Ok reading some posts on here and some other forums about the big switchover on 2-17-2009, Lets hope I will be ready and my cable tv will provide me with the old signal as I'm getting now with my cableready tv's, and 7 vcr's, 2 dvd recorders and my computers wintv, hooked up without renting a dozen of their darn cableboxes for a kings ransom. I will see on 2-17-2009 what will happen here, and I can't wait too.. Ok my personal opinion about this mess is quick drop dead change over on this thing.yeah I know the stations can't keep up on running their electric bills up with two transmitters online,also I know the FCC neads some of the band for other uses, I know , I've been in the Electronics feild for 30 + years now,yeah times changes very quick in this business.Ok again here this country is screwing the poor again that can't afford buy cable, set top dtv convertors with the $40 dollar coupon, or a new tv from Wal-mart.More important bills like food for the family.electricity, gas or oil for from the corrupt oil co's to keep warm, medical bill's and so fourth.I think a new tv is the last emergency piece of equipment on 02/17/2009 to purchase at Wal-mart that day.I hope this transaction backfires and FCC will wake up and smell the coffee and make some 11th hour changes to NOT make it hard for the people of this country.Yeah I know as I understand All this bolony is to gather a handfull of the uhf tv channels to auction off for more stupid arss cellphone and wifi communications ,I'm sorry if I got to strong on this , but lets show some respect for the people.
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My opinion on 2-17-2009 - Is it going to be smooth or a big disaster.
- Thread starter WPPCProductions
- Start date
And now my opinion...
The whole "people can't afford TV" business is a myth. I've driven through some of the poorest areas of the country, and yet people have satellite dishes. I've spoken to people pleading poverty, and yet they almost always seem to have cable, and not the low-cost "local and public access channels" package either. Set-top converter boxes will not be too expensive for people to afford, with or without the $40 coupon - it's a one-time expense, and people blow more money than that every week at McDonalds.
My experience is that people always find the means to do what they want to do. If they value television that much, they'll find a way to get a box. In areas with relatively low cable/satellite penetration, TV stations would be nuts not to make sure their audiences have a means to watch their stations.
I expect the DTV switchover to be as eventful as January 1, 2000 was - and for the same reason. People will be prepared ahead of time.
The whole "people can't afford TV" business is a myth. I've driven through some of the poorest areas of the country, and yet people have satellite dishes. I've spoken to people pleading poverty, and yet they almost always seem to have cable, and not the low-cost "local and public access channels" package either. Set-top converter boxes will not be too expensive for people to afford, with or without the $40 coupon - it's a one-time expense, and people blow more money than that every week at McDonalds.
My experience is that people always find the means to do what they want to do. If they value television that much, they'll find a way to get a box. In areas with relatively low cable/satellite penetration, TV stations would be nuts not to make sure their audiences have a means to watch their stations.
I expect the DTV switchover to be as eventful as January 1, 2000 was - and for the same reason. People will be prepared ahead of time.
Re: And now my opinion...
Especially now that Sling and Dish Network have partnered up to unveil (at CES yesterday) a converter box that's coupon-eligible and set to retail for $39.99, the whole poor-mouth excuse falls apart completely.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/ar...display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228&
What's the next excuse?
dhett said:
Especially now that Sling and Dish Network have partnered up to unveil (at CES yesterday) a converter box that's coupon-eligible and set to retail for $39.99, the whole poor-mouth excuse falls apart completely.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/ar...display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228&
What's the next excuse?
Re: And now my opinion...
Yeah I have to agree,Go down the streets in the poor side of my town you will see a million of Dish tv dishes poking out of the side of the houses. Ok,I'm sorry, guess I was venting out to strong here.I have freinds and reletives wining down my back over the holidays what will happen on that day.btw Wal-mart probably a box for $29.99 by Xmas this year.
Scott Fybush said:
Yeah I have to agree,Go down the streets in the poor side of my town you will see a million of Dish tv dishes poking out of the side of the houses. Ok,I'm sorry, guess I was venting out to strong here.I have freinds and reletives wining down my back over the holidays what will happen on that day.btw Wal-mart probably a box for $29.99 by Xmas this year.
While I agree that most people cry poor, you're forgetting in big cities like Chicago, dishes are not options. I live in a building with 50 apartments and there is no way you can get a dish. The buildings only have a few inches apart from each other. Some buildings are joined right next to each other. The flats share a common wall.
