Deadline in 2009 Is Set For Digital-TV Switch

[question everything]

Deadline in 2009 Is Set For Digital-TV Switch
By AMY SCHATZ
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
December 20, 2005; Page D2

On Feb. 17, 2009, some U.S. consumers could be in for a surprise: Their televisions may go dark.

Budget legislation approved by the House early yesterday set that date for the U.S.'s conversion to digital-only TV broadcasts. That means TV sets won't work for those who don't subscribe to cable or satellite service, don't own a new digital-ready television or haven't purchased a set-top converter box.

Lawmakers say the switch to all-digital transmission will improve emergency response and homeland security by freeing up radio spectrum for police, firefighters and other first responders, who currently share a limited number of channels. Digital signals are more compressed than traditional analog channels so they will take up only a fraction of the spectrum space now given to broadcasters. Some of the spectrum cleared during the transition will be set aside for emergency responders and the rest will be auctioned to wireless companies. Lawmakers estimate the auctions will bring in about $10 billion, $7.4 billion of which will go to cutting the deficit.

(snip)

About 15% of U.S. households don't subscribe to cable or satellite service and watch only over-the-air broadcast stations, according to estimates. Anywhere from 16 million to 20 million households would either need to upgrade to new digital-ready television sets or purchase a set-top converter box to receive the digital signals. The consumer-electronics industry estimates the converter boxes might cost about $50. To placate unhappy consumers, lawmakers agreed to spend up to $1.5 billion to help people buy converter boxes. Households can request two $40 coupons to offset the cost of purchasing the converter boxes.


Write to Amy Schatz at [e-mail]

URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113503405017826774.html (subscription)

[FlemingsGhost]

1. I guess 2009 is when I stop watching TV all together

I'm sure I won't be missing much

[Trillo]

2. That's going to cost everyone who wants to watch TV. nt

[LSK]

3. does that mean the rabbit ears will no longer catch anything?

[question everything]

4. Yup. You will need a converter that will cost $50

but, from that story, it seems that you can request a coupon for $40. I am sure we will hear a lot about that as the date approaches.

[Touchdown]

12. Nope. Rabbit ears pick up digital signals just fine.

It's the digital set that you'll need, or the converter box if you still have an old analog set.

[question everything]

19. Thanks. I did not realize the distinction.

While we do have digital cable for a set at home, we have an older set with, yes rabbit ears just for the air channels. Set is over 20 years old but works fine. I guess we'll need a converter for that one.

[Touchdown]

20. That's right.

The TV you have is an analog set. It uses the format NTSC (Never twice the same color) ;), which has been in operation for 80 years or so. Color TV introduced in 1962, was just an upgrade of the NTSC standard. Your TV understands syne waves to convert the information given to it into pictures and sound.

The new format is called ATSC (Advanced Television Standards Commitee), which is a pure digital broadcast and display format. This new system replaces the analog, or syne wave transmissions with a series of 1s and 0s, or digital. This new TV standard allows for many different (18 to be exact) picture formats, which I won't bore you with, but 3 of them are considered high definition, which is an astoundingly sharp and detailed picture, compared with what your seeing now. Sound is also digitized using the Dolby Digital codec-meaning digital language (code/decode).

Color accuracy is greatly enhanced on this new ATSC format, so adjusting your tint/color balance will be minimized. Ghosting, fuzz, snow haloes and moire (yellowing of bright white picture elements) are eliminated. If you have a poor signal with this system, the picture will pixelate, or just drop off and go grey, to reappear a couple of seconds later with a perfect picture.

This $50 or so converter box, which will most likely come down in price (expect people to trample on each other at Wal-Mart for a $20 version to celebrate the spirit of Christmas), will take these digital signals and convert them to syne waves so your 20 year old TV understands it, and you get to use it for another 10, if you are lucky enough. Most TVs usually lose their picture tube effectiveness at around 7 years of normal use, 5 for heavy use, so you got a good one there!

There is a difference between your digital cable box and one of these converter boxes. The converter box decodes ATSC signals. Your cable box does not. It's digital, but it's just there to compress (like MP3) the analog TV signals into a small pipe, so you can get more channels, but it converts those signals to NTSC, once it goes to your TV set. It uses a company specific proprietary digital signal that is not compatible with DTV (The ATSC name), so when it comes time for that, your cable company will replace your current box with one that does accept ATSC signals.

