Feb 17 the first time a major broadcast format is to shut down?

[Kiwick]

Another dead broadcast standard is the italian "filodiffusione" which is radio (6 channels, selectable by pushbuttons) being broadcast over phone wires, it was launched in the late 50s and is now being discontinued in most parts of the country due to interference with DSL services, a real shame as the audio quality was really CD-like and absolutely static free.

[Robert Grant]

Originally Posted by wa2ise

Let's see, AM radio has been around since the early 1920's, FM since WW2, and they have never been terminated. Now, NTSC analog color TV, a very popular and successful broadcast signal format, is scheduled to die in a month. Oh, we had many short lived broadcast formats (AM stereo, CBS color wheel, quad sound on FM, FM on 45MHz, and such). But never a 50+ year lifetime standard being killed off.

January 2, 1985

The United Kingdom closed all 405-line (aka EMI/Marconi; System A) television transmitters (full and low power, hundreds of them). They had been providing independent (commercial) television since 1955 and public (BBC Television Service, later BBC 1) since 1936 (Okay, not quite 50 years).

Some countries have terminated AM broadcasting.

Also, the end of full-power NTSC broadcasting (looking more like June 12 now) will not be the end of NTSC. Millions of americans will be watching from analog cable, and the NTSC outputs of cable boxes, satellite boxes, and coupon-eligible converter boxes.

[Robert Grant]

Originally Posted by old_tv_nut

I was going to mention the French 819-line standard, which would qualify for analog monochrome high-def; but that lasted only 18 years:

http://www.birth-of-tv.org/birth/ass...435_1133285440

Actually, it lasted sometime longer than that.

The 1967 date is when France -added- 625-line UHF transmitters, and, in doing so, set the stage for 819-line to be abandoned.
VHF 819-line transmitters, however, remained on the air until the early 1980's. I even was able to listen to the audio from one of these transmitters, it was AM on 41.25 MHz, which was a low enough frequency to "cross the pond" during the 1979-80 solar maximum.

One good question is when was the last true 819-line program was sent, as, in later years, the 819-line transmitters were only showing upconverted video of programs shot on 625-line cameras.

[reggaenaut]

I have never seen so much confusion. People with digital tv buying conversion box, buying expensive HDMI cable because "the tv not will work without them", cable customers throw out their anolog tvs for no other reason than such sets will not work on transistion.

[Robert Grant]

Three of my favorites:

People who presume sets with CRTs will not work (for any purpose) after transition day. (in reality, the display type has nothing to do with it.)

People who get no signals when they hook up their new CECB to their old TV set, because they have not plugged their antenna into their CECB, in some cases, they have thrown out their antenna - thinking that the box makes the antenna obsolete. (the only use of a CECB is to allow one to receive signals using an antenna).

People who are "sure" their 10 year old sets are ready, because they have a "digital tuner" (that is, you press digits on your remote instead of turning a knob to change channels). (very few sets more than three years old have an ATSC tuner, which can receive the new signals. If your clicker lacks a "DTV/TV" of "Digital" button, it probably won't work).

[peverett]

From what I have read, there will still be low power stations broadcasting NTSC analog after the switch. I do not know where these are though. I know of none around here(Central Texas). In addition, there was a push in Congress last fall to allow TV stations withing 90 miles of the Mexican border to broadcast NTSC analog for 4 more years. This was because Mexico is not converting at present. I do not know where that went.

[Sam Cogley]

Originally Posted by reggaenaut

I have never seen so much confusion. People with digital tv buying conversion box, buying expensive HDMI cable because "the tv not will work without them", cable customers throw out their anolog tvs for no other reason than such sets will not work on transistion.

The information has been put out there in a very clear and concise fashion, multiple times, by the broadcasters in my area. Anyone still confused is either willfully blind or not very bright, sorry to say.

[AUdubon5425]

Originally Posted by peverett

From what I have read, there will still be low power stations broadcasting NTSC analog after the switch. I do not know where these are though.

There are a few LP UHF stations I can pick up that are scheduled to remain transmitting after the switch, but it is nothing I (or anyone else I know) would care to watch:

Channel 28 (K28IL) is Trinity Broadcasting Network - evangelical religious programming.
47 (K47JO) is the Home Shopping Network
18 (WBXN-CA) more religious programming from out-of-town

There are three more LP stations licensed in my area, but two do not broadcast anything and one is tourist info only receivable in the Quarter and CBD.

[radiotvnut]

Originally Posted by AUdubon5425

There are a few LP UHF stations I can pick up that are scheduled to remain transmitting after the switch, but it is nothing I (or anyone else I know) would care to watch. One channel is a shopping network, another plays southern evangelical religious broadcasts from who knows where.

I think I have the same religious station here. It's on channel 47 and I think it's a translator station for TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network).

[AUdubon5425]

Originally Posted by radiotvnut

I think I have the same religious station here. It's on channel 47 and I think it's a translator station for TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network).

WWL (CBS) used to have translators on the gulf coast of Mississippi years ago - don't know when they went dark.