By now, you have probably heard about the big switch in
television broadcasting from analog to digital coming up on February 17th,
2009. Although most people have heard about it, there are still many
misconceptions about what is really taking place and how (if) it will affect you.
The first of these misconceptions is that it is not really a
switch-over at all. All public stations have been broadcasting in both analog
and digital for over 6 years! Next month, all public stations are being forced
by the government to shut off the analog portion of the signal.
Another misconception is that a digital signal is the same
as high definition video. These are two totally separate things; for an
explanation of the differences, check out Digital Video Connections 101.
The next and possibly biggest confusing issue is who is
actually affected by the end of analog television broadcasts. If you have any
sort of paid television service such as cable, satellite, FiOS or any IPTV
service then you have nothing to worry about. The switch will only affect
people who use an antenna to pick up their signal, and then only if their
television doesn't have an ATSC (digital) tuner as opposed to the older NTSC
(analog) tuners.
$40 Converter Box
Coupon Program
Due to all of the fear and confusion surrounding the analog cutoff, The
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced a
subsidy program and offered $40 coupons for digital-analog converter boxes to
anyone who sent in a request.
The NTIA set aside $1.34 billion for this program; while it
may seem like a lot, at $40 each that
leaves room for 33,500,000 boxes – which covers just over 10% of the US population.
However, according to Neilsen surveys, only 8% of TV households receive analog
over-the-air service. I guess they didn't realize households have more than one
person and more than one TV.
As expected, the demand for these coupons was high and the
NTIA has already gone through all the funds allocated for this program. There
is a waiting list signup for expiring coupons, but with over 2 million already on
the list, it looks like those who waited will have to fork over the dough for a
converter box on their own.
For those who don't read down to the small print of their
$40 voucher, the vouchers are not good on any converter that includes HD
outputs. So if you have an HDTV and plan on picking up any of the free
over-the-air HD channels, the coupons won't help you anyway.
Shutoff Tests Show
Mixed Results
Broadcast stations in almost every state have tested shutting off the analog
signal to determine the effect it would have on viewers, in order to help
minimize later impact. But the tests have seen mixed results and call centers around
the country were flooded while the tests were performed.
During a brief test in San
Francisco, while 40,000 households were watching television,
more than 2,500 calls came in asking for technical assistance or about the
coupon program. Hopefully this will motivate some of the unprepared to get a
converter box (or a new TV?)
Ulterior Motives?
Some have raised questions about the government's motives for ending the analog
broadcast so they could cash in on the bandwidth by auctioning it off to the
highest bidder.
Next week we'll take a look at the FCC auction and what is
going to be done with all the extra bandwidth.
Anyone out there still pick up an analog signal with an
antenna?
Has anyone signed up for the coupon program or tested out one of the converters?
Resources:
The Conversion to Digital TV from Analog TV
TV Transition Program Runs out of Money
Shutoff Test Data Pouring in
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