I tried not to talk to much technobabble for you. I hope I did well in helping you understand.:hi:

[LittleClarkie]

5. What about HD TV

Is there a plan to show only HD at some point?

[Rosco T.]

6. HDTV is a 'superset' of digital TV...

a lot of stations are doing SD (standard defination) Digital now, not all of them will go HD.

[KharmaTrain]

7. It's About Time...

Current TV technology is going on 70 years old with very few changes. Sets have improved but it's like driving around in a 1940s car...no power steering or brakes and 4-70 air conditioning. It worked well for as long as it has and the change ahead is a good thing.

First...the original "sunset" date on analog signals was supposed to be 2006...and has been pushed back again. This changeover should have happened 10 years ago, but that's another topic. Almost every over-the-air TV station in the country now has a digital TV signal and the quality and options are far superior to what currently exists. Most PBS stations offer not one but four or five different program offerings along with the big picture.

This rule doesn't affect cable or satellite systems, so good chance you're set to go...and that your cable company may already be using digital signals.

At least there's going to be a subsidy on the converter boxes on the few (mostly poor) who don't have cable or can't afford a new television. While HDTVs are still very expensive, newer, smaller and cheaper models are starting to pop on the market that will cost about the same as a good analog color TV (about $300 or so).

Now we survived the change over from vinyl to CDs and no one missed a New Kids On The Block album. The advantages to digital television are well worth the changeover and long overdue.

Happy New Year...

[LSK]

11. i disagree, its just another way to get people stuck paying a bill

While there isnt much choice, good old rabbit ears still lets people catch the big network TV shows for FREE. Now you are FORCED to pay another FUCKING BILL. Thats progress? Thats progress for Corporations only IMO.

[Touchdown]

14. No your not. That's bullshit!

Rabbit ears pick up digital signals,and they're just as FREE as the analog signals you get Today... and NO TV LAST FOREVER! You will have to replace your TV sometime.

JESUS! The amount of chicken little no-information screaming and fearmongering about this is nauseating, especially coming from a bunch of supposed "reality based" critical thinking Democrats.:eyes:

[LSK]

16. sorry for not being a tech guru

Didnt know digital signals go thru the air. Sorry!!!!

[KharmaTrain]

18. Digital TV IS Free

You just need a different type of set or a converter box...and the bill just passed will subsudize the big manufacturers to sell those boxes cheap (for the few who will need them).

You won't have to pay extra and those signals, just like the ones you get on your old rabbit ears are free and of far better quality...and you can even use your old rabbit ears if you wanted to.

The subsudising that goes on is the government selling off large amounts of our public spectrum...not just broadcast, to the highest bidder creating communications monopolies and that's where you're paying.

Now, did you bitch that you getting stuck with the bill when all cassette tapes and vinyl albums became passe when the CD came in? That's where the music industry went digital Or, are you pissed that you can only access certain news stories via the internet rather than digging in your paper? That's where they went digital and I assume you subsidized that as well. Television is long overdue for this change-over...radio is in even worse shape and further away from figuring out its digital future.

Happy New Year...

[freeplessinseattle]

8. you mean I'm not the only one who uses an antenna?

I know only one other person besides me that uses the rabbit ears (and we both can afford it, but don't see the point. plus, I spend way too much time on DU, when would I ever have time to watch even more tv!)

[Silverhair]

9. Yawn. I don't see many TV antennas on rooftops anymore.

This will effect very few people, and even them only slightly. In the late 1950's, almost every house had an antenna.

[Bridget Burke]

10. Interior antennas work quite well.

I've got one on the kitchen TV which doesn't have a cable hookup. I've already got digital cable on the other TV & like it. But there are some people for whom a cable box--& cable fees--could be a problem.

Of course, this move is one more reason to get rid of PBS. Currently, it's the main source of documentary shows & good kiddie programming for those without cable. Eventually, it will just be part of the Basic Cable package.

[Silverhair]

15. Depends on distance from the TV tower, and other factors.

Some places do great with rabbit ears, some need the outside antenna.

[Horse with no Name]

13. By listening to Randi Rhodes the other day

The switch to digital TV also "persuaded" Japan not to pull their troops out of Iraq.:eyes:

[Javaman]

17. If it wasn't for my girlfriends son, I would dump the tv altogether. n/t