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Community Newsletter: Q&A: What does the 2009 digital-TV switch actually mean?
- 11/30/07 9:08 AM
It's a simple answer!
by taustin2 - 11/12/07 6:32 PM In reply to: What does the 2009 digital-TV switch actually mean? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
In Feburary of 2009 analog signals go away and are replaced by digital signals. Currently, most TV stations are already broadcasting both, analog on their currently assigned channel and digital on another channel. If you don't know what their digital channel is, call them. They will be happy to tell you. In February, 2009, the digital signal will be broadcast on the currently assigned channel and the other channel will go away. If you are already using satellite or cable, you will have to do nothing with your old analog TV. If you are getting your TV signal over-the-air, then you will have to purchase a special box that will allow you to continue to watch on your analog TV from an over-the-air signal. Don't worry, they won't be expensive. Any TV you buy today, is digital and analog capable and HD(High Def)ready. In other words, you will be able to watch your favorite analog channel or it's digital sister and HD programs on either channel when a program is broadcast in HD. Once February 2009 passes, then you will be watching all digital TV programs and by then most if not all programs will be broadcast in HD. Even the TV station I work at is in the process of converting to new cameras and equipment that will allow us to start broadcasting our newscasts in HD by the end of this year(2007)on both our analog and digital channel. I believe this answers all of Jim's and Queenie's concerns. Here is a tip, I would wait until it gets closer to February, 2009 to buy your new TV for several reasons. One, by then, prices will be even lower than they are now. Second, the current technologies will be even better than they are now and third, their are new technologies in the making that will be even better than the current ones.
The all digital signal change for your tv in 2009
by HDspoiled - 11/12/07 9:53 PM In reply to: What does the 2009 digital-TV switch actually mean? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
you will be able to buy a digital converter box so you will still be able to use your older non digital tv on the news it was said that the
box should be about $60.00 and the government will send 2 discount coupons for $40.00 each so your out of pocket $40.00 for 2 boxes if you have 2 non digital tv's comcast does charge a box fee for there digital set top boxes the nice thing is if you have a problem they will swap it out for another so you never have to worry about a warranty plus you get on demand with free movies and you can order pay per view movies and sporting events with the comcast box they are already offering day of release for the pay per view movies this means that the day movies are release to buy on dvd you will be able to order it on pay per view.
digital signal
by livn_life - 11/13/07 9:43 AM In reply to: What does the 2009 digital-TV switch actually mean? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I just picked up an HDTV and have it hooked up to an antennae. I was surprised to see that almost every station has an HD version of their broadcast over the airwaves. Is this what the FCC meant when they mentioned going to a digital signal? That would mean that you don't necessarily have to be a slave to a cable network or satelite.
Stay tuned we haven't seen the last episode yet
by mathuze - 11/13/07 11:37 PM In reply to: What does the 2009 digital-TV switch actually mean? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
This will not be an explanation of the relative merits of flat panel, projection, plasma, or any other type of TV. The type of TV is of no consequence with regard to HDTV. The issue is how you get your signal, and if your TV can receive and process it.
If you are a cable or satellite subscriber, the transition to HDTV probably will not affect you. Your provider should give you the signal you require to keep you as a customer. This transition only affects "over the air" antenna users.
I think that the government and the TV manufactures have done a terrible job of educating the public on this transition. The government has been largely absent from the process, and the manufactures have used it as an opportunity to sell everyone a new (read expensive) television. It reminds me of the Y2K situation a few years ago. Make no mistake about Y2K, it was a real problem that needed to be addressed. Did some manufactures take advantage of the situation and profit, absolutely.