For me it's cable or nothing. The cheapest cable we have is $21.95 that's for OTA channels.
I have OTA only.
I think a lot of the transition will depend on how many people have cable or dishes. For instance I remember during the WTC Collapse, people in NYC that had cable didn't have any interruptions, (or so they told me) because the station don't need a transmitter to feed their signals to the cable / dish companies.
I'm all for the digital switch and it certainly won't kill people to miss a few days without TV.
As for the converter box, I will wait to see how well it works if it all. Remember DTV tuners are different from each other. All though they operate basically the same, some are better than others. Some scan better, some lock channels better. So the converters might not all be the same. I don't know. Plus I know people that can't hook up a VCR, is it gonna be easy to hook these converters up?
This is why I'll wait till the last minute.
For me it's cable or nothing. The cheapest cable we have is $21.95 that's for OTA channels.
I have OTA only.
I think a lot of the transition will depend on how many people have cable or dishes. For instance I remember during the WTC Collapse, people in NYC that had cable didn't have any interruptions, (or so they told me) because the station don't need a transmitter to feed their signals to the cable / dish companies.
I'm all for the digital switch and it certainly won't kill people to miss a few days without TV.
As for the converter box, I will wait to see how well it works if it all. Remember DTV tuners are different from each other. All though they operate basically the same, some are better than others. Some scan better, some lock channels better. So the converters might not all be the same. I don't know. Plus I know people that can't hook up a VCR, is it gonna be easy to hook these converters up?
This is why I'll wait till the last minute.
I was just wondeirng if my portable mini TV that I use on occasion while riding in the car will work after this switch? I assume it won't, and it will be a shame when it happens because it's always cool to watch TV on long road trips, and I don't plan on shelling out thousands to have a satellite unit installed.
If you mean a 5" B/W television or a Sony Watchman, the answer is no. The VHF TV band on some Walkmans will no longer work either. The Walkman I have picks up no audio on channel 10 or 12, the digital channels for ABC and CW in greater Hartford, respectively. (The NOAA Weather Radio part of it still works as always.)
KML is right. The TV portion of any of those AM-FM-TV radios will cease to function as of 2-17-09...except within earshot of Canada or near LPTV stations that are in the VHF band. Neither thing will apply to the vast majority of users of such units. There is an FCC notification that is supposed to be posted at the point of sale for each affected (new) item which essentially warns the potential buyer that the TV portion will no longer work as of the magic date. None of the other bands will be affected, of course. But, it will certainly spur manufacturers to do something different with portable radios as the VHF band will soon be a useless addition.
With respect to the digital transition, I think it will be much smoother than any of us would have expected a year or two ago. The public awareness is there, sales of DTVs have been soaring, and most people have cable or satellite and won't have to do anything right away. Those who get TV over the air seem to be aware of the change. The message is out there and the drumbeat is growing ever louder with PSAs and promos from every broadcast channel (even Univision and Telemundo have gotten in the act). From what I can tell, the OTA broadcasters are doing a fine job of explaining what is coming. Yes, there is some confusion between the concepts of "digital" and "HD" but that will not impact the actual changeover. It may spur some complaints after the change - but it won't keep people from seeing their favorite channels.
So, my prediction is that this will happen with few complaints and very few glitches. Only those living under a rock or with subpar IQs will wake up on the morning of 2-17-09 and be shocked not to see Matt Lauer or Maury Povich.
With respect to the digital transition, I think it will be much smoother than any of us would have expected a year or two ago. The public awareness is there, sales of DTVs have been soaring, and most people have cable or satellite and won't have to do anything right away. Those who get TV over the air seem to be aware of the change. The message is out there and the drumbeat is growing ever louder with PSAs and promos from every broadcast channel (even Univision and Telemundo have gotten in the act). From what I can tell, the OTA broadcasters are doing a fine job of explaining what is coming. Yes, there is some confusion between the concepts of "digital" and "HD" but that will not impact the actual changeover. It may spur some complaints after the change - but it won't keep people from seeing their favorite channels.
So, my prediction is that this will happen with few complaints and very few glitches. Only those living under a rock or with subpar IQs will wake up on the morning of 2-17-09 and be shocked not to see Matt Lauer or Maury Povich.
