Should they delay the Digital TV transition?

[Nimbus]

Apparantly the major networks are willing to delay the Feb 17th transition to digital TV, CBS being the last hold out.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/16568.cfm

Unfortunately in this country TV shows like "sesame street" are the only affordable babysitter for many low income households.
Of course a delay will leave many of the network contractual obligations that are time sensitive, dead in the water.

Probably most of the tech savvy storm2k folks are either on dish or cable.
If you live very far from the towers getting all the digital stations can be tough.

[JonathanBelles]

NO!! Please, I dont want to watch the commercials and reminders any more. Get it done and over with. If you havent switched after 150 days of reminders, theres something wrong.

[tomboudreau]

Heck NO! Make the switch. You cant use the excuse you didnt know that this was going to happen.

[RL3AO]

They passed the law four years ago and they've been telling you non stop for a year about it. Make the switch already.

[somethingfunny]

It's not about people being dense enough to still not have a converter box.

When an analog signal is weak, you get a snowy picture but you've still got it. When a digital signal gets weak, it goes from perfectly clear to completely blank. I can get an analog signal out of Dallas, but not a digital signal unless the weather is absolutely perfect and it's very late at night. Granted we do have our own TV stations (NBC, CBS, CW, Fox, MyNetwork, and NWS Radar anyway) broadcasting here in the Sherman/Denison Micropolitan Area, but there are going to be alot of people in rural areas who lose all television service entirely after February 17 even with the converter boxes.

Fixing this problem now would involve installing thousands of higher intensity transmitters and that would cost way too much......why did we have to mess with the old analog broadcasts in the first place? If it ain't broke, don't fix it! If people wanted luxuries like clearer picture/sound, they'd get cable/sattelite!

[Ptarmigan]

Digital signals are prone to interference. Once the transition happens, it should be better. I hate it when digital is getting interference.

[lurkey]

Fixing this problem now would involve installing thousands of higher intensity transmitters and that would cost way too much......why did we have to mess with the old analog broadcasts in the first place? If it ain't broke, don't fix it! If people wanted luxuries like clearer picture/sound, they'd get cable/sattelite!

The particular spectrum we are talking about is worth millions and the gov't wants to sell it off. . . btw the buyers are the telcos . . AT&T, Verizon etc. I think it has to with the 4G (fourth-generation mobile communications systems) for high speed data on cellphones

[Brent]

NO. I'm so sick of hearing about it. I'm in the 90% of the country who is in the 21st century and has to do nothing. The date was set years ago and if people aren't ready I have no sympathy.

[Nimbus]

They estimate 7.8 million Americans have not made the switch to HDTV yet. Presumably the reason is that it is too costly and technically challenging to add a converter box and in many cases upgrade their antenna system. Even if the funds were magically available for the boxes, in most cases you will need to upgrade your antenna. A digital receiver will not display a snowy picture if the signal is weak, the picture just freezes.

Somethingfunny wrote:

Fixing this problem now would involve installing thousands of higher intensity transmitters and that would cost way too much......

My neighborhood is over 30 miles away from the antenna farm and on the back side of a ridge. According to the government information site we would need a higher DBS(DeciBel Sensitivity) antenna.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Welcome.aspx

Target, Walmart, and Kmart are gearing up for the switchover but only sell dinky little "HDTV antennas" with DBS ratings of up to 18 DBs (DeciBel Sensitivity). The truth is that these smaller omnidirectional loops are only about a third as sensitive as they claim.

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html

(don't ask me what the difference is between DBi and DBd)

A more sensitive directional antenna will be needed in many situations.
After reviewing the above links and comparing the requirements against polar graphs DBS (decibel sensitivity).

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/DB4.html

I purchased a suitable antenna. Of course installing the antennae oriented in just the right direction, at the proper height above the roof is no picnic either.

I'm thinking many low income families are going to find it easier to give in to the CATV salesmen and rope themselves into CATV contracts they can't afford. Either that or just think up a good story to tell their preschoolers about what happened to their sesame street friends come feb 17th...

[lurkey]

They estimate 7.8 million Americans have not made the switch to HDTV yet. Presumably the reason is that it is too costly and technically challenging to add a converter box and in many cases upgrade their antenna system. Even if the funds were magically available for the boxes, in most cases you will need to upgrade your antenna. A digital receiver will not display a snowy picture if the signal is weak, the picture just freezes.

I don't think this has anything to do with HDTV (high definition TV). I had a tv that is not a HDTV set, but did not require a converter box. The TV could receive both digital and analog signals.

It's called DTV (digital televison).

[gtalum]

It's not about people being dense enough to still not have a converter box.

When an analog signal is weak, you get a snowy picture but you've still got it. When a digital signal gets weak, it goes from perfectly clear to completely blank. I can get an analog signal out of Dallas, but not a digital signal unless the weather is absolutely perfect and it's very late at night. Granted we do have our own TV stations (NBC, CBS, CW, Fox, MyNetwork, and NWS Radar anyway) broadcasting here in the Sherman/Denison Micropolitan Area, but there are going to be alot of people in rural areas who lose all television service entirely after February 17 even with the converter boxes.

Fixing this problem now would involve installing thousands of higher intensity transmitters and that would cost way too much......why did we have to mess with the old analog broadcasts in the first place? If it ain't broke, don't fix it! If people wanted luxuries like clearer picture/sound, they'd get cable/sattelite!

Just get basic cable. It's like $10 a month for the most basic package. The current spectrum can be better used for other things.

