many Analog American TV stations will kill analog Feb 17 even if deadline is extended

[wa2ise]

In San Diego, mainly because of the electric bill for the analog transmitters, and that only abouy 7% of the viewers still use over-the-air.
http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/73950

And many stations have already booked tower crews and transmitter swaps, and it be very costly to change those schedules.

If the Feb 17th deadline still stands, I was going to videotape the Jay Leno show that night off the local over-the-air analog station, channel 5 here in Seattle. Midnight would happen in the middle of his show, and the signal should die forever then.

[radiotvnut]

I know that the local ABC affiliate plans to kill analog regardless of any date changes. The CBS and NBC affiliates are owned by the same people and I suspect they will also kill analog on 2/17.

I too plan to record the final few hours of analog TV on the three major local stations.

[AUdubon5425]

Two stations here have already gone dark, including the Fox affiliate who hasn't been broadcasting a digital signal ota for over two weeks now.

I'm going to set up three or four TVs tuned to ABC, NBC, CBS and PBS and tape it with my movie camera.

[electroking]

Originally Posted by wa2ise

In San Diego, mainly because of the electric bill for the analog transmitters, and that only abouy 7% of the viewers still use over-the-air.
http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/73950

And many stations have already booked tower crews and transmitter swaps, and it be very costly to change those schedules.

If the Feb 17th deadline still stands, I was going to videotape the Jay Leno show that night off the local over-the-air analog station, channel 5 here in Seattle. Midnight would happen in the middle of his show, and the signal should die forever then.

Is everyone sure that there will be a real saving in power once the
required adjustments have been made? Without getting too involved with
theory, I would assume that transmitting the same picture quality as
the former NTSC signal using digital means would save power, but actually
the transition involves increased resolution, multiple subchannels, etc.
I predict that within a few years, broadcasters will find out that generating
the same advertising revenue with the new technology will increase their
actual operating costs.

P.S.: of course I missed the fact that the transition involves operating both
types of transmitters at the same time. Sorry about that.

[truetone36]

The local PBS station here shut off BOTH their analog and digital transmitters on Jan. 20th and they won't be on the air again till Feb. 19th.

[Jeffhs]

I am not sure what the analog TV stations here in the Cleveland area will do on 02.17. Haven't heard or read anything yet as to early analog shutoffs, although the NBC affiliate will switch from analog channel 3 to digital UHF 17 after a non-commercial station on the latter channel goes off the air after the transition.

BTW, there really isn't that much to be gained in northeastern Ohio by having a converter box and getting TV reception on an antenna. The pictures on the local stations' main digital channels will be clearer, but as far as more programming choices on subchannels goes, I don't know. Cleveland's TV stations do not seem to want to put alternate programming on their digital subcarriers; most of what I see from TV Guide's website for Cleveland TV (the listing you get when you enter your zip code into a text box on the site) is that the digital subchannels carry the same programming as the main digital signal. For example, if channel 17.1 in Cleveland (the station's main digital channel) is carrying the station's standard network and local programming, digital subchannel 17.2 will probably carry the same thing. For some reason, TV stations in this part of Ohio either do not want to or are, for whatever reason, blocked from carrying alternate programming on digital subchannels. The only exceptions I've seen to this, so far, have been that the CBS-TV digital weather channel is now being carried on a subchannel of the local CBS affiliate, and NBC Weather Plus, a now defunct digital weather channel, which was carried on a subchannel of the NBC affiliate until the service went dark on December 31 last year.

Other than that, there is really no alternative programming to be had (that I am aware of) in northeastern Ohio on digital TV subchannels. Channel 5, the ABC affiliate in Cleveland, from what I have read, apparently doesn't believe in carrying subchannel programming; I don't think the others do either, except for the CBS affiliate's use of one of its subcarriers for the CBS digital weather channel, and channel 3 having used one of its digital channels for NBC Weather Plus until that service went dark.

Oh, well. All one can hope is that one of the channels picks up THIS-TV (RTN is either off the air for good or is struggling at this time, from what I've read; perhaps NowhereMan1966 will chime in and tell us more about whether RTN is at least available on the digital subcarriers of channel 11 in Pittsburgh) or any one of several other channels now available for retransmission over subchannels after the dust settles from the transition.

[pioneernut]

Personnally I think its silly to delay the switch. I've got my converter, I'm ready. Besides they'll never get 90%+ compliance on the switch over unless they kill the signal. I've learned that there's alot of not-to-sharp-people in this world, you can tell em till they're blue in the face and they'll never get it.

