Top 25 things vanishing from America: #2 -- Analog TV
Filed under: Extracurriculars, Technology
This series explores aspects of America that may soon be just a memory -- some to be missed, some gladly left behind. From the least impactful to the most, here are 25 bits of vanishing America.
I'm young enough that I didn't have to take directions from my dad on just how to arrange rabbit ears in order to pull in a static-filled station; in fact, I barely knew the analog signals of my childhood. We have had cable for as long as I can remember and other than the antenna at my grandparent's, analog television has just been a footnote in my illustrious life. It's been a side project for broadcasters too. Over the years, stations upgraded to digital technology, and eventually to HD, but still maintained broadcasting in analog to cater to those on "farmer-vision" -- too far out for the reaches of local cable companies. But even those people are tuning out, opting for satellite instead.
And so the move away from analog broadcasting is quickly being ushered into its finale as the government prepares for the big switch to digital in February 2009.
Most of the public, even those with old TVs, won't notice any change in the way they get their in home entertainment since, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, 85% of homes in the U.S. get their television programming through cable or satellite providers. For the remaining 15% -- or 13 million individuals -- who are using rabbit ears or a large outdoor antenna to get their local stations, change is in the air. If you are one of these people you'll need to get a new TV or a converter box in order to get the new stations which will only be broadcast in digital.
Stations are looking forward to the switch because it will allow them to save money by only broadcasting in digital, which allows for better sound and a clearer picture. The government wants to get its hands on the analog spectrum to auction it off for hundreds of millions of dollars.
On the consumer side of things the information about the switch has been anything but clear, leaving many at the hands of corporations and salesmen who are trying to push new TVs even to those households who don't need them for the switch. When the transition actually takes place even more problems could occur as the new digital broadcast signal may not be able to reach the same areas as the old analog signals. A similar problem occurred when the UK transitioned, requiring many households to purchase new antennas, both indoor and outdoor models.
I can't say I am sad to see analog television go. The new digital technology doesn't just provide a better picture but more possibilities for mobile television and allows broadcasters to focus the analog resources on cool new ventures. I am, however, concerned that the actual transition will result in many angry TV watchers who can't get any of their favorite shows. It seems that even the most tech savvy individuals are having trouble understanding the ins and outs of the digital TV transition as it pertains to consumers. If that is the case then what is the rest of the population to do?
Are you worried you'll lose out during this transition to digital TV?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
7-15-2008 @ 6:29AM
Bob said...
This should be delayed, the industry is not ready for it yet. I have a Digital TV. The signal is not as good as analog, now I can switch to analog when I get the signal is weak on digital. There is still not a TV guide type isting in print or on the web that I can find of the multiple digital programs now broadcast. Most people not getting cable or satelite are not now getting digital stations, they will need new boxes.
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7-20-2008 @ 1:44PM
precious said...
Dear Bob,
I am on your side, and all of the top 4 commentators. I live in a major metropolitan area and do not have cable or a cell phone. When I bought a new TV 14 years ago, I was shocked that when I plugged it in, I got nothing. Welcome to "Cable-Ready." I took the rabbit-ears off my grandparents' 1950s era Zenith & put them on my new 1995 Zenith. Voila, they worked.
I still use a VHS/VCR too. If it ain't broke, why should I be forced to replace it? I resent the mandatory conversion. I also resent the loss of KRON as an NBC carrier to a San Jose based station that broad-casts on channel 3. That's cable guys, not net-work. KRON's signal used to make it to San Jose.
7-15-2008 @ 7:01AM
james haley said...
thanks to the lobbysts the american people are loosing once again. several families are going to loose one thing that advertisements paid for .not the families budget. with the outrageous heating bills , fuel costs, and grocery expenses several families will stop their non essential tv viewing. ( they won't have any choice) .
watch & see - - free radio next
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7-15-2008 @ 8:53AM
coyote said...
Only 98% of americans have television, so the national average of sets that pick up over the air TV is only 13%.
Where I live in the desert, and I would guess, all of rural america, only 44% of TV's get the signal from cable or satilite.