[somethingfunny]

The government coupons for $40 off a converter box mean that you can get a cheap converter box for $40+tax (basically, it will cost you about $5 with a govt. coupon) or a more expensive one with more bells and whistles for $60. ($28 or so with the coupon) FIVE DOLLARS.

And installing one...literally, I was amazed at how simple it was. Instead of running the AV Cable from your antenna to the back of your TV, you run one from your antenna to the "Input" jack on the converter box, and another one (included with the converter!) from the "Output" jack to the back of your TV. If someone can't figure that out then even Sesame Street is too advanced for them.

That's a good point about the antenna though. I'll have to go check out Best Buy (our Circuit City is empty now) to see if they've got some better antennas than the one I bought at Wal-Mart. Truthfully if I can get DFW stations on my antenna I'll cancel my cable subscription. With DTV I can already get more stations than Cable (Sherman-Denison stations, DFW, Tyler/Longview, OKC, Wichita Falls, even Tulsa, Fort Smith, Texarkana, Shreveport and Waco stations come in sometimes! )

I'm paying $25/month+taxes for my basic cable. In a rural area like mine the maintenance costs are higher, and their only competition is from DirecTV/DISH.

[southerngale]

They estimate 7.8 million Americans have not made the switch to HDTV yet. Presumably the reason is that it is too costly and technically challenging to add a converter box and in many cases upgrade their antenna system. Even if the funds were magically available for the boxes, in most cases you will need to upgrade your antenna. A digital receiver will not display a snowy picture if the signal is weak, the picture just freezes.

Somethingfunny wrote:

Fixing this problem now would involve installing thousands of higher intensity transmitters and that would cost way too much......

My neighborhood is over 30 miles away from the antenna farm and on the back side of a ridge. According to the government information site we would need a higher DBS(DeciBel Sensitivity) antenna.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Welcome.aspx

Target, Walmart, and Kmart are gearing up for the switchover but only sell dinky little "HDTV antennas" with DBS ratings of up to 18 DBs (DeciBel Sensitivity). The truth is that these smaller omnidirectional loops are only about a third as sensitive as they claim.

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html

(don't ask me what the difference is between DBi and DBd)

A more sensitive directional antenna will be needed in many situations.
After reviewing the above links and comparing the requirements against polar graphs DBS (decibel sensitivity).

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/DB4.html

I purchased a suitable antenna. Of course installing the antennae oriented in just the right direction, at the proper height above the roof is no picnic either.

I'm thinking many low income families are going to find it easier to give in to the CATV salesmen and rope themselves into CATV contracts they can't afford. Either that or just think up a good story to tell their preschoolers about what happened to their sesame street friends come feb 17th...

The government gave out $40 coupons and if it's too technically challenging, they have more things to worry about than watching TV.

[Brent]

They estimate 7.8 million Americans have not made the switch to HDTV yet. Presumably the reason is that it is too costly and technically challenging to add a converter box and in many cases upgrade their antenna system. Even if the funds were magically available for the boxes, in most cases you will need to upgrade your antenna. A digital receiver will not display a snowy picture if the signal is weak, the picture just freezes.

Somethingfunny wrote:

Fixing this problem now would involve installing thousands of higher intensity transmitters and that would cost way too much......

My neighborhood is over 30 miles away from the antenna farm and on the back side of a ridge. According to the government information site we would need a higher DBS(DeciBel Sensitivity) antenna.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Welcome.aspx

Target, Walmart, and Kmart are gearing up for the switchover but only sell dinky little "HDTV antennas" with DBS ratings of up to 18 DBs (DeciBel Sensitivity). The truth is that these smaller omnidirectional loops are only about a third as sensitive as they claim.

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html

(don't ask me what the difference is between DBi and DBd)

A more sensitive directional antenna will be needed in many situations.
After reviewing the above links and comparing the requirements against polar graphs DBS (decibel sensitivity).

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/DB4.html

I purchased a suitable antenna. Of course installing the antennae oriented in just the right direction, at the proper height above the roof is no picnic either.

I'm thinking many low income families are going to find it easier to give in to the CATV salesmen and rope themselves into CATV contracts they can't afford. Either that or just think up a good story to tell their preschoolers about what happened to their sesame street friends come feb 17th...

The government gave out $40 coupons and if it's too technically challenging, they have more things to worry about than watching TV.

LOL

My thoughts exactly. People need to get with the times.

[mf_dolphin]

It's way over time to make the switch. Let's get on with it already!

[Miss Mary]

Apparantly the major networks are willing to delay the Feb 17th transition to digital TV, CBS being the last hold out.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/16568.cfm

Unfortunately in this country TV shows like "sesame street" are the only affordable babysitter for many low income households.
Of course a delay will leave many of the network contractual obligations that are time sensitive, dead in the water.

Probably most of the tech savvy storm2k folks are either on dish or cable.
If you live very far from the towers getting all the digital stations can be tough.

No I don't think they should delay this. People have heard about the switch for a few years. And if they haven't, they've been living under a rock somewhere!

[TexasStooge]

Make the switch. My household's already prepared through Cable.

[lurkey]

Faster Wireless Broadband delayed if DTV's delayed

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/articl ... fusion.php

[Stephanie]

From what I read is that the government ran out of coupons and did not get them to everyone that would need them to get the converter box. This is the main reason for wanting the delay.

[somethingfunny]

From what I read is that the government ran out of coupons and did not get them to everyone that would need them to get the converter box. This is the main reason for wanting the delay.

Lol, I have 3 of them still. Ebay?