Digital TV and Low-Powered Television

[azumanga]

Do LPTVs (including Class-As and translators) face the same deadline and requirements for digital television as full-powered stations?Recently, I came across a website for Louisville Christian station WJYL-CA (http://www.jwsim.org/wjyl45); even though they addressed themselves as a "-TV", their license is a "-CA" (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WJYL), with power of 150kw. According to that site, they've raised money to convert to digital to meet the 3/15/2006 deadline for installation.I always thought LPTVs were exempt from the same requirements and deadlines as full-powered stations?

 

[Matt]

My understanding of the situation with LPTV's and CA's is that at this time these stations are not being required to convert to digital transmission. However, common sense would tell anyone that when the full-power analogs cut off their transmitters the only audience that most analog LPTV/CA stations will have are the people who are either too poor or too dumb to buy a converter box. Comparatively few of these stations are extensively carried on cable or satellite.Until recently, most LPTV/CA stations have not had FCC authority to put on a second channel to develop a digital station. Even with the FCC opening up a filing window for this (12 days on short notice was not a sufficient response to the problem IMHO), few such stations were able to gain this advantage. Therefore, conversion for LPTV's and CA's will largely be a "flash cut" from analog to digital, with the resultant loss at some point of the portion of their viewers who have not purchased digital tuners for their TV's.Digital conversion represents a crisis point for most LPTV/CA stations, because of the cost of digital transmission equipment. For those who are doing local production, the cost of high-definition production equipment has to be factored in as well. It may well be that a lot of these stations just won't be able to raise the capital.The positive in this whole thing for those who survive is that once digital conversion is complete many markets may see more opportunities for new LPTV's and CA's due to closer channel spacing. We're watching to see how this thing develops, and hopefully making the decisions that will allow us to survive and thrive.Matt Smith, Station ManagerWGSR-LP "Star-39"Reidsville, NC - A LOCALLY owned and programmed LPTV

 

[dhett]

Do LPTVs (including Class-As and translators) face the same deadline and requirements for digital television as full-powered stations?Recently, I came across a website for Louisville Christian station WJYL-CA (http://www.jwsim.org/wjyl45); even though they addressed themselves as a "-TV", their license is a "-CA" (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WJYL), with power of 150kw. According to that site, they've raised money to convert to digital to meet the 3/15/2006 deadline for installation.I always thought LPTVs were exempt from the same requirements and deadlines as full-powered stations?

LPTVs don't operate under the same requirements and deadlines as full-service stations. Full-service stations were required to do all of their filings several years ago and for the most part, are already required to have DTV service up and running. Most are already licensed. LPTV stations do not have a solid deadline for DTV conversion, only that it will be after the full-service stations surrender their companion channels, which is set to happen in Spring, 2009.I can't find any FCC requirement of a filing by 3/16/2006, but that doesn't mean that one doesn't exist. I do know that since mid-March, LPTV stations from all over have been filing digital flash cut applications and applications to operate companion channels (mostly those in the 700 MHz band being vacated - chs 52 thru 69). I'm pretty sure this is related to what WJYL-CA is referencing, but I'm not sure why they'd need $30K to do it.Strictly a layman's opinion: a 3/16 filing was necessary, but there was no money needed specifically for the filing. The station managers will need funds to begin the conversion process and would like to have them ASAP. Non-profit organizations, regardless of whether religious or secular, never miss an opportunity to solicit funds.

 

[TexasTom]

My understanding of the situation with LPTV's and CA's is that at this time these stations are not being required to convert to digital transmission. However, common sense would tell anyone that when the full-power analogs cut off their transmitters the only audience that most analog LPTV/CA stations will have are the people who are either too poor or too dumb to buy a converter box. Comparatively few of these stations are extensively carried on cable or satellite.

