Movies Blog : dtv

Reminder: DTV Transition happening FRIDAY!

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:13:00 GMT

On Friday, 2.8 million households will riot in the streets when their TVs cease to work.

Okay, slight exaggeration...hopefully there will be no rioting. But the "2.8 million households" statistic is no joke, according to figures released yesterday by Nielsen Media Research. Even after a four month delay, 2.8 million households (2.5% of the US television market) are still unprepared.

Television stations nationwide will stop broadcasting in analog (the standard used for the past 60+ years) and broadcast only in digital starting tomorrow. Older TVs without a digital tuner will require a digital converter box to pick up digital broadcasts. If you're still confused about the DTV transition, or not sure if you're prepared or not, check out my previous blog posts DTV 101 (part 1): The "Digital TV Transition"; Converter boxes and DTV 101 (part 2): The pros & cons of going Digital.

If you've already been watching DTV, you're encouraged to re-scan for channels tomorrow. Stations should be boosting their digital transmissions, which should hopefully resolve reception issues viewers have encountered.

I'm happy that the DTV transition will finally be over with...as long as I'm actually able to watch TV when it rains (currently having signal dropouts!). Are you excited about DTV? If you've been watching DTV, have you had any reception woes? Share in the comments section below!

DTV 101 (part 2): The pros & cons of going Digital

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:51:00 GMT

On June 12 (pushed back from the original February 17 date), TV will change forever. Whether or not you're looking forward to this technological transition, there are some important things to understand about digital TV as compared to old-school analog TV.

If you're a bit fuzzy about the DTV transition, or you're unsure if your TVs are prepared for the change, please read my previous post.

How does DTV work?

Analog TV, what we've been using for 60+ years, is broadcast similarly to how movies are recorded onto film: one frame at a time. When watching analog TV, every single frame of the show you're watching is being sent over the air by the broadcaster, and your TV simply throws everything it receives up onto the screen.

Digital TV can be likened to watching a YouTube video: computer data is sent and reassembled by the device that's viewing it. For DTV, the broadcaster disassembles and compresses a show into computer data, which is what they broadcast. Digital TVs and converter boxes receive these bits & bytes and reassemble them back into a watchable picture.

Enough technobabble...why should you care about DTV? Because it's soooo much better than analog TV! ...well, kinda. Unfortunately, there are some cons as well; hopefully, most of these problems will be resolved when the transition occurs. Let's start with the pros!

Pros of DTV

Improved picture & sound quality. DTV should be comparable to DVD-quality.
Programming guide. With DTV, you can view the name of the program you're watching, along with a guide of future programming. This this similar to functionality provided by cable/satellite boxes, but was not possible with analog TV.
Stations can broadcast additional channels. WFIE has 3 digital channels: 14.1 (their regular channel), 14.2 (their 24hr weather station), and 14.3 (recently changed from a music channel to additional programming).
High-definition programming. More and more shows are being broadcast in high-definition. Those with HDTVs will see these programs in glorious high-def; those not using HDTVs will see the standard definition version of the program.
No more snow! We all remember having to adjust the rabbit ears in an attempt to fix snowy reception. A snowy picture was a sign of analog reception problems. You won't get any snow with DTV! (But before you start celebrating, check out #2 in the cons section...)
Frees airwaves. DTV uses a fraction of the bandwidth required for analog TV. After the transition, the no-longer-used airwaves will be allotted to forthcoming technologies, such as faster mobile internet.

Cons of DTV

Aspect ratio confusion. DTV is broadcast in widescreen, which is great for HDTVs (which are widescreen); programs that are widescreen fill up the entire screen, and 4:3 programs (sometimes referred as "full screen") are displayed with black bars on the left & right.
Users of standard (non-widescreen) TVs will need to change display modes on their TVs or converter boxes from "Full" (for widescreen programs) to "Zoom" (for full screen programs) depending on the current program. Otherwise, the left & right sides of the image will be cut off (on widescreen programs) or the image won't fill the entire screen (on full screen programs). Clear as mud, right?
No more snow! Digital TV is all or nothing. Unlike analog TV, where you could still watch a poor signal, digital TV cannot tune in to poor signals. With adequate signal, you'll be able to watch the station with perfect clarity. With poor signal, you won't be able to watch the station AT ALL!
Drop outs. If a station's signal is just strong enough for you to receive, but likes to fluctuate, it will be prone to drop outs. If you're watching a show and there's a brief reception blip, you'll get either a frozen picture, black screen, or a jumbled picture until the reception comes back. Depending on the severity of the resulting choppiness, this can make a station completely unwatchable.
Interference. One of the supposed pros of DTV is that it is less prone to interference than analog TV. That may be true as a whole, but I've discovered that DTV reception is affected by the WEATHER! Pouring rain, lightning, and other weather can affect DTV reception. If you're trying to watch TV during severe weather, you should be able to do so!!!!

