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Joe Pelonio
10-29-2008, 6:29 PM
Getting tired of hearing the on-liner commercials warning of the changeover in February?

Try this one:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/36608/talkshow-with-spike-feresten-cable-psa

Steve Schlumpf
10-29-2008, 6:43 PM
Thanks Joe - that was a lot better than what I have been enduring! Thanks for the laugh!

Paul Greathouse
10-29-2008, 7:53 PM
Thats a good one Joe, I'm all set for the changeover because it will be automatic through my cable provider but the whole idea behind it being a law really makes me wonder who's pocket is getting lined with cash.

The ad's we are getting here say that "The new digital signal is going to be so good that the government has enacted a law to make it the only signal available". Maybe I'm missing something but does this kind of thing really require a law. Wouldn't our free market society better dictate what signal is availble in a particular area?

Also, makes me wonder who is paying for all these free boxes that will make the new signal available to older TV's. Now, that wouldn't be Me and all the other John Doe Taxpayers would it? Even if its not a government handout, I'm sure the cost will be passed down to working people like us in some way.

Sorry for putting a damper on an otherwise humorous thread. If I'm out of line here please enlighten me on what the real deal is and who's paying for it.

Curt Harms
10-29-2008, 9:10 PM
Broadcast bandwidth is a limited quantity. Analog TV broadcasts use a pretty big "chunk" of bandwidth per channel. Digital broadcasts less bandwidth per channel so the freed up bandwidth can either be used for more broadcast channels or for a different use like wireless data transmission. The legislation set a deadline rather than letting the changeover drag out over many years and locking up analog TV frequencies for those years. The government did auction bandwidth licenses a couple years ago and got revenue from it. I may be full of it, but that's how I understand it.

Having said that, I suspect some pockets are indeed benefiting from the legislation.

Curt

Thats a good one Joe, I'm all set for the changeover because it will be automatic through my cable provider but the whole idea behind it being a law really makes me wonder who's pocket is getting lined with cash.

The ad's we are getting here say that "The new digital signal is going to be so good that the government has enacted a law to make it the only signal available". Maybe I'm missing something but does this kind of thing really require a law. Wouldn't our free market society better dictate what signal is availble in a particular area?

Also, makes me wonder who is paying for all these free boxes that will make the new signal available to older TV's. Now, that wouldn't be Me and all the other John Doe Taxpayers would it? Even if its not a government handout, I'm sure the cost will be passed down to working people like us in some way.

Sorry for putting a damper on an otherwise humorous thread. If I'm out of line here please enlighten me on what the real deal is and who's paying for it.

Dave Verstraete
10-29-2008, 9:47 PM
The FCC raised 19.592 billion with the auction of that bandwidth. So.....what was the real reason for the change other than a tax on the poor since the $40 coupon doesn't cover the cost of the converter boxes that I'm sure were not produced in this country.

Pat Germain
10-31-2008, 12:08 PM
As I understand it, the VHF frequencies now in use for television will be turned over to emergency services. This is part of an effort to allow fire departments and police departments to talk each other (a big problem on 9/11). This is the reason the government wanted to get it done quickly. TV stations were dragging their feet converting to UHF digital, so the FCC said, "Get er done!".

Frank Hagan
11-01-2008, 7:50 PM
The 700mhz band that was auctioned off includes some emergency bands already; the people who bought into the spectrum have to come up with solutions to prevent interference. Most of the buyers were the big cell phone companies, AT&T and Verizon, etc. The company I work for makes high tech superconducting RF filters for cell phone communication towers so we watched the auction with quite a bit of interest.

Al Willits
11-02-2008, 9:13 AM
You can get discounts on the converter by doing a bit of web search, there's a site that you fill out a form and they send you one or two cards that entitle you to a discount on the box.

Also supposedly those with cable have no worry, except I heard that anyone using cable and not the cable companies box, will need a different box as straight cable to TV won't work sometime down the road...maybe.. :)

Al

Jim Becker
11-02-2008, 10:01 AM
Al the situation with cable providers isn't actually related to the digital broadcast switch. Cable companies who remove any analog stations are generally doing so to free up bandwidth for more digital and high definition content since there is a limited amount of bandwidth available with the technology they use. The bandwidth of on analog station can supply space for 2-3 high definition channels, for example. Sadly, there are a number of cable providers who have been using misleading language with their subscribers around there intended changes...my parents got hit with that one. They are doing this for strictly business reasons and it has nothing to do with the broadcast situation. In fact, they can choose to continue to provide analog signal on the cable if they wanted to...there is no technology barrier that would keep them from doing so. But the general public demand for more specialized programming choices and high definition as well as the chance to collect more STB (set top box) revenue is compelling to them. I just wish they would be honest about it.