I've been seeing a certain amount of disagreement over this. Remember, all those old televisions are still going to have working analog tuners built in. And those tuners won't suddenly quit working in 2009. So, theoretically, these stations could continue to broadcast an analog signal after 2009 and still be viewed in OTA-only households. They'd have the added advantage of being receivable on televisions that aren't connected to a digital adapter for whatever reason, which means that their potential audience may be larger than if they do convert.The flip side of this is that viewers who become accustomed to the noise-free pictures of the digital stations may not be willing to tolerate the imperfections in the analog-only image quality of LPTV stations that don't convert. Having the worst picture quality in the area isn't necessarily a great calling card.

 

[FreddyE1977]

If I were a betting man, I'd say that the odds of an analog shut-down actually happening in Spring '09are slim to none. There are still vast, huge numbers of the non-interested, non-technical public out therewho are totally oblivious to what is going on. All they will know is that someone, sometime in 2008 is going to comealong and tell them that all of the TV sets that they currently own are about to become expensive boat anchors,unless they are willing to spring for a converter box for each of them. And all of the blame for that will fall on.....CONGRESS! It is REALLY going to be fun to watch the sparks fly and the politicians all running for coveras we approach that analog :shut-down date. I'd stake a couple of paychecks on them not having the guts toactually go through with it. (plus I suspect the NAB will start to lobby very hard to keep the companion channels for additional services to both digital and non-digital viewers).They can get away with incompetence, corruption and tax hikes....but the minute they mess with TVthey are going to have a revolution on their hands!

 

[dhett]

I'm not sure the impact will be as big as you think. A majority* of Americans get their TV via cable and satellite; those will not be affected, other than carriage of digital subchannels. And even for those who have secondary OTA TVs - those TVs usually aren't that expensive and should be relatively easily replaced, as long as portable DTVs are widely available.When the transition is over and done, I wonder how many people will still be unaware that there even was a DTV transition?* estimated by J.D. Power to be 87% as of 8/2005. Source: Media Life (http://www.medialifemagazine.com/News2005/aug05/Aug22/1_mon/news2monday.html)

 

[R.D.P.]

I have been keeping up with this change for years now.  My TV in the den receives its programs from a rooftop antenna.  We use that TV to keep us informed, when our Satellite is knocked off.  Once every local channel has switched over to digital, I plan on getting a digital converter for the den TV, so that we can continue to stay informed about bad weather affecting my area.R.D.P. <><

 

[TexasTom]

One concern in this transition is that there still aren't any battery powered televisions with digital tuners available. And, of course, all those portable televisions out there will essentially become useless after the transition. After all, of what use is a digital converter with a 3" handheld TV?

 

[R.D.P.]

Is my mother supposed to trash her GPX B&W 5 Inch TV, once the transition has occured?  If so, that will be money thrown down the drain, since this set is a brand new one.R.D.P. <><P.S. I hope they will include a Digital tuner in the newer models of portable TV's, once the transition has occured.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Yes, my point exactly! They continue to sell those portables too, and will probably continue to sell them despite the impending switch. I have yet to see any labeled with a disclaimer, "Becomes Useless in April, 2009". I have my primary set hooked to cable, but several others scattered around the house are off-air only. I'm sure many others are in the same boat. Latest I heard was that Congress was thinking of actually offering a subsidy to pay the cost of buying converter boxes. Why would they be thinking of doing that if it were not an issue? Somebody is hearing footsteps.....Some prior experience from the British model. They started up on 405 line, B/W VHF, AM sound, positive modulation, in the late 1930's. They revived this system and continued to run it after WWII. In 1962, they decided to switch the entire national television service to 625 line, PAL color , negative modulation ,FM sound UHF. BBC I and ITV were to simulcast under the new and old systems until a shut-down date, scheduled for around 1970. The ACTUAL shut-down date for the old VHF system was..... January, 1985! By that point enough people had switched to the new format that the old one just whithered away. And I'm sure that means that was many years after ALL sales of sets on the old format had ceased. In my view, the total switch to digital will likewise end up being many, many more years out in the future than they want to admit.