My Experiences

I've been receiving digital TV on my HDTV for 3 years now. While living on the east side, near Washington Square Mall, I was able to receive WFIE (14) & WEHT (25) perfectly using an indoor antenna. WTVW (7), WNIN (9), and WEVV (44) were too choppy to be watchable.

I've since moved to the west side, and I've mounted a larger, outside antenna with an extra amplifier. I now receive WTVW (7), WEHT (25), and WEVV (44) perfectly. I get zero signal from WNIN (9).

I'm only 1 mile away from WFIE (14), and my reception from them is inexplicably erratic. Some days they come in 100%. Other days, reception fluctuates so much that I get severe dropouts of 1-2 seconds every 10-15 seconds. I have found no rhyme or reason for this, but it is frustrating as the station becomes unwatchable.

Conclusion

So is DTV ready for primetime? Good question. To be fair, #2-#4 of my cons, along with my reception woes, could be resolved if broadcasters boost their digital signals; if they are not planning on doing so when the transition takes place, they'll probably be forced to by the number of viewers having reception problems.

In a nutshell, DTV is a much-needed improvement and is awesome...when it works. For those that have already made the switch to DTV, what have your experiences been???

More Info

DTV 101 (part 1): The "Digital TV Transition"; Converter boxes: Previous blog post about the transition and converter boxes.
Readers tuned in to column about TV reception: A 12/08 Courier & Press article about reception problems in the Tri-State area.
AntennaWeb.org: After submitting your address, discover how far you are from digital broadcasters, along with what kind of antenna to get and what direction to point it.
DTV2009.gov: Home of the TV Converter Box Coupon Program, along with plenty of information about the transition.

DTV Transition OFFICIALLY DELAYED til June 12...well, kinda

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:51:00 GMT

While previous efforts to delay the DTV transition failed, on Wednesday the House of Representatives approved a delay until June 12. That's right, folks: the mandatory cutoff date has officially moved from February 17 to June 12.

HOWEVER, while stations are encouraged to wait until June 12 to cease their analog broadcasts, they are not required to do so. Following FCC guidelines, they are free to go digital-only anytime beginning February 17. So some stations may continue with their planned transition on February 17, some may wait until June 12, and some may switch anytime between then. BRILLIANT!

As broadcasters are wasting thousands of dollars broadcasting in both analog and digital, I'm thinking most will still opt for the February 17 date. If that happens, what did the "delay" accomplish (besides being a waste of taxpayer money)???

So what about our local stations? I can't find anything official yet, but most of their websites are still claiming February 17. If/when anything formal is announced, I'll post it here.

The only good news out of this mess is that funding for the Converter Box Coupon Program will (supposedly) be replenished. If you need a converter box, but haven't purchased one yet, head over to DTV2009.GOV to apply for a coupon. You'll be added to the waiting list, and coupons will be sent out to all these folks once the funding comes through. Cross your fingers.

While I understand the motives behind the delay, I would consider the implemented plan to be flawed, at best. What do you think?

The day that never comes: The DTV Transition (UPDATE: House says "No!")

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:51:00 GMT

UPDATED 1/28 2:00PM: Earlier today, House Republicans defeated the proposed delay of the DTV transition. It's still set for February 17.

Below is my original blog post, published on January 27.

ANOTHER delay. Yesterday, the US Senate voted unanimously to postpone the DTV transition from February 17 to June 12. The proposal, supported by President Barack Obama, could receive Congressional approval very soon.

On January 1, the Commerce Department announced that they'd run out of funding for government-subsidized vouchers toward the purchase of digital converter boxes. There are currently 2.6 million Americans on a waiting list, in case additional funding comes to fruition. The goal of the four month delay is to find the funds to make this happen.

According to a Nielsen report published last week, more than 6.5 million households are not prepared for the DTV transition. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, author of the bill to push back the deadline, stated "I firmly believe that our nation is not yet ready to make this transition at this time."

That "6.5 million households" sounds awfully large, but it makes up only 5.7% of American households. Even if the deadline is pushed back, and the voucher program is reinstated, will these households stop procrastinating and actually purchase converter boxes? Or will they simply have another four months to put it off?

Of course, broadcasters don't like the idea as they'll have to continue broadcasts in both analog & digital, which is more costly; in fact, some have already scheduled the dismantling of their analog broadcasting equipment. But Rockefeller managed to ease some of these concerns by allowing broadcast stations to make the switch from analog to digital signals sooner than the June deadline if they choose. Um, what?!? Won't most stations switch to digital-only immediately? If so, what's the point of moving the "transition" to June?

Nothing is final yet, but we should know the fine details if/when Congress approves it.

Good idea? Bad idea? Let us know what you think by posting your (non-political) comments below!

DTV 101 (part 1): The "Digital TV Transition"; Converter boxes (coupon requests due by 12/31/08!)

