Analog Television cut off

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

I spoke with a neighbor who indicated to me that recently, the FCC mandated
a 2009 cut off for analog television. Anyone have a any information on
this? Also, are we still on track for a FCC July 2004 mandate for HDTV
tuners in the larger televisions?

TIA..

Skip

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

On Sun, 18 Apr 2004, Skip wrote:
> I spoke with a neighbor who indicated to me that recently, the FCC mandated
> a 2009 cut off for analog television. Anyone have a any information on
> this?

As I read the report, there will be no single cut-off date for analog TV.
Over a multi-year period, individual TV stations are supposed to return
their analog licenses to the FCC once 85% of their market can receive
their digital signal.

Some stations will undoubtably stall until the very last moment.

In the Seattle area:

Only one channel (a religious channel) is not yet scheduled live on
digital. Another religious channel seems to be only intermittantly
broadcasting in digital. The two home shopping channels are scheduled to
be live, but I've never received a digital signal on one and I haven't
received a digital signal on the other since January. Not that I check
these channels all that often.

All other channels are live on digital, with the following issues:

.. the ABC channel has a directional beam which isn't sending any of its
signal to the west. I've only received it for about 1/2 second.

.. the NBC channel is also directional, but seems to be higher power and
I receive it about 75% of the time.

.. the Seattle PBS channel is analog-only until noon, when it turns on its
digital signal. I think that the Tacoma PBS channel is 24/7.

-- Mark --

http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

So each market is turned off once 85% penetration is achived? Is that
including all forms of delivery? (e.g., OTA, cable and DTVDish/Voom???

S
"Randy Sweeney" <rsweeney1@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:GsCdnbdncaf5Jx_dRVn-hQ@comcast.com...
>
> "Skip" <strandbiker1@adelphia.net> wrote in message
> news:M8WdndKA28sTBx_dRVn_iw@adelphia.com...
> > I spoke with a neighbor who indicated to me that recently, the FCC
> mandated
> > a 2009 cut off for analog television. Anyone have a any information on
> > this? Also, are we still on track for a FCC July 2004 mandate for HDTV
> > tuners in the larger televisions?
> >
> > TIA..
> >
> > Skip
>
> I don't think it's official yet... Powell floated a trial balloon.
>
> He wants to count the TV's connected to digital cable in the 85% rule to
> allow the turnoff and return of licenses.
>
> The NAB is going nuts.
> Actually the NAB is already nuts but they seem to be more disturbed than
> normal.
>
>

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

On 19 Apr 2004 10:43:38 -0700, jeremy@pdq.net (JDeats) wrote:

>I remember hearing the same thing... But the red tape doesn't suprise
>me and one poster said it best "do you think any elected offical is
>going to take responsibility for making most people pay for a
>converter box to pick up over the air TV?". I'm ignorant about how the
>FCC is operated, but I imagine if the switch doesn't happen as planed
>and broadcast networks are shelling out big money to send out two
>feeds something will have to give... If the government regulated
>agencies can't come up with anything the safest solution for them will
>be to charge customers (cable, dish, etc..) or advertisers more.

My prediction is, the providers (Dish, DirecTV, Comcast, etc., etc.)
and advertisers will initially foot the bill and provide the
converter boxes to the subscribers at a bare-bones cost since
*everybody* will be *demanding* it.

If the NAB sticks to it's guns on shutting off the analog signals at
the current govm't mandate like they say they will, it *will* happen
and the providers will be scrambling starting in November, 06 to get
those boxes out to everybody.

Just one guy's prediction...

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

On Tue, 20 Apr 2004 18:22:29 -0400, "Randy Sweeney"
<rsweeney1@comcast.net> wrote:

>> So each market is turned off once 85% penetration is achived? Is that
>> including all forms of delivery? (e.g., OTA, cable and DTVDish/Voom???
>>
>> S
>
>That's the new plan... cable and DBS count since you are still watching TV
>if the NTSC broadcast is turned off.
>
Interesting... I had a tech trying to tell me the other day that even
if you have a digital signal via Comcast, Dish, etc., and an analog
TV, you'll still need an ADDITIONAL converter box....

I didn't think that sounded right at all...

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 20:45:56 -0400, "Randy Sweeney"
<rsweeney1@comcast.net> wrote:

> I had a tech trying to tell me the other day that even
>> if you have a digital signal via Comcast, Dish, etc., and an analog
>> TV, you'll still need an ADDITIONAL converter box....
>>
>> I didn't think that sounded right at all...
>
>Actually he was correct
>
>If the cable guys send out a digital signal and you have an analog TV, you
>need a converter - which they provide.
>But if they take a digital signal (like most satellite delivered network
>feeds) and convert it to analog at the headend and then transmit the analog
>on cable (like the do for all those basic cable channels)... then you don't
>need a box for your analog TV.

But still, the way I understand it you won't need *two* boxes if you
have an analog TV and a digital signal once the analog shutoff
occurs... and that is what this "tech" was trying to tell me.