Some background. In the 1990’s the FCC made the decision to revise the current TV system to take advantage of the newer technology available. The current analog system was designed in the 1940’s, and has survived the addition of color, stereo, and SAP. By upgrading the current “over the air” system to digital, two goals will be met. The television signal will be improved, and the television frequencies will be consolidated. The current channel allocation of channels 2 through 6o something actually covers three blocks of frequencies. That is to say that the frequencies are not continuous. Channels 2 through 6 are in what is considered the HF or high frequency range. The commercial FM radio band is located just above channel 6. Channels 7 through 12 are broadcast in the VHF range (very high frequency) and channels 13 on up in the UHF (ultra high frequency) range. The new HD channels are located in the VHF range.
When the transition is complete, the current HF and VHF blocks of frequencies will become available for other uses. Those frequencies have already been auctioned off and reallocated to a variety of users from cell phone companies to local government agencies. Those users are eagerly awaiting the television broadcasters to vacate those frequencies.
When the law was first written, there was a provision that the existing system would not be “turned off” until 80% of all TVs in the US were capable of receiving these new HD signals. America did not embrace this change with a passion. There have been several phases that presumably would have facilitated this transition, but it was not until recently that every new TV’s manufactured has been required to have HD receivers in them. Finally, after many delays, a “drop dead” date was set. Those viewers who use free, over the air broadcasts to watch television, and do not have an HD capable TV, will be in the dark, so to speak.
A friend of mine recently purchased a new plasma TV only to find it did not have the tuner that made it capable of receiving local broadcasts. He had to purchase a separate “terrestrial converter” (gotta love that name). This will be the way many viewers of older TV’s will undoubtedly take. Terrestrial converters or set top boxes will receive an HD signal, and convert it to one that your present television or VCR tuner can use. It will not be a high definition picture, it will be the same quality that is the current analog standard. When I shop and ask sales people at Wal-Mart or other retailers about this transition, they are amazingly ignorant of the situation. Set top converters are not yet a mainstream item. The big box electronics stores are more up to speed on this, but are more apt to want to sell you a new TV than any kind of converter. There will be a government program starting next year for a rebate or coupon to purchase a converter, but I haven’t heard all the details yet, however I do believe the plan has been finalized.
A few final thoughts. High definition TV will be a cleaner signal, however it is either there, or not. Either you will get a clean, excellent signal or nothing. No ghosts, no fuzzy, grainy pictures. The antenna is smaller, the same as you use for UHF channels now. Broadcasters have been given a certain bandwidth. They can use it to broadcast a single very high definition signal or split it up and broadcast several sub-channels. Many have opted to do that, and broadcast a sub-channel for continuous weather, for instance.
I don’t see this as a smooth transition. Most people use cable, or satellite services. For them, this will be a non-event. For those, especially near big cities who have always used the free, over the air option to view their television, this will be a surprise. Stay tuned, it will be interesting.
Corrections to the above
by gingaskunk - 11/14/07 8:35 AM In reply to: Stay tuned we haven't seen the last episode yet by mathuzeThere are a couple of important errors made by this poster.
They are important insofar as they could easily confuse someone who is reading the response that doesn't already know.
The first and biggest thing is that Digital and HD ARE NOT the same thing. This is VERY important.
A Digital signal is simply a signal which is sent as data (the picture and sounds are changed into a string of 1s and 0s, broadcast, and then reconstructed by the TV when received into a picture). This means that the signal you receive should look as sharp and clear as it was when it was sent out.
HD stands for High Definition and means that the picture on the TV is made up of more lines than an old fashioned standard TV signal (called standard definition or SD). All HD broadcasts are sent in a digital format, but as the poster points out, normal standard definition signals are sent and are going to be sent digitally after the change over.
This means that when looking at a new TV, whether it has HD is TOTALLY irrelevant to whether it will continue to function past 2009. What IS important is that it has a digital tuner built in (I have noticed in the big box stores that the few TV they still have with analogue tuners have big yellow stickers on the display models to let you know). If you look for either a digital tuner, or an ATSC tuner (they are the same thing for the purposes of this explanation), you will be all set. There is a lot of HD broadcast on the free airwaves, so if you are going to a bigger screen then HD is a real benefit, but not required.
