Comments on: When Will Analog TVs Go Dark? http://www.digitaltrends.com/talk-backs/when-will-analog-tvs-go-dark/ Upgrade Your Lifestyle Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:06:40 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: jim keefe http://www.digitaltrends.com/talk-backs/when-will-analog-tvs-go-dark/#comment-58500 jim keefe Tue, 02 Oct 2007 11:29:58 +0000 #comment-58500 why don't they tell us where to get the coupons for the convertors? why don't they tell us where to get the coupons for the convertors?

]]> By: Night Eagle http://www.digitaltrends.com/talk-backs/when-will-analog-tvs-go-dark/#comment-58499 Night Eagle Fri, 29 Dec 2006 00:48:04 +0000 #comment-58499 I believe strongly that this digital conversion was done not in the interest of the public good at all and that the FCC as well as Congress has overstepped the bounds it's given authority. The question of who profits from this madness is at issue. I sure many consumers will use there analog sets as CCTV monitors, a growing trend in home security, but most analog sets will end up contaminating the local landfill. The real bugger for me is not being able to use my 1960's black and white TV in my garage. I believe strongly that this digital conversion was done not in the interest of the public good at all and that the FCC as well as Congress has overstepped the bounds it's given authority. The question of who profits from this madness is at issue. I sure many consumers will use there analog sets as CCTV monitors, a growing trend in home security, but most analog sets will end up contaminating the local landfill. The real bugger for me is not being able to use my 1960's black and white TV in my garage.

]]> By: Dave Wilson http://www.digitaltrends.com/talk-backs/when-will-analog-tvs-go-dark/#comment-58498 Dave Wilson Thu, 22 Dec 2005 15:42:39 +0000 #comment-58498 Where are the convertor boxes for analog Televisions? <br /> <br /> I would have thought that people could at least buy an expensive one by now.<br /> <br /> mrpisces_2000@yahoo.com<br /> <br /> Where are the convertor boxes for analog Televisions?

I would have thought that people could at least buy an expensive one by now.

mrpisces_2000@yahoo.com

]]> By: digitaltv_guy http://www.digitaltrends.com/talk-backs/when-will-analog-tvs-go-dark/#comment-58497 digitaltv_guy Tue, 06 Dec 2005 06:05:51 +0000 #comment-58497 The biggest problem I see is that there is not enough consumer education going on. People are out there buying analog tv sets RIGHT NOW, sometimes fairly expensive ones, and they do not realize that it will go dark in 3 years. A $50 box is not a big expense, and maybe that makes it ok, but it still bugs me that not much is being done to educate people. I guess maybe it can't be done until the date has been fully approved. Oh and btw, there _will_ be high quality $50 converter boxes available, especially by the time analog is shut down. Moore's Law pretty much guarantees it. 8-VSB performs quite well, provided the receiver has plenty of digital processing capability. The biggest problem I see is that there is not enough consumer education going on. People are out there buying analog tv sets RIGHT NOW, sometimes fairly expensive ones, and they do not realize that it will go dark in 3 years. A $50 box is not a big expense, and maybe that makes it ok, but it still bugs me that not much is being done to educate people. I guess maybe it can't be done until the date has been fully approved. Oh and btw, there _will_ be high quality $50 converter boxes available, especially by the time analog is shut down. Moore's Law pretty much guarantees it. 8-VSB performs quite well, provided the receiver has plenty of digital processing capability.

]]> By: JEROME FROM SOUTH JERSEY http://www.digitaltrends.com/talk-backs/when-will-analog-tvs-go-dark/#comment-58496 JEROME FROM SOUTH JERSEY Fri, 02 Dec 2005 16:49:18 +0000 #comment-58496 Call me what you will, but I personally am sick of feeling the noose tighten every time I pick up my remote. Living in New Jersey, I have recently been made aware of yet another price increase by COMCAST. 2% - 9% this time for basic cable which in my opinion is already priced much to high! Although I love my CNN and a handful of other cable shows, I feel increasingly disturbed by having to pay a monopoly more and more for re-runs, the countless number of shows of no substance - and especially, paying for the ever increasing number of commercials that I never agreed to pay a fee to have to watch! I am seriously considering dropping cable. We certainly do have many other entertainment options that cost a lot less and that are certainly more enriching. <br /> I agree with ACME's post: <br /> "Lastly - we as Americans "own" the airwaves - so we deserve to have Over The Air free TV. That's what the advertisers are paying for us to have. Even those without Cable or Satellite reception are still valuable consumers - and in the end that's who pays for TV. If we don't have viewers we don't make money. If we don't make money we're out of business. We as broadcasters will not neglect our over the air viewers - even if it does cost us millions to update our own facilities for DTV transmission."<br /> <br /> I feel that my opinion reflects the attitude of many, many other consumers.<br /> Screw the monopolies. Call me what you will, but I personally am sick of feeling the noose tighten every time I pick up my remote. Living in New Jersey, I have recently been made aware of yet another price increase by COMCAST. 2% – 9% this time for basic cable which in my opinion is already priced much to high! Although I love my CNN and a handful of other cable shows, I feel increasingly disturbed by having to pay a monopoly more and more for re-runs, the countless number of shows of no substance – and especially, paying for the ever increasing number of commercials that I never agreed to pay a fee to have to watch! I am seriously considering dropping cable. We certainly do have many other entertainment options that cost a lot less and that are certainly more enriching.
I agree with ACME's post:
“Lastly – we as Americans “own” the airwaves – so we deserve to have Over The Air free TV. That's what the advertisers are paying for us to have. Even those without Cable or Satellite reception are still valuable consumers – and in the end that's who pays for TV. If we don't have viewers we don't make money. If we don't make money we're out of business. We as broadcasters will not neglect our over the air viewers – even if it does cost us millions to update our own facilities for DTV transmission.”

