May 27, 2008
Digital TV
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It is not surprising that many US citizens are unhappy about the digital TV transition. Afterall, who wants to pay extra for the more or less the same thing they already have now. While skimming thru the Internet, here’s another rants on the incident I found - original copy can be found here.
I recently purchased a digital converter box and I was really let down when I turned my TV on. We have been hearing the praises of digital TV and how much better it will be when we convert, but there are a lot of things that haven’t been discussed.
The digital signal is a lot harder to tune in than a regular analog signal. I even lost access to two local channels by changing over. There are some of us out here who are surrounded by trees and mountains and don’t have the option of satellite or cable television. Digital TV hasn’t made things any better.
Aside from the converter box, I also had to purchase a new antenna and signal booster; items I didn’t need before with my regular analog signal. I’ve spent more money on the switch and have fewer channels to show for it.
I think the pros and cons need to be talked about instead of the media only putting over the high points. I have learned that dtv has plenty of low points as well.
May 26, 2008
Digital TV
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It’s a digital world, but don’t think you’re not paying for it.
And the cost is about to get a little higher.
This expense, by the way, isn’t just for people who have digital televisions, cellular phones and other electronics.
It’s also being paid by every American citizen, even those who may choose to use old-fashioned land line telephones and analog TVs.
The latest example of the public being gouged, whether we like it or not, comes in the form of the looming February 2009 deadline when all television transmissions will be digital only.
The transition is mandated by an act of Congress, which supposedly is reclaiming the analog broadcast signals to free up more space for police, fire and rescue communications. We also understand that the federal government was hoping for some extra revenue by selling the extra space in the “spectrum” of broadcasting to commercial stations. However, reports have said the revenue raised may not be as much as expected.
However, that’s not stopping the government from forcing television stations and Americans from spending millions, if not billions, of dollars on this digital conversion.
Read full rants about this digital TV transition.
May 1, 2008
Digital TV
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In the near future, the format of transmitting TV signals will change from analog to digital. With this coming up, majority of the TV companies, including the cable companies are trying to educate their customers regarding this change. This transition from analog to digital will occur on 17th February 2009. When this happens, those people who depended on analog TV broadcast will no longer be able to watch TV. In order to continue watching TV, you will need to be able to receive digital signals. Therefore, if you still own an analog TV set, you will need a digital converter to convert the analog signals being broadcasted to digital signal.
This change from analog to digital has been work and studied since the mid 90s. However, this surge for improvement has faced a lot of criticism - particularly by consumer groups who felt that this was an act to force consumer to spend more in TV systems. The issue remains debatable for years and never had a winning party until last year when the deadline for this transition was set.
All this while, TV dealers have selling analog TV sets without warning the consumers that one day, their analog TV sets will be useless. When this happens, they will need to purchase a new set. Therefore, dealers will be left smiling away because consumers will have to get either a new TV set or a converter to change the digital signal to analog so that the old analog TV will be able to transmit the pictures on the TV.
In other cases, consumers might choose to sign up with cable TV or satellite TV. However, the government does have a subsidy program for the purchase of a converter box but the subsidies amount is not enough to cover the entire price of he converter box. No matter what, the consumer electronics industry will profit from this. They will profit directly if consumers buy the converter box or earn through taxes from the government that fund the subsidy.
Another topic that is worth the debate is the awareness of the public regarding digital TV. Recent surveys have proved that majority of the public who relies on air broadcast has no idea of digital TV. This draws us the idea that they will also have no idea about the transition from analog to digital signal.
Therefore, it is predicted that unhappiness among the public will arise when this transition takes its place. Viewers would be left fuming when they realize that they can no longer enjoy their favorite TV programs on air.
So, it is clear that the fund that has been put aside by the government to address this awareness is insufficient.
In one of the development regarding this issue, the chairman of House Energy and Commerce Committee has ensured that he will not let American to be without TV when the transition from analog to digital happens. Well, this big promise seems to be like a political posturing and looks to be unrealistic. So, time will tell on how this transition will take place and what effect it will bring to the world of TV.
April 18, 2008
Digital TV
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With broadcast TV stations preparing to switch to all-digital signals early next year, about 5.3 million U.S. households have taken the government up on its offer of discount coupons for a gadget to ensure their sets will continue to get the picture.
Each U.S. household is eligible for two $40 coupons toward the purchase of converters that sell for about $60. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration reported last week that 10 million coupons had been requested since the program began Jan. 1.
“We’re doing a pretty good job so far,” Meredith A. Baker, head of the telecommunications agency, told a Senate hearing. “We have a lot more work to be done.”
Redemption is going much more slowly, as consumers need to wait for manufacturers to roll out the boxes and retailers such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart to stock them. As of Friday, 280,128 coupons had been redeemed. The government started mailing the coupons in February, and Baker said the backlog of requests was being worked through.
On Feb. 17, all full-power TV stations must turn off their analog signals and broadcast in digital. People who use an antenna and don’t own newer digital sets will need a converter box or their screens will go blank.
People can apply for the converter box coupons at www.dtv2009.gov or by calling (888) DTV-2009.
April 15, 2008
Digital TV
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PARKERSBURG — The transition to digital television may have some people confused about whether or not they’ll still be able to tune in when the change occurs.
The federal government has mandated that all television stations start broadcasting digital over-the-air signals by February 2009. The change, commonly referred to as the digital TV transition, applies only to over-the-air signals.
According to the government, digital TV is an advanced broadcasting technology that enables broadcasters to offer television with better picture and sound quality. It can also offer multiple programming choices, called multicasting, and interactive capabilities.