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

the digital subchannels carry the same programming as the main digital signal.

Some of the stations are carrying their analog content, which is a down-res dupe of the main digital, as the second digital. It may be because they are using the digital signal to feed their analog transmitter. It seems to me there will be no reason for it once analog goes away.

[OvenMaster]

My local ABC and PBS analog signals got turned off last December(!), and the CBS outlet is a Low Power transmitter which is scheduled to go digital... sometime. After February 17, all the stations in my area are going to shuffle their digital channels! Just to be on the safe side, I have my set-top box do a full auto scan once a week to catch all the changes.

[jhal]

I will be glad when all this is over with. You can't turn on any of the local channels without the countless ads, pop-ups, and banners on the screen about the switch. It's worse then election time with all the annoying crap aimed at the brain dead public that will scream and whine about not knowing about it. Sorry, rant over.

[DENNYDOG]

Originally Posted by pioneernut

Personnally I think its silly to delay the switch. I've got my converter, I'm ready. Besides they'll never get 90%+ compliance on the switch over unless they kill the signal. I've learned that there's alot of not-to-sharp-people in this world, you can tell em till they're blue in the face and they'll never get it.

Me too. How many people watch tv on an over the air tv antenna anyways? Its not like it costs a fortune to get a converter box either. Switch it over and be done with it.

[Duffinator]

I bought my first digital HDTV over eight years ago. Let's get this over with now, why even wait for the 17th?

[wa2ise]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

(RTN is either off the air for good or is struggling at this time, from what I've read; perhaps NowhereMan1966 will chime in and tell us more about whether RTN is at least available on the digital subcarriers of channel 11 in Pittsburgh) or any one of several other channels now available for retransmission over subchannels after the dust settles from the transition.

RTN is still on Seattle KIRO DTV channel 7.2

[Robert Grant]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

I am not sure what the analog TV stations here in the Cleveland area will do on 02.17. Haven't heard or read anything yet as to early analog shutoffs, although the NBC affiliate will switch from analog channel 3 to digital UHF 17 after a non-commercial station on the latter channel goes off the air after the transition.

BTW, there really isn't that much to be gained in northeastern Ohio by having a converter box and getting TV reception on an antenna. The pictures on the local stations' main digital channels will be clearer, but as far as more programming choices on subchannels goes, I don't know. Cleveland's TV stations do not seem to want to put alternate programming on their digital subcarriers; most of what I see from TV Guide's website for Cleveland TV (the listing you get when you enter your zip code into a text box on the site) is that the digital subchannels carry the same programming as the main digital signal. For example, if channel 17.1 in Cleveland (the station's main digital channel) is carrying the station's standard network and local programming, digital subchannel 17.2 will probably carry the same thing. For some reason, TV stations in this part of Ohio either do not want to or are, for whatever reason, blocked from carrying alternate programming on digital subchannels. The only exceptions I've seen to this, so far, have been that the CBS-TV digital weather channel is now being carried on a subchannel of the local CBS affiliate, and NBC Weather Plus, a now defunct digital weather channel, which was carried on a subchannel of the NBC affiliate until the service went dark on December 31 last year.

Other than that, there is really no alternative programming to be had (that I am aware of) in northeastern Ohio on digital TV subchannels. Channel 5, the ABC affiliate in Cleveland, from what I have read, apparently doesn't believe in carrying subchannel programming; I don't think the others do either, except for the CBS affiliate's use of one of its subcarriers for the CBS digital weather channel, and channel 3 having used one of its digital channels for NBC Weather Plus until that service went dark.

Oh, well. All one can hope is that one of the channels picks up THIS-TV (RTN is either off the air for good or is struggling at this time, from what I've read; perhaps NowhereMan1966 will chime in and tell us more about whether RTN is at least available on the digital subcarriers of channel 11 in Pittsburgh) or any one of several other channels now available for retransmission over subchannels after the dust settles from the transition.

I've read a report (I can't remember where) that WUAB (virtual channel 43, actual 28), which has been running a still notice, announcing that "The Tube" is no longer available, for more than a year, will be featuring "This" on 43.2, soon, if not already.

You are right, Cleveland is "subchannel poor" compared to other markets.

[Sam Cogley]

PBS is our only local station that's really gone all-out with the subchannels, though our NBC station has the WB affiliate on one and a locally-produced weather channel on the other. Hopefully more will pick up the slack as they shut off the analog transmitters.