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 21:15:00 GMT

As stated at DTV2009.GOV, "At midnight on February 17, 2009, all full-power television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to 100% digital broadcasting." Is this gibberish to you? Do you realize that some of your televisions may require a converter box beginning February 17? In this, the first in a series of blog posts about the digital TV (DTV) transition, we'll discuss what this transition "thing" is all about; why it's happening; what a converter box is and if you'll need to purchase one; and if so, how to apply for a government-subsidized coupon towards the purchase of a converter box. The last day to apply for these $40-off coupons is December 31.

What is the "Digital TV Transition"?

Many items we use everyday have already transitioned from analog to digital: cassettes to CDs, VHS to DVD, etc. Switching to the digital formats brought some great new features (CDs: track skipping, better sound quality; DVDs: chapter markers, greatly improved video & audio quality), but these transitions weren't without their share of headaches. This is very similar to what the transition to DTV is.

Besides some minor changes in 1953 with the advent of color television, our current analog television standard has remained relatively unchanged since 1941. Technology has evolved, and the old standard has become obsolete.

Currently, television stations are broadcasting both analog and low power digital. On February 17, 2009, stations will stop broadcasting analog and will broadcast digital at full power.

Remember when you bought your first CD? There was no way to play it in your old cassette player. The same held true with DVDs; you couldn't play them in your VCR. The same is true with digital TV; older televisions, which can only receive analog broadcasts, won't be able to "play" digital broadcasts without some add-on equipment.

Why the switch to digital???

There's a number of reasons:

New features & benefits: DTV provides better picture & sound, including high-definition video (when watching on a HDTV). It can also allow for interactivity, electronic programming guides, and toggle-able languages & subtitles (like on DVDs); no stations have yet implemented these kinds of features, but they are possibilities for the future.
Saves "space": While the sky seems limitless, there's only so much "space" available for television to be broadcast in. Analog broadcasts take up more "space" than digital ones. By switching to digital, more stations can be broadcast using less "space". (An oversimplification, but you should get the idea.)
Freeing up analog airwaves: Once the DTV transition is complete, the old analog airwaves will be free. Some will be turned over to local fire & police departments for emergency communication. Others will be auctioned off to companies providing "new wireless services". Uncle Sam has to pay for those $40 coupons somehow!
Stimulate the economy: More than ever, consumers are running out to purchase new TVs. Those who aren't may decide to upgrade to cable or satellite.

What do I need to do?

If all of your TVs are connected to cable or satellite, you do not need to do anything. You will continue receiving broadcasts over cable/satellite as you always have.

For TVs that are NOT connected to cable or satellite and use an antenna:

If the television is a HDTV, you do not need to do anything. All HDTVs are ready to receive DTV.
If the television is a SDTV (not a HDTV), how old is it?
- Most SDTVs made within the last couple of years should be ready to receive DTV, but it will depend on the model. Check the instruction manual or the manufacturer's website to determine whether your TV is ready to receive DTV. Some commonly-used terms to look for are "Digital Ready/Capable", "DTV Ready/Capable", "HD Ready/Capable", & "ATSC". If you find that your TV IS ready to receive DTV, you don't need to do anything.
- Older SDTVs are not DTV capable.

If your TV is not DTV compatible, you can always replace it with a new TV or begin cable/satellite service. However, the most frugal option would be to purchase a converter box.

What is a converter box?

TVs that aren't able to receive DTV can be retrofitted with a converter box. Your antenna plugs into the converter box, and the box into your TV. This gadget converts the digital signal it receives from the antenna into an analog one, which it sends to your TV.

A couple of important points:

Once installed, you'll change channels through the converter box (NOT through the TV). So you'll need your TV's remote to power it on & adjust volume, but you'll use a 2nd remote (that comes with the converter box) to change channels. Those with remote-aphobia should look into universal/programmable remotes.
One converter box will convert ONE TV. If you have multiple TVs that are not DTV compatible, you'll need a converter box for each of them.

Applying for a converter box coupon

Converter boxes typically run $40-$70, not too cheap. Congress created the TV Converter Box Coupon Program, which allows US households to obtain up to two coupons, each worth $40, that can be used towards the purchase of a converter box. You must apply to receive these coupons, and the deadline to do so is Wednesday, December 31. You can apply online or by calling 1-888-DTV-2009.

After applying, you should receive the coupon within 2-3 weeks; they expire 90 days after being mailed. Any stores that sell electronics should have the converter boxes for sale and will accept these coupons.

Conclusion

Ain't technology fun?!? If you have any questions or comments, please post them in the comments section below! There's also a lot of good information at DTV2009.GOV.

I've had a HDTV for nearly 3 years now, receiving DTV. While I think DTV is great, and I'm glad that it will finally become mainstream, I cannot claim that it's problem-free. In a future post, I'll talk about my experiences, including reception woes & other issues. And since HDTVs are more popular than ever before, I'll be going over some HD basics in another post. It will be an interesting ride, and hopefully the world will not cease to exist this coming February!