The second point is that he cited a friend who bought a plasma as an example, but this was completely unrelated. A normal TV is made of two major parts, the tuner and the screen. The tuner receives the signal and sends it to the screen to be shown. What this gay/gal's friend bought was a plasma screen monitor. A monitor is just that. It is designed to be attached to a computer where the "tuner" part of outputting a signal the screen can use is done by the computer itself (the same reason you can’t watch TV on a any computer monitor). The reason he had to add a box was simply because what he bought had NO tuner at all....
I hope this clears things up.
Potential winning answers
by Lee Koo (ADMIN) - 11/19/07 10:55 AM
In reply to: What does the 2009 digital-TV switch actually mean? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Here are the selected submissions grouped in one post. Read through them and place your votes in the newsletter poll.
Answer:
2009 and the DTV transition
There has been almost as much misinformation about the Digital Television (DTV) transition as there has been valid material. I can understand why so many consumers are confused. Fortunately there are reliable sources for accurate information and for both Queenie and Jim the news is good. First, the HD flat screen Queenie bought last year probably has an ATSC (Advanced Television Standards Committee) digital tuner and very likely is already capable of receiving over-the-air (OTA) HDTV broadcasts today with an antenna and possibly on cable as well. Most TV stations in the United States have been transmitting digital and HDTV signals since May, 2002. A few have been delivering DTV signals for longer than that. Second, any new television you buy in the United States since last July must be sold with an ATSC tuner; heck, you can find an inexpensive 13-inch picture tube-type TV - with ATSC and Digital Cable Ready tuners - in any big box or discount store today for around a hundred bucks. Any product in the store that still has only an analog tuner must be labeled as such by federal law. You may still find DVD recorders and VCR's (if anyone is still selling any!) with analog tuner warnings. A new 26-inch LCD widescreen HDTV might cost less than $700.00, depending on where you shop. Whatever you decide to buy, the set you get today will work now and after 2009 as well. And as you know, the sky's the limit as to how big (and pricey) the new sets can be.
Any new television set purchased today must receive and decode all available ATSC formats as well as receive today's analog Standard Definition (SD) broadcasts. Many inexpensive new TV's are also Digital Cable Ready (DCR,) which means if you are a cable TV subscriber, and your cable company provides the local HDTV channels "in the clear," that is, unencrypted, you may receive those HD channels on your DCR TV set.
We bought a $99.00 13-inch TV two weeks ago from one of the big box stores just to try one out. We were surprised that it could receive analog and digital OTA broadcasts with a standard TV antenna and when plugged into the house cable system it pulled in all the analog SD channels AND all the local HDTV digital channels. Obviously a 13-inch screen is not going to deliver HDTV. But it does deliver Digital TV, making such a purchase a valid choice for the consumer who wants a small set for a bedroom or even the kitchen. The point of this discussion is that there are plenty of HD and SD choices available for a smaller DTV receiver for a bedroom or elswhere.
As to Jim's question, if you are a cable TV or even satellite TV subscriber today, you will probably not notice the difference as February 17, 2009 comes and goes. Remember, the DTV transition involves your local TV stations, not cable or satellite providers. Almost every U.S. TV station provides an analog SD signal to the cable or satellite operator today and we most likely will keep that signal in place in one form or another as long as we perceive that there is a need. Broadcasters believe most cable and satellite providers also will continue to deliver that legacy analog signal to subscribers for the foreseeable future. It will be up to your individual provider to warn you when they plan to discontinue analog transmissions. If you are already noticing that some channels are no longer available on your analog service, it probably means your cable provider has moved them to a "digital tier," which is a more efficient use of the radio spectrum for the cable company. For you to receive these digital cable channels it means purchasing a DCR TV set or renting the cable operator's Digital Cable box until you are ready to buy a new TV set.