I feel that my opinion reflects the attitude of many, many other consumers.
Screw the monopolies.

]]> By: ACME http://www.digitaltrends.com/talk-backs/when-will-analog-tvs-go-dark/#comment-58495 ACME Sat, 19 Nov 2005 18:57:47 +0000 #comment-58495 As a television engineer, I fail to see the validity of Bob's comments. I understand and appreciate the differences between the ATSC 8-VSB standard and COFDM, which is used in Europe - but the US has never been bound to an international standard for television. Hence the current analog standards of NTSC, PAL, SECAM, MESECAM,N-PAL, M-PAL, and other standards (analog and digital) used around the world. Sure - one world standard would be nice, but manufactures have to justify their R&D budgets somehow by constantly building better (and different) mousetraps. It's called innovation in some circles.<br /> <br /> Studies show that 8-VSB can be recieved as effectively as COFDM, and that 8-VSB is more effecient in terms of needed transmitter power. For the USA (which is much larger geographically than Europe) 8-VSB makes the most sense if you look at the technical specifications (more than 20 years in the making I might also add).<br /> <br /> How will this affect the consumer? Probably not at all. Most people will never know about or even comprehend the engineering and political battles leveled between COFDM and 8-VSB.<br /> <br /> Bob hints that US 8-VSB televisions will cost more than their euro counterparts - but I disagree. The US market is quite large, and chip makers will easily be able to scale production of ATSC chipsets for a reasonable cost per thousand.<br /> <br /> I personally have a HDTV set without an ATSC tuner. I have an external ATSC tuner that works quite well - even if it was relatively expensive. Six months ago I saw an external ATSC tuner in Wal-Mart for less than 99 bucks - and I'm sure Wally World and the manufacturer are making a profit even at that pricepoint.<br /> <br /> In the end - the chipsets for ATSC DTV reception will cost set manufacturers around $15-20 bucks, which will not drive up the cost of DTV sets considerably.<br /> <br /> In the end - the consumer will have DTV at a slightly higher pricepoint than analog sets are available for today. If you take inflation into account, analog sets are much less expensive today than even 10 years ago. This makes HDTV sets a relative bargain in my humble opinion - as you get a much better viewing experience for not much more money.<br /> <br /> As for the politics of selling the analog TV spectrum for emergency communications - all I can say is that in a chaotic situation, with understaffed and overworked safety personnel, communication channels will break down - no matter what technology is employed. I want our public safety officials to have the best tools available to coordinate efforts, but technology is only part of the solution - good coordination requires good prior planning and cooperation at all levels. If they plan well, the spectrum will work for them.<br /> <br /> Lastly - we as Americans "own" the airwaves - so we deserve to have Over The Air free TV. That's what the advertisers are paying for us to have. Even those without Cable or Satellite reception are still valuable consumers - and in the end that's who pays for TV. If we don't have viewers we don't make money. If we don't make money we're out of business. We as broadcasters will not neglect our over the air viewers - even if it does cost us millions to update our own facilities for DTV transmission.<br /> <br /> DTV is now - so bring it on! As a television engineer, I fail to see the validity of Bob's comments. I understand and appreciate the differences between the ATSC 8-VSB standard and COFDM, which is used in Europe – but the US has never been bound to an international standard for television. Hence the current analog standards of NTSC, PAL, SECAM, MESECAM,N-PAL, M-PAL, and other standards (analog and digital) used around the world. Sure – one world standard would be nice, but manufactures have to justify their R&D budgets somehow by constantly building better (and different) mousetraps. It's called innovation in some circles.

