I guess some people still don't get it that analog TV is gone

[radiotvnut]

This morning, I got a call from an older lady that I know and she was wanting to know why her TV wouldn't work. She went on to explain that she had some young guy in her trailer park move a TV to her bedroom where there is no cable. I explained to her why she wasn't getting any reception and then she puts the young guy on the phone. He said, "I connected her antenna to this TV and I can't get any reception". So, I had to explain things to him as well. Both of them were totally clueless as to the DTV transition and to the fact that a converter box would be needed if she planned on using that TV for OTA use. I guess some people weren't paying attention to the PSA ad's that ran for the past several years.

[N9ZQA]

When I've told people I watch over-the-air television (pre and post digital transition) I've had a few people express surprise that "antenna TV" was still around, e.g. "I thought they got rid of that when they introduced cable".

-Jim

[Zenith26kc20]

This is so true! I had one lady watch the PSA loop over and over after they turned off the main analog for a month until it went off. When I went to her house she was wondering how her TV played the same thing over and over.
I don't have cable, why do I need a box?

[peverett]

I just hope the FCC loses on their latest scheme-to take even more spectrum from broadcast TV.
http://www.tvnewscheck.com/articles/2009/10/21/daily.4/

If they succeed, broadcast TV could be severly limited and the consumer would be even more dependent on cable/satellite.

[Sandy G]

The pointy-headed bureacrats at Funny Cookie Company are too smart by half. Last weekend, we had a snowstorm of Biblical proportions here in NE Tennessee. Well, "Biblical" for us, anyway. Power went out, & there was NO news service to tell us whathehell to expect. Before, you could put 6 "D" cells in yr trusty 5" el-cheapo B&W set, & get SOMETHING...But not anymore. Radio service is "Shazbot", too, as virtually all the local stations use canned network feeds, there's practically NO meaningful local service anymore, either. Whatever happened to the notion of radio & TV service being a PUBLIC commodity ?!? Yeah, 95-98% of the time, service is FINE...But the 2% of the time it is down, that's when you really want/need it the most...And it ain't there anymore.

[Jeffhs]

What's worse is if you don't have cable or satellite, you just won't get anything on your TV these days, unless you have translators or low power TV stations in your area, and as Sandy mentioned, radio is all but worthless in emergencies because many if not most stations run automated formats (there is a small 1kW station about five miles from here that used to be a really good local station, but it went to an automated gospel-music format a couple years ago and, needless to say, hasn't been the same since; more to the point, this station, and a small 0.5kW station near where I grew up that also went to automated satellite programming five years ago or so, would be less than worthless in any local emergency, since there probably is no one, except perhaps a couple of engineers, even in attendance at the stations during their broadcast day). We A/VK members know and respect that, but there are still plenty of folks out there (still too many, IMHO) who still have no idea whatsoever why their TVs don't work, even with fancy antennas on rotors, and who will not pay for cable or satellite service.

The post from Zenith26kc20 in which he mentioned that one person was actually watching, over and over again, a public service announcement that analog TV would end on 06.12.09, and continued to watch the thing (presumbably nothing else) until the station finally shut off its analog signal (the so-called "nightlight" service) for good a month later (and then wondered why her TV was getting only that one station) makes me wonder about the effectiveness (or, more accurately, the lack of it) of the advertising campaign every U.S. television station supposedly ran for some time before the digital transition on 06.12. These announcements either did not register with some viewers or they simply did not believe them. Needless to say, these folks had a very rude awakening on the morning of the DTV transition when they turned on their TVs to get, for example, the morning news, only to find snow (or a PSA telling them that analog transmissions of the station ended at 11:59:59 p.m. the night before and to call an 800 number for info on DTV converter boxes and other alternatives) on their TV screens where their local stations had been for decades. I'll bet TV repair shops across the country got a lot of calls that first week after the transition from people who actually thought their TVs were broken (hit by lightning, antenna blown down, etc.) because they couldn't get their stations anymore.

[AUdubon5425]

Hell, I live a mile from the transmitters - used to pick up analog without an antenna on some sets - and I put up an exterior aerial hoping it would pull a digital signal through a heavy rain.

There's a special place in hell for bureaucrats.

[wa2ise]

Remember that these idiots did the "let the marketplace decide" in selecting an AM stereo standard (and all crashed and burned), "broadband over powerline" which would RFI everything in the shortwave bands, and using "white space" empty TV channels for wireless computer links (a "low power" signal is gonna look like a flamethrower if it's next to your TV antenna, and blocks your TV's front end)... ...

[Robert Grant]

Originally Posted by Zenith26kc20

This is so true! I had one lady watch the PSA loop over and over after they turned off the main analog for a month until it went off. When I went to her house she was wondering how her TV played the same thing over and over.
I don't have cable, why do I need a box?

This reminds me of a co-worker at my workplace.
I heard her complaining she could not get channel 20 anymore (WMYD, the local MY TV affiliate).