OTA viewers with analog-only TV sets receiving broadcasts through a TV antenna, whether indoor or outdoor, need a DTV converter box to receive digital ATSC broadcasts. Without a converter, legacy analog TV sets using ordinary antennas will receive nothing but "snow" the morning of February 18, 2009. But there is help for this group of viewers. The U.S. government has developed a voucher program that will help every qualifying consumer pay for a DTV converter to keep their analog TV sets working. The Consumer Electronics Association has published a National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) fact sheet with more information at http://www.ce.org/NTIA_Consumer_Factsheet.pdf. You will be able to apply for two of these coupons or vouchers per household, worth $40.00 each toward the purchase of a converter box beginning early in 2008. The NTIA has been tracking the development of new converter boxes and the equipment should be in stores to coincide with the availability of the vouchers. Since DTV converter boxes are expected to cost somewhere between $60 - $100.00, the coupon will help pay for the box.
There are several web sites dedicated to providing as much information to the public as possible; here are a few:
http://www.dtvanswers.com/ This is the primary consumer-oriented DTV site with facts about the DTV transition with plenty of questions and answers about what is to come.
http://dtvfacts.com/converter-box-coupons/ focuses on the DTV converter box coupons.
http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html is the government's Q and A site with far more information than I should try to duplicate here.
Finally, viewers everywhere in the United States by now should have seen the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) TV Public Service Announcements about DTV, directing the viewer to DTVanswers.com and other resources. The closer we get to 2009, the more of a push you will see to inform the consumer about the DTV transition. Major programs by the NTIA and NAB are on the verge of being launched and soon there will be plenty of accurate information, readily available to everyone.
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10149_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=271148&messageID=2627024#2627024
Submitted by: DTVEngineer
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Answer:
Digital conversion - easy answers...
Queenie Y.:
"I've been hearing that all TV signals will be converting to digital in 2009. What does that mean for my TV?"
It means that if you currently receive your television signal over the air with an antenna, and have a television that is not capable of getting those channels, you will need some kind of box that sits between your antenna and television that will convert the digital signal to an analog signal so you can continue to use your current, analog television. If you don't have a converter box, then you'll be watching snow after the analog shutoff date. Link here for more info:
http://www.dtv.gov/
There is also a program planned to provide vouchers towards the purchase of digital converter boxes:
Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/index.html
"Can you give me tips on what to look for so that I don't purchase a TV that will not be able to receive a signal in 2009?"
A digital tv is NOT a high definition tv. An HDTV gives you a widescreen with a more lines of resolution than a digital television. Go here for a definition of definitions:
http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/resources/index.php
http://www.ce.org/FCC_DTV_Fact_Sheet.pdf
As of March 1, 2007, all television receivers shipped in interstate commerce or imported into the United States must contain a digital tuner. In addition, effective May 25, 2007, the Commission required sellers of television receiving equipment that does not include a digital tuner to disclose at the point-of-sale that such devices include only an analog tuner, and therefore will require a digital-to-analog converter box to receive over-the-air broadcast television after the transition date.
Digital signals are much stronger than analog signals, but they are directional - meaning that if you use an antenna, you have to point to get signal - but when it comes in, the reception is crystal clear, with no ghosting, multipath noise, or to put it simply, no fuzzy picture. You either get it or you don't. Check out antennaweb.org for where to point. Old school antennas and rotors are back. Personally, I get all my tv over the air with an antenna for the tv tuner, and an antenna connected to my sony hd dvr. The picture quality is excellent.
Jim W.
"My question is: With the FCC's mandate that everything be broadcast in digital some time in 2009), what options are there OTHER than having to obtain a "box" from the local cable company? In my case that would be Comcast, and the less I have to pay them, the better.'
Your options:
Digital converter box for over the air reception
New digital television with an antenna connected
Television with a qam tuner for cable
http://www.qamtuner.com/
Television with a cable card slot
Dish Network or DirecTV
"Also, is there a downside to using a box that's not from the cable company... I do not subscribe to any premium channels so I have no "set top" equipment presently. I'm already seeing channels disappear."