As to the video, it's just a humorous look at the confusion that many folks, especially the elderly, have with regard to the whole switch to digital broadcasting next year.

Frank Hagan
11-02-2008, 11:35 AM
You can get discounts on the converter by doing a bit of web search, there's a site that you fill out a form and they send you one or two cards that entitle you to a discount on the box.

Also supposedly those with cable have no worry, except I heard that anyone using cable and not the cable companies box, will need a different box as straight cable to TV won't work sometime down the road...maybe.. :)

Al

Yep, its https://www.dtv2009.gov/ and you can get one or two $40 coupons, paid for by the auction of the spectrum. Most of the usual places have converter boxes, although most I've seen are from $49 to $69. There are a couple of important considerations when choosing one.

If you are in a rural area with some local low power stations, they may be exempt from the change-over. If that's the case, it would be important that the converter box has an automatic "analog passthrough" feature to allow you to still see that station. I know the DISH network and RCA boxes have that feature, but not sure of the others.

The digital channels we have here broadcast their schedule, so you get to see what's on through an on-screen program guide. And several of the larger affiliates have more than one channel they broadcast, so its worth doing a "scan" with the box to see what channels it can bring in. Finally, the picture is so much clearer, at least for us, even though we only get a few channels over the air.

Even though we have DISH network and get all our programming from them, I ordered a coupon, bought the RCA converter box at WalMart for $49, and hooked it up to see what we got with the old antenna in the attic (our CC&R's prohibit rooftop antennas). I was pleasantly surprised. The picture quality was better than Dish Network's, but with only the local UHF channels (mostly Spanish language) and the one affiliate (ABC from Santa Barbara), we probably would not use it often.

Al Willits
11-03-2008, 8:32 AM
Thanks Jim, I guess I wasn't clear enough, I know it's not related to the changeover, but supposedly cable will change some time down the road so just hooking cable up to the TV set will not work in some/all/? cases.

A box for each TV will be required is what I read.

Not sure if your TV has Digital inputs if that is still the case?
Or even if TV have Dig inputs yet?

Al

Jeff Heil
11-03-2008, 11:01 AM
You seem to have a good grasp on how Dish Network and the over the air (OTA) channels work. My unresolved question is do I need a converter box if I get OTA local HD channels fed through my DN box and all other programing via DN? I think I am okay as my newish plasma should be set up to handle the new signals without a box. Anyone that understands the technology better than I do that can clarify if I need a box?

Thanks

Pat Germain
11-03-2008, 12:49 PM
- If you have a classic, non-HD TV which is capable of receiving only analog broadcasts (which are all non-HD TVs) and you watch programming from an antenna, you must purchase a box which will convert the new digital broadcasts into analog. This will allow your TV to display the new, digital broadcasts.

- If you get TV through Dish Network or DirecTV, the switch to digital TV broadcasts does not affect you; no matter what kind of TV you use.

- If you get TV through cable, the switch to digital broadcasts does not affect you: no matter what kind of TV you use.*

* However, some cable companies are using the broadcast switch as an opportunity to switch their cable programming to all digital. If your cable company switches to all digital, you will require a cable box from your local cable company. The new boxes which will convert digital signals to analog will do nothing for you in this case.

- If you have a HD TV and watch programming in Hi-Def through an antenna, the switch to digital programming does not affect you. This is because you're already watching the new, digital signal. It's the old, analog signal which will be going away in February 2009.

Thus, since Jeff has a HD TV, which is already capable of receiving the new digital broadcasts, he doesn't need a converter box.

Does this help? :)

Jim Becker
11-03-2008, 3:29 PM
Al, many cable companies do provide local digital channels in the clear, so as long as your TV (and all the new ones do) have a QAM tuner, you'll be able to plug in without an STB on those systems, even after they turn down any analog signals.

Jeff Heil
11-04-2008, 9:54 PM
That helps. Too much mis-information generating confusion out there.

Thanks!