-At this point, let me note that WMYD stopped regular analog programming on the original 17 February transition date, at which time they aired a nightlight video of their own production, featuring the station manager as host.

I told my co worker she needed a converter box, and also asked her: "If you watch channel 20 a lot, didn't you see that video about the digital transition and converter boxes?".

She said: "I stopped watching 20 awhile ago, all they had, all the time, was this fat lady talking!" (ROTFLMREO).

The ultimate case, however, would be my wife. In her case, she heard about the digital transition ad infinitum, not just from the huge number of PSAs, but from her husband. She saw me borrow my brother's laptop so I could apply for my coupons the moment the crystal ball dropped on Times Square, and saw me write reviews for the converter boxes in (another) net forum.

I had set up a box on her set to get some OTA stations that the analog cable she had on her set did not carry (the picture is also a little better than the analog cable, too).

The day after the transition, she asked me what cable channel carried a station she had been using the CECB to watch. I told her to turn on the box. She said: "why would I want to do anything with the box anymore", I turned on the CECB and went to her channel. She told me she was not supposed to be able to use OTA anymore, I explained "you've got the box, this TV is converted!".

She then laughed and said: "Forgive me for this, I didn't realize these damned boxes you've been buying would allow me to use the antenna after June 12th!".

[Sandy G]

This whole business reminds me of what kids nowadays call it when a major snafu occurs-Epic Fail. We have the "lights" go off fairly frequently 'round here-and for all our vaunted technology, we're as "High 'n' Dry" a lot of times as they were in 1850...Well, maybe not that far back, 'cause usually you can get in yr car & reconnoiter about, but honestly, we were MUCH better off in the antediluvian '60s, '70s, & '80s BEFORE they foisted all this newfangled hi-tech, hi-promo-chromo-domo-gizmo "Digital" crapola on us. "Progress" sometimes ain't all its cracked up to be...At least back then, MOST of the time, the phone still worked if the lights went out...There was a LOCAL bumpkin on the radio, not some silver-tongued devil outta LA, Noo Yawk, Chicogguh...And again, if you had a battery operated TV, you COULD get semi-local info out of the clunky-ass old analog station...As usual, none of this was well-thought out by The Powers That Be...I can only imagine what our precious digital world will be like if/when we have a REAL major disaster, not just a moderately bad snowstorm...And I had Lauriann's cell phone, she called me from some guy in the parking lot where she stayed, we got about 3 apiece in before the damthing started doing its Leroy Jetson imitation-"Eep Opp, Ork, Ahh-Ahh..." which seems to be std operating proceedure w/a Cellfone when you REALLY want to/need to talk on one of the abominable things.

[Jeffhs]

One huge problem with DTV is that many times, clear signals cannot be received on antennas unless you move them around, on top of the TV or even in the room where the set is located. This is a real problem with so-called "portable" digital TV sets. I've seen flyers in my Sunday paper for department stores that have been advertising 7" digital TVs from a Chinese (or Korean) company called Haier. In one such ad, there is a disclaimer: "This TV is portable, but must be stationary to receive the digital signal."

There is, however, one thing I really like about DTV on cable: the picture is much sharper and clearer than analog (even on analog TVs), and there is no snow, ghosting or other interference. Say what you will about the other shortcomings of DTV, but one thing this new technology does give us is better picture quality and better audio, the latter through the use of Dolby noise reduction and 5.1-channel surround sound.

IMHO, once the OTA signal-strength problems (in fringe areas, etc.) are resolved, the entire DTV system will be better than NTSC ever was, except of course for the loss of emergency information on radio (even with the Emergency Alert System) if the DTV stations go off the air or if there is a power outage. Radio stations no longer carry emergency news bulletins, most stations now being automated. This is one major downfall of the DTV transition that I feel must be addressed and corrected immediately; as it is now, if the DTV stations are knocked off the air in an emergency or a natural disaster, there is really no way to get the word out to the public in a timely manner that there is a problem. This could be (and if, Heaven forbid, such a scenario ever plays out, probably will be) disastrous.

BTW, in reference to Sandy's remarks regarding spotty cell-phone coverage: Your area of Tennessee must have dead spots where cellular telephones do not work or, if if they do work at all, the service is so unreliable as to be unusable. I live in a small town in northeastern Ohio, 35 miles east of Cleveland near Lake Erie (as stated in my mini-profile near my name on A/VK's home page) that has excellent cellular coverage (I have AT&T cellular service) throughout my area. I think it's too bad that areas such as yours have such unreliable cell service; cellular telephones are very often used in emergency situations where good coverage of the area involved is imperative. I sincerely hope that you have never had (and never will have) situations in which you or your wife have needed the cell phone in an emergency, only to find there is no signal. Cellular telephones are wonderful devices, but they won't be 100 percent reliable in emergencies until every square mile of this country has access to cell service that doesn't drop out. One of the satellite television services in my area advertises that its system provides 99.9-percent reliable signals to its subscribers; why on earth can't cellular telephone service be like that too?