Downside is an unsightly box, the upside is not having to pay the cable co for a "rental fee" for the box. You can purchase a Tivo box with multiple tuners, that works with a pair of cable cards, but, you have to pay a monthly fee to Tivo. I just left Dish Network after 8 years - I did not see the value in paying 45 dollars a month just to watch The Daily Show on Comedy Central. The consumer electronics industry, and the Government need to ramp up an information campaign soon to make the public aware of the upcoming conversion to digital. Hope this helps!
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10149_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=271148&messageID=2626216#2626216
Submitted by myoda
2009 and the DTV transition
by danswart - 11/19/07 12:06 PM In reply to: Potential winning answers by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Everyone seems to play down the complications of receiving HDTV OTA. People just seem to believe you can just connect to some rabbit ears with a UHF loop antenna and everything will work just fine. I am one of many millions of people in this country that cannot receive cable. I currently have multiple HDTVs and find that the complications of OTA reception are very frustrating, and I believe they will be for many who attempt to receive HDTV Signals OTA. I live in an area where I should have good reception for HD signals. But I find the signals are only reliable on a few stations. In situations where the analog signal would get a little fuzzy, the digial signal just drops out. I have had pretty good success with my local ABC and CBS affiliates, but NBC just does not work.
To make my current system work, i have separate UHF and VHF antennas that are combined through a band pass filter, then taken down a home run to where the signal must be amplified before it can be distributed to 3 separate receivers. This is easier than a spearate antenna for each TV. Since the sources are not all in the same direction I have to have a rotor on the UHF antenna. I find that 1 degree of rotation can make the difference between a reasonable signal (one that only drops out every so often) and a bad signal. (one that is out as much as it is in) Many people who try to make this work will learn the term "multipath". Digital TV signals are prone to bounce off objects. If that bounce creates a separate path to the end user, those paths may confuse the reciever and it will lose sync on the signal. Weather can also make multipathing worse, as can airplanes, cars, trucks and apparently wet swaying trees.
Life in the digital world without cable is not as easy as the FCC and most cable companies would like to have us think.
After 3 years of HDTV OTA, I have recently begun to receive HD locals on Dish Network. To make that happen I had to get an dish with 3 receivers pointing in one direction, and another dish with one reciever pointing in another. (I could have had one dish with 4 receivers if there were not trees in the way of one satelite) But even with this array of receivers, Dish does not broadcast all the local HD programming that is available OTA... Sort of available anyway.
Power Outage
by EmiLee69 - 11/19/07 1:56 PM In reply to: What does the 2009 digital-TV switch actually mean? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
One thing the changeover to digital means to me is that the small portable TV I use during power outages will now no longer work. Is anyone aware of a not-too-expensive battery operated TV with a digital tuner that could be used under such circumstances?
I appreciate being able to tune in during storms for weather-related information, etc. Plus, it is sometimes reassuring to my daughters who become unnerved when the power goes out---especially at night without any lights other than candles, lanterns, and flashlights.
EmiLee69 , good point
by Evayy - 11/19/07 2:30 PM In reply to: Power Outage by EmiLee69Emilee i was thinking about all those vehicle tv's under the counter kitchen tvs ( even being sold now and of course as you mentioned) our weather band portable tvs.
Also for those that were looking at price did buy the tunerless moniter/tv .
I hate the fact that there will be those that bought the tunerless tv's under counter kitchen tvs which may or may not operate when the conversion takes place.
I just hope as folks make there buying decisions they do their home work and not have a nasty surprise latter
battery TV
by dustmeister - 11/22/07 6:21 AM In reply to: Power Outage by EmiLee69try shopping at a truck stop. I know, for non-truckers it may sound a bit weird, but you'll be pleasantly surprised at what is available for those times when 110v electricity is not available.
Unimpressed By Digital
by WazmoNariz - 11/19/07 6:00 PM In reply to: What does the 2009 digital-TV switch actually mean? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Ugh. This is going to be a huge, expensive fiasco.