Studies show that 8-VSB can be recieved as effectively as COFDM, and that 8-VSB is more effecient in terms of needed transmitter power. For the USA (which is much larger geographically than Europe) 8-VSB makes the most sense if you look at the technical specifications (more than 20 years in the making I might also add).

How will this affect the consumer? Probably not at all. Most people will never know about or even comprehend the engineering and political battles leveled between COFDM and 8-VSB.

Bob hints that US 8-VSB televisions will cost more than their euro counterparts – but I disagree. The US market is quite large, and chip makers will easily be able to scale production of ATSC chipsets for a reasonable cost per thousand.

I personally have a HDTV set without an ATSC tuner. I have an external ATSC tuner that works quite well – even if it was relatively expensive. Six months ago I saw an external ATSC tuner in Wal-Mart for less than 99 bucks – and I'm sure Wally World and the manufacturer are making a profit even at that pricepoint.

In the end – the chipsets for ATSC DTV reception will cost set manufacturers around $15-20 bucks, which will not drive up the cost of DTV sets considerably.

In the end – the consumer will have DTV at a slightly higher pricepoint than analog sets are available for today. If you take inflation into account, analog sets are much less expensive today than even 10 years ago. This makes HDTV sets a relative bargain in my humble opinion – as you get a much better viewing experience for not much more money.

As for the politics of selling the analog TV spectrum for emergency communications – all I can say is that in a chaotic situation, with understaffed and overworked safety personnel, communication channels will break down – no matter what technology is employed. I want our public safety officials to have the best tools available to coordinate efforts, but technology is only part of the solution – good coordination requires good prior planning and cooperation at all levels. If they plan well, the spectrum will work for them.

Lastly – we as Americans “own” the airwaves – so we deserve to have Over The Air free TV. That's what the advertisers are paying for us to have. Even those without Cable or Satellite reception are still valuable consumers – and in the end that's who pays for TV. If we don't have viewers we don't make money. If we don't make money we're out of business. We as broadcasters will not neglect our over the air viewers – even if it does cost us millions to update our own facilities for DTV transmission.

DTV is now – so bring it on!

]]> By: MD http://www.digitaltrends.com/talk-backs/when-will-analog-tvs-go-dark/#comment-58493 MD Thu, 17 Nov 2005 05:37:12 +0000 #comment-58493 Of course, being Canadian, I'm more worried about Canada's choices. Keep in mind there are whole swaths of the border, near Canada (and Mexico??) where the wholesale freeing up the spectrum won't happen without international coordination. What's going on there? (I see Mexico more than Canada resisting the cost to their population of turning off analog).<br /> <br /> Are set-top boxes really available? I see a lot of cable/satellite existing boxes that already pump out Ch.3/4, so not extra equipment required - but over-the-air digital to ch. 3? Where? Cheapest box I see is $229 - you can buy a (old-style) TV for that! Consumers are going to be very mad; should make for an interesting congress in 2008. Of course, being Canadian, I'm more worried about Canada's choices. Keep in mind there are whole swaths of the border, near Canada (and Mexico??) where the wholesale freeing up the spectrum won't happen without international coordination. What's going on there? (I see Mexico more than Canada resisting the cost to their population of turning off analog).

Are set-top boxes really available? I see a lot of cable/satellite existing boxes that already pump out Ch.3/4, so not extra equipment required – but over-the-air digital to ch. 3? Where? Cheapest box I see is $229 – you can buy a (old-style) TV for that! Consumers are going to be very mad; should make for an interesting congress in 2008.

]]> By: fungku http://www.digitaltrends.com/talk-backs/when-will-analog-tvs-go-dark/#comment-58492 fungku Tue, 15 Nov 2005 16:17:37 +0000 #comment-58492 I'm excited for this. This is one of those changes people will just have to adjust to. And that's one thing people are good at -- adjusting.<br /> <br /> I would be willing to be that everyone, including low incoming homes, will be going out to their local walmart or calling up their local cable/satellite company and getting a convertor the day after the switch is thrown. If not then, I would be it would happen within a week.<br /> <br /> I'm absolutely positive people would use up their last $50 thats supposed to go to feed the family for the week on the convertor instead. I'm excited for this. This is one of those changes people will just have to adjust to. And that's one thing people are good at — adjusting.

I would be willing to be that everyone, including low incoming homes, will be going out to their local walmart or calling up their local cable/satellite company and getting a convertor the day after the switch is thrown. If not then, I would be it would happen within a week.

I'm absolutely positive people would use up their last $50 thats supposed to go to feed the family for the week on the convertor instead.

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