Almost a year since analog TV died

[Jeffhs]

Analog OTA television has all but disappeared here in northeastern Ohio, with the exception of a few low-power stations. The switch has also rendered the auto-clock-set function of my Panasonic PV4022 VCR inoperative, though I can't see why it wouldn't work with either type of signal as long as the extended data signal is still there. I get two PBS stations on my cable, but only one of them had the XDS signal; now, with everything digital, that signal is apparently gone. Is there any reason why a DTV signal could not carry the XDS signal as well? Closed captioning still works although, with my cable service, the DTV signal is converted to analog NTSC; therefore I do not use or need a cable box. I have two analog CRT televisions here and do not want to spend upwards of $50 per month for digital cable.

BTW, I don't know where sampson159 in Columbus (in a post I read this morning) got his information regarding converter boxes selling for $300. I have yet to see any DTV boxes priced anywhere near that much; in fact, most boxes can be had (if they are still being sold) for well under $100--and I mean well under. Just after the DTV transition I was seeing, in newspaper ad flyers, ATSC->NTSC converter boxes selling for dirt-cheap prices in pharmacies, department stores, etc., and even in analog's last days the boxes had very affordable price tags as well. After all, if DTV converter boxes sold for anywhere near $300 at any time before or after the transition, a lot of people with older analog sets would be without TV today.

[Whirled One]

There are supposed to be 5 or so low-power analog stations within pretty close distance, but I can only pick up one of them at my house, and it's fairly weak. I've found it to be a good "fringe-reception" test for TVs though.

One thing-- it's a "home shopping channel"-type station. Seems like half the time I tune it in, they're selling a TV of some sort. While it's obviously coincidental, it's almost as if they're saying, "Hey! You there! You with the rabbit ears on your old analog TV! Don't you think it's about time you bought a new digital TV, for crying out loud?"

By the way, I was at a hamfest a few weeks ago, and happened to get in a brief conversation with someone who turned out to be an enginneer one of the local regular TV stations. I don't recall how the topic came up, but I asked if anyone still actually calls the station to complain about not being able to pick up their station on their analog sets. He replied that the station actually *does* still get calls like that from time to time! Apparently, even after a year, there are still people out there who are confused by or uninformed about the changeover...

[sampson159]

the converter box in question,jeff,is for direct tv.not a d tv box.they sell for 29.99 here in columbus ohio.direct tv charges for equipment if you want to add another set.i have 5 sets with them already.you would think that they would give someone a break if you want to add another.never been late,always on time and sometimes a little early and yet no break.at least in 3 years it has never broke down....yet!

[NowhereMan 1966]

Originally Posted by Whirled One

There are supposed to be 5 or so low-power analog stations within pretty close distance, but I can only pick up one of them at my house, and it's fairly weak. I've found it to be a good "fringe-reception" test for TVs though.

One thing-- it's a "home shopping channel"-type station. Seems like half the time I tune it in, they're selling a TV of some sort. While it's obviously coincidental, it's almost as if they're saying, "Hey! You there! You with the rabbit ears on your old analog TV! Don't you think it's about time you bought a new digital TV, for crying out loud?"

By the way, I was at a hamfest a few weeks ago, and happened to get in a brief conversation with someone who turned out to be an enginneer one of the local regular TV stations. I don't recall how the topic came up, but I asked if anyone still actually calls the station to complain about not being able to pick up their station on their analog sets. He replied that the station actually *does* still get calls like that from time to time! Apparently, even after a year, there are still people out there who are confused by or uninformed about the changeover...

I know, I'm the butt of jokes for time to time, our main TV is a 1982 Zenith System 3 since we bought it new and I hooked a Blu-Ray player to it. I didn't plan on it, my buddy got it for me for Christmas. I look at it this way, you use things and when they break, if you can repair them, fine but if not, then you buy new. I've known scarcity, been raised by a single mom plus I don't make a lot of money but lucky enough to have a job so I have to make every dollar count. Most people just buy new all the time and even toss out good working things, to me that is wrong.

I have four converter boxes, my aunt gave me her two when she got a couple of ATSC TV's.

[zenithfan1]

Hey Ron, watch out if a box does break. They will then renew your contract if you get a replacement box. I had to fight like hell with those idiots after that happened. Cell phone companies do the same thing

[radiotvnut]

If direct tv was the only means I had to receive TV programming, I'd do without. I've already "been there and done that" with those morons. First off, that $49.99/mo. bill ended up being $70/mo. Of course, they don't tell you about all the little add on fees and taxes before you sign that contract. Found all that out after I was locked in for a year. I kept the service for eight months before making them turn it off. Of course, they gave me the "you're still under contract" speech. I ended up having to pay $48 in early termination fees; but, that was still cheaper than keeping the crappy service for four more months. Then, it took them forever to send the boxes in order for me to return the receivers. Even still, there wasn't enough packing material in the box and I had to dip into my packing material stash, which didn't make me happy. Finally, months later, I got a call from them claiming that I owed them money and they were going to turn me over to collection. I ended up telling them that they weren't getting another dime out of me and for them to do what they needed to do and that they'd better not call my house again. I never heard another word out of them, except for the almost daily letters from them wanting me to come back. IMHO, locking someone into a contract, rather it be for satellite TV or cell phones, should be illegal. If I want to cancel the service in one month, that should be my business. I should not be forced into keeping something just so I won't get ripped in new butthole in cancellation fees. And, I know several people who have switched from direct tv to dish network because of their bad service. I think if we ever get rid of cable, we'll just watch whatever we can get off of free OTA TV.