M
MotoMuzak
Guest
What I really have to laugh at--lately I have been seeing the Digital TV conversion PSA's airing on Weather Plus (KGW in my case) and Qubo (KPXG in my case).
......ummmmm, I assume if one is watching that PSA on Weather Plus or Qubo, that they must already have access to a digital TV receiver of some sort? And as such, they must already have at least some minimal knowledge of the fact that analogue TV will be dead come 2009??
I think it seems kinda redundant I think! ;o)
......ummmmm, I assume if one is watching that PSA on Weather Plus or Qubo, that they must already have access to a digital TV receiver of some sort? And as such, they must already have at least some minimal knowledge of the fact that analogue TV will be dead come 2009??
I think it seems kinda redundant I think! ;o)
alg2468 said:
Yeah I have a dozen of those small tv's in my collection,I can still use them for monitors.Hum, maybe a dts tv tuner in cellphones, everything is almost in them already,I have not shopped for portable tv yet ,But also I like to see those 7 inch dvd players have a built-in tuner , or a plugin accessory tuner to plug the aux jack, that would be nice.Oh, those am/fm/tv radios, I have a couple of those collecting dust for 20 years.
To be fair, some digital subchannels are actually carried on analog or digital cable, so those PSAs could reach viewers who don't yet have OTA digital capability. Plus, I think most TV stations have simply added the "DTV 2009" campaign to their laundry list of PSAs, rather than giving it special treatment. I know I have seen at least one of the NAB DTV 2009 spots on our local WRTV "6 News 24/7", which is both a digital subchannel of WRTV-DT and carried on analog or digital cable tiers by local operators. And IMO even for cable viewers, it's worth considering obtaining at least one OTA DTV box, just in case the cable goes out and you would like to have something to watch, or if the cable was to go out during some type of severe weather / news event.
Qubo, though - not sure anyone gets that on analog anywhere - doubtful. Still, Ion stations offer a lot to those who will go digital, and they often have better digital signals (in terms of market coverage) than analog.
Qubo, though - not sure anyone gets that on analog anywhere - doubtful. Still, Ion stations offer a lot to those who will go digital, and they often have better digital signals (in terms of market coverage) than analog.
MotoMuzak said:
Both of those channels are offered on cable here in Plano, Texas.
The fact is, this whole changeover is misunderstood by many and really won't be that big of a deal because most people will be prepared.
The 85%+ of the country that has cable or satellite simply won't notice anything. The other 15% will need to get a converter or TV with a digital tuner. I suspect that many of those folks already have such a thing. There will be a small number of folks who have OTA only and who won't know about this until it happens. That's their own fault.
Personally, I don't understand why the government is paying for vouchers to let people buy converters. TV is not a necessity, it's a luxury.
If you can afford TV, you can afford to buy your own converter. Just because the government is mandating this change does not make them responsible for helping you pay for it. The only reason the vouchers have happened is that the politicians want to buy votes. So far, it's worked and it's pathetic.
alg2468 said:
While not exactly pocket sized, Best Buy did offer hand held portable digital TVs in the 5" and 7" screen sizes briefly. The sets were under their Insignia house brand, and appeared on the market around the middle of last year. I picked up the 7" set, which performs well with the built in antenna in strong signal areas. Unfortunately, where I live the built in antenna isn't quite up to it.
The 7" set seems to be completely gone, but they apparently still have some of the 5" model in at least a few stores.
tested said:
The voucher program exists because the government wanted to reclaim the analog spectrum and re-auction it sooner than would be possible if the government let the market set the pace of the digital transaction. The cost of the vouchers will be funded from a small portion of the money that the government will raise in those auctions.
Really, I don't see the problem. And I frankly can't imagine anyone deciding who to vote based on whether they received a $40 digital tuner voucher or not.
TexasTom said:
I wasn't suggesting that the market set the pace for the digital transistion. I am saying that the FCC should set the date, stick to it, and let the consumer buy what they need to get these signals. The government shouldn't subsidize it. TV is not a necessity, it's a luxury.
I can't imagine voting for someone based on a 40 dollar voucher either, but the politicians can. At the very least they can add that 40 bucks to the laundry list of other pork barrel nonsense they pass and then use to beg people to vote for them.
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