Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Analog broadcast TV to stop, digital is taking over

Psycho Dad · 11-11-2006, 04:54 AM

Quote:

December 26, 2005 — 2009 Hard Date Set For DTV Transition
Just in time for Christmas both branches of Congress agreed in late December to a February 18th, 2009 "hard date" for the DTV transition. This will not only end analog transmissions in the US, but will also free up analog spectrum for emergency first responders and also reap an enormous windfall of cash to the federal government when it auctions off the remaining analog spectrum by January of 2008.

The distinction of the term "hard date" is made to acknowledge that, unlike earlier dates for the DTV transition, the 2009 date is not predicated on percentages of households able to receive the signals, or other conditions that could cause the date to move back should they not be met. In the wake of communications difficulties for first responders on 9/11, and during Hurricane Katrina, some congress people had been pushing for an earlier transition date to free up desperately needed spectrum. In addition, estimates are that the government will take in between $10 and $30 billion from selling off the remaining spectrum. Broadcasters had initially pushed for the transition to occur in April, so that it would occur after both the Super Bowl and "March Madness," which is the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Of course that could be just a prelude to other fronts in the battle. As currently drafted the legislation also provides approximately $1.5 billion in subsidies for poor consumers to purchase set-top box converters that will allow owners of analog TV sets to view digital broadcasts. It's estimated that after the subsidy consumers would have to pay as much as $20 per box, which some "consumer advocates" have already decried as unfair.

Are You Watching HD On Your HDTV?
Only about half of the people who own HDTV are watching genuine High-Definition programming, according to separate studies by Jupiter Research and set-top box manufacturer Scientific Atlanta. Reasons cited by consumers who aren't getting HD signals for their HDTVs include that they aren't signed up for HDTV programming or aren't using the right gear.

23% of the HDTV owners who told the Scientific Atlanta study they aren't receiving HD signals acknowledged being confused by the messages displayed on some TV shows that says "broadcast in HD," not understanding that the message appears whether you're actually seeing the program in high-def or not. 28% of these HDTV owners said they didn't pick up any additional gear because their picture was already improved by the purchase of the HDTV, and 18% did not believe they needed any additional equipment to receive the HD signals.

As UAV readers certainly know, set-top boxes are most often required for an owner of an HDTV to receive HD signals and see all the glorious resolution there is to see. Although more sets are being sold with integrated CableCARD HD tuners that allow consumers to connect a single cable to their sets to get HD programming via cable, the cable companies aren't excited about promoting CableCARD since its one-way communication doesn't allow consumers to do pay-per-view or other On-Demand services that are lucrative for the cable companies.

I recently visited the house of a friend who has the same DirecTV HD TiVo that I own and an HD-resolution 50" plasma TV. In other words, this is someone with an HDTV, with a subscription to HD programming, and with the proper equipment to receive and watch HD all the livelong day. I saw the "broadcast in HD" message precede a broadcast of Alias on ABC, and then saw a very lousy, and obviously very non-HD image. Walking up to the TiVo I saw that the format button on the front of the box was set to 480i, meaning that every signal, no matter how high in definition, was being converted to standard definition 480i. It had been that way for months.

While I was able to switch the box quickly and offer my friend a quick tutorial, most consumers are apparently in the dark. Education about such complex topics is certainly in order, but where and from whom? The "Costco-ization" factor means that more and more people are buying their HDTVs at the lowest cost possible, and not from experienced dealers who would explain any of these nuances, let alone, gasp, actually go to the customer's house and setup the equipment properly and ensure that the purchasers of HDTVs get to see some HDTV. Going to the chain stores, a person is just as likely to be told that a Monster power line conditioner is what makes a TV high-definition, no matter what type of signal goes into it.

One potential answer (besides turning all of your friends onto UAV for ongoing education) is an independent source like the ISF (Imaging Science Foundation, www.imagingscience.com). Before my life as an AV journalist became too demanding I used to perform calibrations for consumers on a regular basis. One of the most valuable services I performed didn't require a color analyzer, and that was making sure my customers were using the highest quality connections and had access to the highest quality signals available in the area. Sounds like there are lots of people out there who could use such expert advice.

Looks like you have a little more time. At one time I had a FCC article that outlined what was to happen when but I can't find it now. I went through all this BS this summer when shopping for a TV. One thing I can tell you is most of the TV salesmen are either uninformed or not telling the truth.