansas during antenna replacement, a competing station broadcast their signal on a subchannel while the tower was rebuilt.

The stations you get vary locally. Most new ones here seem to be foreign language.

Tower work is very dangerous.
http://www.fox16.com/news/local/story/2-000-Foot-Television-Tower-Collapses-One-Person...n6STJP2GA.cspx
http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2008/jan/12/katv-air-after-tv-tower-falls-redfield-1-injured/
http://login.broadcastengineering.com/wall.aspx?ERIGHTS_TARGET=http%3A%2F%2Fbroadcaste...led_alabama%2F
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=144

[Epicurus8a]

Only a dope would pick a date in the dead of winter (February) to make the transition to digital TV. Only a brain-dead retarded moron, however, would change the date with 2-3 weeks to go. The proposed delay will cost broadcasters hundreds of million dollars. Furthermore, jobs could be lost as broadcasters struggle to stay within budget. All of this because 5-6% of the population don't understand or care. Duh!!!!!!! The (so-called) experts should have expected these numbers from the beginning. IMO, screw the people who aren't ready! Those individuals can read the paper or get their news from the radio until they decide to wake-up and enter the 21st century.

[edDV]

Only a dope would pick a date in the dead of winter (February) to make the transition to digital TV.

Congress again. I bet they were thinking 1) after elections 2) after the SuperBowl.

[usually_quiet]

There was ample time for Congress to extend funding the coupon program but they didn't.

It was either September or October before it was apparent that the program was running out of funds. So that would have meant action from somebody in a leadership position during the Wallstreet meltdown, and the onset of the banking crisis, while a presidential campaign and congressional campaigns were in progress. Things are bad enough now, but there was genuine panic back then.

[edDV]

There was ample time for Congress to extend funding the coupon program but they didn't.

It was either September or October before it was apparent that the program was running out of funds. So that would have meant action from somebody in a leadership position during the Wallstreet meltdown, and the onset of the banking crisis, while a presidential campaign and congressional campaigns were in progress. Things are bad enough now, but there was genuine panic back then.

Agreed but that is why they have oversight committees and subcommittee chairmen

House: Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
Chaiman Rep Edward J Markey

Senate: Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Chaiman Sen Daniel K. Inouye

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/talkback/115481-NTIA_DTV_Coupon_Funds_Could_R...og_Shutoff.php

But then there was this. Maybe a reason for poor forecast?
http://www.tvpredictions.com/aliens100307.htm

[stiltman]

Only a dope would pick a date in the dead of winter (February) to make the transition to digital TV.

Congress again. I bet they were thinking 1) after elections 2) after the SuperBowl.

They also did it during a sweeps period
Now that book is canceled and they are using Nov til Jun (or something like that)

[edDV]

Only a dope would pick a date in the dead of winter (February) to make the transition to digital TV.

Congress again. I bet they were thinking 1) after elections 2) after the SuperBowl.

They also did it during a sweeps period
Now that book is canceled and they are using Nov til Jun (or something like that)

Yes TV station management was freaking out about effect of all the channel changing on sweeps ratings. Many viewers may have a hard time finding their station or suffer antenna issues. It will take months for all this to settle out. On top of that many stations will be at reduced power until they can get their towers rebuilt.

This affects rural stations that have less cable penetration more than urban. Most satellite viewers also tune the rural locals OTA since they aren't carried by DirectTV or Dish.

[usually_quiet]

I remember the original news story and its thread, that appeared at the end of September 2008, and reported that former president Bush had requested more funding for the coupon program.

The majority opinion expressed then, was the largely same as now: 87% of households have a paid TV service, so the coupon program is largely irrelevant, especially to most of us who have been prepared for years thanks to cable and satellite. Too bad for the old folks, the poor, and the rual population. They should have acted before now. Doing without will be salutary for them. Congress has more important things to do. (Like keeping us from losing our jobs and savings and becoming too poor to afford a paid TV service?) Congress did put the transition on the shelf until later, and addressed the crisis.

So now that we have a functioning executive branch again, and the mood of the country is slightly calmer. The preliminary numbers for the transition are also in. The news is not good, and the issue of coupon funding is back. If the goal was to get the 13% of households that rely on entirely on antennas ready for the trasition, and six and a half million of them are unprepared (according to Nielsen’s figures) that's a spectacular failure.

The bottleneck has been consumer electronics, and the government apparently did not take them into account when devising its transition schedule. Even without coupons entering the picture: TVs with digital tuners weren’t affordable until mid-2007. At that point, we were told that buying a new TV or getting cable would not be necessary because inexpensive converter boxes would become available at the beginning of 2008. In fact they were pretty much unavailable until April 2008, and even then the supply could not keep up with the demand until September.

People who really needed coupons had even more problems. The first coupons were issued three months before boxes started to appear, but expire after 90 days, and can't be reissued. Retailers had to be approved to be able to accept them, which limited where they could shop. (It also meant that fewer retailers ordered converter boxes, knowing that stores that were able to accept coupons would get most of the business.)

[lordsmurf]

The whole "expiring coupon" concept, and the fact that fancy (costly?) cards were used, was clearly invented by your typical head-up-ass politicians.