I purchased a top-of-the-line Samsung converter box a year ago to allow my "HD ready" Sony HDTV to pick up OTA digital HD broadcasts. This device is very slow -- it takes up to 10 seconds to move to the next channel. It takes over a minute to build the on-screen inventory of programming for 6 channels, then another minute for the next 6, and so on. It also loses track of programmed channels, and needs reprogramming every other month or so. It is incompatible with my VCR and DVD recorders. The picture is marginally better, but not the "3D-like" experience that's been advertised. Not even close.
I live about 20 miles away from the broadcast towers in the flatlands. Whereas the analog signal would develop white static during bad weather, the digital signal will drop out entirely, or will lose the bottom half of the picture.
Like others in this post, we have several small analog TVs scattered around the house that just use rabbit ears. Not clear how we'll get the house rewired to get them on a digital antenna.
I predict this will be good for the cable TV providers, and for stores selling digital TVs, but very confusing and bad for consumers.
Not to mention millions of servicable analog TVs headed to the landfills.
Ugh.
Fiasco?
by EmiLee69 - 11/19/07 6:23 PM In reply to: Unimpressed By Digital by WazmoNarizI suspect it is, in many ways, a fiasco. I don't feel knowledgeable enough to address all areas of concern. However, I strongly agree with your comment about many of the analog TVs ending up in landfills or sitting unused somewhere. I have enough STUFF, and I won't keep my analog TVs taking up valuable space just for single-use purposes. Of course, if Comcast stops supporting the Basic Expanded analog cable programming that I now buy, we may have to adjust to having TVs that are nothing more than video/DVD players. But the thought of having to upgrade some or all of our video equipment just to have the status quo is frustrating. I know that many say the quality of picture will be worth it, but even if it is superior, it really makes no difference to me, as none of us in our family are truly "serious" video afficianados (no surround sound or giant screen TVs here). Furthermore, I'm reading a number of reports that state that it could very well be worse---with less reliable transmission than with analog. I'd rather have to cope with the occaional fuzzy picture and be able to get my news stations reliably than to have perfect, detailed picture but unreliable transmission.
I'm all for those who want the technology to have it available; I just hope those of us happy with how things are won't be forced to change or lose the programing we now have.
It's about money
by JustEdd - 11/20/07 7:30 AM In reply to: Fiasco? by EmiLee69What is not in the CNET article or this forum is the profit motive. The US government plans to sell the old part of the TV broadcast band no longer is use (VHF) to the highest bidders. So really, consumers are once again paying the price for corporate greed.
Profit Motive
by WazmoNariz - 11/20/07 12:48 PM In reply to: It's about money by JustEddAbsolutely there's a profit motive. The deadline was set as part of the "Deficit Reduction Action of 2005". It narrowly passed the Senate with Dick Cheney casting the deciding vote, and there's some controversy whether the bill is law since the Senate and House approved slightly different measures.
The bill also cuts Medicare, Medicade, and student loan programs.
The entire UHF spectrum will be auctioned off to private for-profit corporations. So, a one-time benefit to the treasury. The winning corporations will then sell you new communications services (streaming TV to your car!) to make a profit.
And I like how the sh*t doesn't hit the fan until one month after Bush and Cheney are out of office.
Here's the citation:
Section 3002 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-171, 120 Stat. 4 (Feb. 8, 2006), amending the Communications Act of 1934, section 309(j)(14), codified at 47 U.S.C. § 309(j)(14).
--Wazmo
.
And then what?
by acbar8 - 11/19/07 7:49 PM In reply to: Unimpressed By Digital by WazmoNarizHas anyone thought about the impact on our landfills of millions upon millions of discarded CRTs? Or will there be some other sort of collection system to divert this monumental heap of glass and heavy metals from the ground? Is there any other country to which used, serviceable U.S. analog SD units could be shipped to have a second life?
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