The switch means normal analog televisions alone will not be capable of receiving the digital over-the-air signal.
This leaves two options for TV viewers who rely on over-the-air signals. They can either purchase a converter box to receive the digital signal, or they can purchase a television with a digital tuner.
The government also mandated that as of March 1, 2007, all new televisions must include digital tuners.
According to Suddenlink officials, signals transmitted over cable lines will not change in 2009. Viewers with non-digital cable should not be affected by the change.
Suddenlink officials said any TV set hooked up to Suddenlink cable service should not be affected by this transition.
According to federal officials, all U.S. households will be eligible to request two coupons, each worth $40, to be used toward the purchase of up to two digital-to-analog converter boxes. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is responsible for administering the coupon program and more information is available at www.DTV2009.gov.
Suddenlink officials said they do not have access to the coupons and Suddenlink customers should not need to purchase the converter box.
The government and television service providers are working to educate the public about the digital TV transition, but a great deal of confusion remains.
Virginia Rapp of Williamstown said she has never heard of the digital TV transition. She said a government mandate regarding television service just seems excessive.
“I think it’s crazy. It just sounds like an awful lot of extra expense,” she said.
Rapp said she was thankful she has cable and doesn’t have to worry about the transition.
“I’ll just stick to what I have. You can only watch so much at a time anyway. I have other things to worry about than that. The election is the big worry right now,” she said.
Kathy Stoltz of Vienna said she heard a lot about the transition to digital TV before she ever learned that cable subscribers most likely won’t have to worry about it.
“I’d been hearing about it for a long time. What I hadn’t been hearing was an explanation of who would be affected. Lately, there has been a lot more info put out that explains if you’re on cable, you’ll be fine,” she said.
Stoltz said the initial confusing information may have a lasting effect, as some people may still not know if they need a converter or new television.
“It was distressing to a lot of people who have four or five TVs in their house and thought, ‘I don’t want to buy that many boxes or new TVs.’ It would have been easier right up front if they told us we weren’t going to have to. I was asking my kids about it. They said, ‘Mom, you’re fine, you have cable.’ It is very helpful they’re putting more announcements out now that set the record straight,” she said.
News Source: http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/504200.html?nav=5061
April 6, 2008
Digital TV
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As TV Goes Digital, Some Viewers May Be in the Dark
Wallace Page, 87, begins and ends each day with his television. His tired legs don’t let him get out much anymore, he doesn’t own a computer and reading often strains his eyes. The TV set is sometimes his only connection to the outside world.
But the TV signals he’s come to rely on will soon disappear. In February, traditional analog broadcasts will be shut off so the airwaves can be used for wireless phone services. And the transition to digital-only television — the biggest change for the industry since color TV — could leave some people in the dark.
The digital conversion presents a huge logistical and technical hurdle for the communities whose dependence on rabbit-ear-style analog TVs are high, but whose understanding of how to manage the change is low.
Many of the older TVs belong to seniors and low-income individuals — populations that are typically harder to reach to educate about technical change. Yet these groups are also the people who most rely on their TVs for critical information such as news reports and public-service alerts. In nursing homes and retirement communities, where many sets need antennas to pick up signals, TVs could flicker out.
In the Washington region, 15 percent of TV viewers use analog signals, according to research firm Centris. In the District, nearly a fifth of the population relies on over-the-air broadcasts, the fourth highest in the nation behind Alabama, West Virginia and Kentucky, according to the company…continue reading.
March 6, 2008
Digital TV
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Though its not a novelty any more, Digital television will soon seem like one once it becomes the only transmission format from February 2009. How does the whole concept of Digital television work and how and why is it superior to the normal methods of transmission? Lets try and understand why.
Digital transmission is superior because it converts images and sounds into digital computer data and transmits them. Once the digital data is received by the receiver attached to your television, it is then quickly reassembled into the original picture and sound and viewed by the viewer. Though this may seem like a longer procedure of transmitting television data, it actually is more advantageous than the older analog method as it provides you with a better picture and sound quality. The picture is not grainy or disturbed and the transmission is very clear. This is because the digital tuner attached to the receiver removes any interface from the signals before converting them back to the original images and sounds.
This ability to clean the interface from the signals results in superior quality of picture and sound which ultimately results into superior quality viewing.
To add to the quality, the digital television has another advantage of having a user friendly interface where the user can view the listings well in advance rather than having to flip through random channels to find out what’s on and what’s not.
One of the other benefits of digital TV is that the transmission can be compressed in order to take up less bandwidth. This implies that more number of channels can be transmitted over the same cable or over the air frequency. This is beneficial for the cable operators who wish to increase the number of channels, as they can now do so without having to replace any cable. HDTV has a bandwidth hogging nature, and hence digital TV transmission is a better way of transmitting HDTV regardless of the medium of transmission used.
Digital TV is an all or none deal, implying that either you experience top quality television viewing with clear picture quality or else you view nothing. In comparison the old, analog transmission method still provided the picture even if the quality degraded at times. The picture might have gone grainy and fuzzy yet it was still viewable, however in digital TV it will either be viewed or nothing can be seen on the screen at all.
There is another inconvenience with this new technology. The problem being that the television sets do not have the facility to tune to these new digital waves. This problem can be solved by either buying a new generation television or else buying the digital tuner that can be attached to your normal television to provide the same effect. Digital television no doubt will improve television viewing many folds by improving quality and increasing the bandwidth available but the final verdict of the people is still awaited in the matter.