[freakaftr8]

No VHF here at all. I pick up 2 UHF stations very faint both in spanish and one preaching station in english. Sometimes I am picking up channel 7 VHF whickh seems to be someones DirecTV. Think someone has a analog singal generator for use so they can watch the box OTA on an analog set. I see the DirecTV screensaver bounce around the screen.

[MRX37]

Still getting Canadian stations. Not too many DTV reception issues here (outdoor homemade antenna).

Since a large part of my job involves watching TV (testing projectors), I don't really use my DTV box at home a whole lot.

[sampson159]

other than wanting an extra box,i ve never had a problem with them.at and t was a headache!system never worked.i spent more time on the phone than watching.before i tossed them,i had credit built up.i dont sign contracts.i sold contracts for over 40 years.
i would never sign one with a service provider.let them pull the contract thing on me.when it was installed,(by a sub contractor),he tried to get a signature after it was in and operating.i told him i would take it too my legal council and to leave it with me.he didnt and it wasnt signed.if you want a contract,you need a sales professional to get the job done.they didnt have one!

[joemama99]

I don't see why you couldn't get reception as near to town a some of you guys are.
I live in central florida about 100 miles saouth of orlando and regularly watch tv
from there with a 30 ft tower and channel master antenna.
On good days I can also get west palm beach and ft meyers-occassionally miami.Miami is at least 200 miles away.
As in all digital schemes,the signal does break up at times.Some days are definitely
better than others-have no idea why.

[jr_tech]

Originally Posted by joemama99

I live in central florida about 100 miles saouth of orlando and regularly watch tv
from there with a 30 ft tower and channel master antenna.
On good days I can also get west palm beach and ft meyers-occassionally miami.Miami is at least 200 miles away.
As in all digital schemes,the signal does break up at times.Some days are definitely
better than others-have no idea why.

Usually a good deal of Tropo Enhancement in your area...Good DXing!

http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html

jr

[JB5pro]

I think it is ine of the many things that is not for the good of the people but I am often wrong

[andy]

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[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by andy

What will hurt is when analog cable goes away completely.

What makes you think that? If analog cable "goes away" or whatever, everyone will just have to switch to digital cable. It's called progress.

Personally, however, I think analog cable will be around for quite a while, since there are still many, many analog TVs still in use in this country, and there are people (myself included) who are not willing to pay sky-high prices for digital cable. (I had my cable service downgraded from expanded basic when my bill went up to $55.67 per month; now that I have bare-bones basic [broadcast channels only], my bill is now on the order of $13 per month.) The government is already hinting at blocking inputs on set-top cable boxes so people won't be able to copy movies onto DVD or whatever; I found this out from a news report this afternoon on WGN America, which broadcasts WGN-TV's local newscast across the country (why? Most of that news is for the greater Chicago area and doesn't apply to the rest of the United States), and also in an article in the local newspaper.

The new ruling may also prevent recording of movies on VHS video tape, which, IMHO, would be going too far; after all, VHS is an analog medium and therefore is not (or should not be) affected by the ruling. Sony won a court fight against the motion-picture companies over three decades ago, which cleared the way for home taping of television shows and movies on VHS video; that has not changed--after all, the movie companies are more concerned nowadays with people copying films onto digital media, such as DVDs, and couldn't care less about an obsolete medium such as VHS. However, the article I read also mentioned that, when this ruling goes into effect (it may have already), people with analog televisions may not see very new movie releases at all, or until the film is released on DVD. However, I think the ruling will apply only to set-top cable boxes. I don't see how it would be possible to block, jam, whatever, the inputs of analog videocassette recorders (to which the cable is connected directly, without a box) to prevent recording of anything including television programs since, again, VCRs are analog devices. There are no laws, that I am aware of anyway, against recording TV shows on analog video tape.

I don't think, again, the motion-picture industry is anywhere near as worried about people copying movies onto VHS as they are worried about the same films being burned onto DVDs. They may have had a case back in the days of VHS movie rentals, but in today's digital age they very likely don't care much, or at all, about video tape anymore. After all, VHS is an obsolete analog video recording system which was upstaged some years ago by DVDs. Before we know it, DVDs will be made obsolete by Blu-ray....and who knows what the heck will follow?

Sheeeesh! I don't get it. I just do not get it at all. People have been recording radio programs, songs from phonograph records, etc. on audio tape for generations, and no one even bats an eye; why should television be any different? It's just another case of our government stripping us of our freedoms, one freedom at a time. Not wanting to go off on a political rant, that's all I'm going to say about this issue for now.

BTW, the so-called "death" of analog NTSC television is, IMHO, nothing worth celebrating when its first anniversary comes up on June 12, because its successor is causing quite a bit of trouble for viewers, even now. The change has forced many people to do without television when they found out their old reliable analog set won't work with digital signals unless they use a converter box, some people who cannot afford cable are having to deal with spotty or no reception on antennas, forcing them to do without certain broadcast channels they may have received perfectly well when TV was all analog, having to erect large antennas, in some cases with rotators and on towers, and so on.

Again I say, sheeeeesh. The FCC went waaaaaaay too far when it decreed that analog TV would end on June 12 last year. Did they not realize how much trouble this would, did and still does cause viewers today who cannot afford or do not want cable or satellite? Phooey.

[andy]

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