[peverett]

Even if DTV stations do not go off the air, reception of DTV (and satellite) is so poor in severe weather that getting over the air weather information can be impossible. From what I have read, there are severe reception problems on DTV in the lower VHF range(even in good weather), with several stations requesting (and being allowed to by the FCC) to move to the UHF band. I have also ready that there are antenna size issues with using the lower VHF band for mobile apps.

For the above reasons, I think re-allowing analog NTSC transmissions on the lower VHF bands should be considered. At least reliable weather information via TV could possibly be available again. I do agree that DTV had many advantages, such as HDTV, co-channels, etc. and should be continued. However, as pointed out above, DTV has major (possibly even life threating) dis-advantages also.

As to weather radios-they are fine(except for the loss of visual information) if you are awake and know storms are in your area. I have one and the idiots who designed it did not allow the alarm to be turned off for watches. (The alarm is on for both watches and warnings). I wrote the manufacturer and then indicated that the system is built that way. As mentioned by others, commercial radio is now worthless in emergencies.

[3Guncolor]

I would not say every radio station no longer carries local news and emergency information. Maybe in small markets. In LA the TV stations also monitor KFI, KNX, KABC and KFWB. Power house news/talk stations all on the AM dial. KFI and KNX are50,000 watt blow torches. KFI still beats most of the FM stations in ratings I never thought that would be possible in a digital world. There never will be analog NTSC full power TV in the US again just won't happen. In fact I wonder how long DTV will stay on the air.

[Tom_Ryan]

Traditional TV is also being challenged by Internet TV - which makes me wonder about the fundamental wisdom of DTV replacing analog transmissions. Spectrum reallocation is essentially a money grab anyways. In the end, we'll see a convergence to IP backbones, large IP pipes connected to 4G wireless service providers offering voice/data services via portable devices. A large screen 1080p TV display (or whatever) will simply be an add-on accessory to plug-in to your mobile communicator/computer.

[Jeffhs]

All of these technology advances are great, but let's not forget that there are people in the US who do not now and will never have anything to do with computers, or anything connected with them. Television stations and networks may have to use high technology because it helps their ratings (especially in very large cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, where every station virtually copies what every other station does; this is also happening in smaller TV markets such as Cleveland--all three network stations in this area have news sets that look almost exactly like those at the networks with which the stations are affiliated), but I don't think it is fair to force the public to keep up with technology--in this economy, many if not most people cannot afford to buy new equipment every time the technology changes. I, for example, live on a fixed income and am fortunate to have been able to afford the equipment I have now, all of which is over a decade old. I had to replace my DVD player last year with a $40 Memorex player because the first one (which was, IMHO, built much more solidly than the Memorex) quit after only three years (!); I'm hoping my Memorex unit lasts a bit longer (it's just over a year old and still works very well as I write this). I do not have a Blu-ray player because all my DVDs are standard ones, and I don't have a flat-panel HDTV either so I would not notice most of the improvements Blu-ray discs make over ordinary DVDs.

What's next, I'm afraid--used older analog TVs being declared illegal? It wouldn't surprise me. The government has already set a date by which incandescent light bulbs (except very low-wattage ones, such as appliance bulbs) can no longer be sold in this country, so who is to say that analog televisions, even used ones offered for auction on eBay or Craigslist, will or won't be next? Back in about 2005 or so, TV stations were already making announcements that ordinary TVs would not work after a certain date the following year, because of the impending (or so the FCC had intended) switch to DTV at that time. That deadline came and went and the issue was still being talked about to death until 2009, when a so-called "hard date" for the DTV transition had been set--February 17 of that year. That date was pushed back because of problems with the (now defunct) DTV converter-box program, and the FCC's fears that many people would not be ready for the transition in time. The date was changed to June 12 this year and...yup, you guessed it...there are still many, many people out there who do not know why their televisions don't work anymore or can only get a couple of low-power stations. Many of these people are, like myself, on fixed incomes and cannot afford cable or a new flat-panel TV, and it is almost impossible to get DTV converters in stores anymore (I think the latter was planned so that people would be more or less forced to get cable or a new television, whether they like it or not).

The method most cable operators, including Time Warner in my area near Cleveland, currently use to accomodate viewers who do not want or cannot afford digital cable is to convert the digital signals to NTSC analog on an as-needed basis, but I think that is just a stopgap measure until all the analog sets give up the ghost. The ATSC->NTSC conversions may well be discontinued in a few years; anyone still having analog televisions at that time will be out of luck. As I said above, the FCC eventually may well declare analog TVs, even older ones, obsolete and illegal to own; it wouldn't surprise me if such a scenario plays out in the not-too-distant future. Since all television is now 100 percent digital (translators and low-power stations excepted, for now anyway), any analog set not connected to cable/satellite or to a converter box and antenna will not work, so there is almost no point in having older sets unless you are able to 1, afford cable or 2, hook the old sets to a converter. I think the government wants to stop that in its tracks and force every US citizen to go digital, flat-panel, home theater......whether they like it or not.