Comments on: Attention, Analog TV Holdouts: You Have Until June 12th

By: Another DTV Transition Cost: Tech Trash | Technologizer

Another DTV Transition Cost: Tech Trash | Technologizer — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:24:22 +0000

[...] all: News Tomorrow the United States will finally make the transition to digital television. The government went to great expense to ensure a smooth transition, and planned it for years. But [...]

By: Free DTV Converter Installation Help

Free DTV Converter Installation Help — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:15:10 +0000

[...] Hopefully by now folks have also sorted out their converter box coupon issues. The final countdown (really this time) is upon us. Tweet This!Share this on FacebookShare this on LinkedinShare this on del.icio.usShare [...]

By: Tom B

Tom B — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 21:46:03 +0000

I don’t watch TV. I have a hand-me-down analog. But, I am VERY pleased with my set top DTV receiver. I can pull in stations I couldn’t pull in before, plus new digital stations, plus crystal clarity (unless a plane flies over). I’m glad I made the switch last summer.

By: SnapStream Blog » Blog Archive » Friday Links 02.06.09

SnapStream Blog » Blog Archive » Friday Links 02.06.09 — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:52:08 +0000

[...] Attention, Analog Users: You have until June 12th – 02/04/09 The House has passed the bill that delays the digital-TV transition from February 17th to June 12th. If you’ve got any analog TVs bumping around the house that aren’t connected to a digital source, you’ve got slightly under four additional months to (A) buy a converter, (B) supply them with a digital-ready set-top box, or (C) buy a snazzy new TV. via Technologizer [...]

By: ZNF ‘Round The Web

ZNF ‘Round The Web — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:24:52 +0000

[...] Attention, Analog TV Holdouts: You Have Until June 12th I believe the revised legislation still permits broadcasters to flip the switch prior to June 12th. And this would cause much more disruption than a true hard date. What’s Grandma going to do when some channels come in, but not all? Probably leads to more confusion. I hope all stations pulling the plug on a NTSC simulcast choose to run some sort of repeating PSA or video crawl, for a period of time, saying to go buy a converter and call your grandson to help install it. Netflix movie downloads are a success on Xbox 360 While there’s no question these numbers are staggering and kudos are deserved, I wonder how we should define “success” (as stated in headline) of this service. Do we know if Xbox Gold subscriptions have increased? Do we know if Netflix subscriptions have increased? Licensing and serving all this video is expensive, and I’m not convinced Netflix’s current ‘unlimited video, no extra charge’ model is sustainable. Although, I think we can all agree the content selection is somewhat lacking… and that’s one way they’re saving money. Allio Packs a PC Into Its TVs The processor should be fine, but Vista is another story. Too bad Windows 7 isn’t ready yet. The bigger problem here is conceptual. Am I going to be able to see the text in my email when it’s split screen from 10′ away on the couch? Do I even want to try? “WebTV” variations have repeatedly failed. Having said that, using this as an all-in-one Vista Media Center could be compelling. Does the PC have access to the tuner? [...]

By: TR

TR — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 03:36:52 +0000

My bad. The *bill* doesn’t require analog to stay, but the *FCC* is starting to sound like it won’t let DMAs transition as a group. Stations are back to ground zero having to re-justify and re-file. At least the FCC gave them the weekend.

By: DaveZatz

DaveZatz — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:40:37 +0000

I believe the revised legislation still permits broadcasters to flip the switch prior to June 12th. And I believe this will cause much more disruption than a true hard date. What’s Grandma going to do when some channels come in, but not all? Probably leads to more confusion. I hope all stations pulling the plug on a NTSC simulcast choose to run some sort of repeating PSA or video crawl saying to go buy a converter and call your grandson to help install it.

By: dosequis

dosequis — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:57:14 +0000

I know that almost all the local stations around me are sticking to the February 17th switchover.

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2009/02/05/news/local/doc498a53354e82f960382227.txt

http://www.omaha.com//index.php?u_page=1208&u_sid=10556347

By: Bill McMinn

Bill McMinn — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:26:47 +0000

Why does government still sees the need to throw money into the converter box coupons, there are some converter boxes that sell for less than 40 dollars. The free market is now bringing down the cost of converter boxes not some government coupons.

By: TR

TR — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:40:14 +0000

Attention, analog holdouts: You do *not* have until June 12 to get ready. Be ready now. When it becomes law, the bill extends the drop dead date, the last day full power stations are legally allowed to broadcast analog. There is no requirement that stations keep broadcasting analog until then. In fact, the bill preserves the existing flexibility that allows stations to shut down early.

Many stations are locked into a Feb 17 shutdown by legal contracts, tower workers scheduled a year in advance, and budgets that don’t include an extra four months of electricity and maintenance. The FCC says stations aren’t required to announce shutdowns on Feb 17, but hundreds have notified the FCC of their intent to shut down analog on the original deadline Feb 17. The bill, if it gets funded, gives viewers 4 more months to request coupons, but the bill does not require analog signals to continue during that extension.