Here only 2 of the 8 "local" stations can be picked up on digital. Stations across the border in Canada or Mexico will continue to brodcast in analog. Is DTV a scam. We will know in Feb. 2009. Stay tuned?
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7-15-2008 @ 9:57AM
Lance said...
When I got the converter box hooked up, I lost half my analog channels- I live approx 25 miles from the transmitting stations, & the signal was terrible. And when digital signal is fuzzy, it just goes away completely- no weak signal, no signal at all. I just finished installing an outdoor antenna on my roof, (cost total about $65.00) and the signal's much better, but I still have problems picking up the weaker stations, like the local public broadcasting channel. So forcing us all to switch to digital was not a good move, in my opinion. But if it's saving the stations money, perhaps they had lobbyists who helped push this bill thru....
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7-15-2008 @ 10:27AM
Kendall Adkins said...
AnaLog Tv, Digital TV,
Well sounds good right, but as many know already its not the same and the they have already made up their minds to change it, if you have noticed we use to could just go by an out door attena and all was good, now as it list the add on TV, with discount coupons to help with the cost is a sure thing.
This is my thoughts on it all, since almost all has went to cable or Satilite tv, the Goverment,wants to have a way of counting homes or depending on how many boxes may be needed people in each home, one box most likely 4 people in general.
We that choose to watch analog TV singnals hasnt got a choice in the matter, it is being forced on us with a price they have picked out , that each one has to pay. Cant run to family hardware store anymore and get an attenna, forget that idea.
If we dont comply, pay as they say or not watch TV at all.
Is the still America,Home of the Brave, Land of the free.
JUst another way of the Goverment to force people into something they dont need or agree with.I am asumming not far behind will be a charge of some sort, upgrades to pay for just to watch the evening news.
We as American Citizens should protest being forced to do something, when this country with all its different terrain, so many will be without TV, becuase they cannot afford the Box, as they call it, or even if they get the BOX wont be able to watch it either due to poor signal and terrain,.
Its a terrible shame that we either comply or loose something that has been free almost a hundred years.
from a concerned Citizen of the USA, our rights is slowly being taken away,
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7-15-2008 @ 10:42AM
Brittany said...
Well this isn't a good thing. with rising cost of everthing atleast if you had to cut off your cable to say money you could atleast get your local channels. now you won't be able to do that i guess you could rent some movies and hope no bad storm comes this way. because you won't know... All it is, is that they want to make more money. so they figure if they cut out analog they they could get the rest of the Americans that don't have cable have to get cable.. another way to rip off the American public...................
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7-15-2008 @ 10:47AM
JIM said...
BIG BRO AT IT AGAIN????
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7-15-2008 @ 11:01AM
kathleen gatlin said...
I just move into a new home which has cable hook up but cable is not in this area and they dont know if it will be soon but i cant afford directv because 29.00 will end up to 50.00 when i get threw and i am on a fix income i could afford the 11.00 basic for cable
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7-15-2008 @ 11:02AM
Steve said...
No more free TV. Now we'll pay the Cable Indusry for access.
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7-16-2008 @ 4:27PM
Paul said...
I also do not think this is fair. Especially for older people. Many of them are not into digital technology. It seems that radio waves-tv analog waves etc. should be for everyone. What happens if there is major disastor? Satalites wiped out, cable wiped out. People can use generators or batteries to pick up the simpliest of signals out there for information. It makes no sense. I seems a little communistic--to force everyone to have the same thing. But I shouldn't say that because the government is listening in. But it's free speech right? whatever
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7-15-2008 @ 2:34PM
Ken Layton said...
Analog tv has served us well for 60 years. If it ain't broke don't fix it. The government forced broadcasters to spend billions on new equipment for this digital crap. Digital is NOT better. There are plenty of people like me who live 70 or more miles away from the transmitting antenna and I get a great picture from my anaolg roof-top antenna. That won't be the case with digital though. When analog goes away the networks will realize that half their viewers suddenly went away too.
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7-15-2008 @ 1:13PM
Larry said...
A few years ago in Detroit, the power went out over the entire city. My only means of receiving news was through my small battery operated television. I've been calling and writing everywhere to find out will my tv be useless. Too small for a converter box and if power goes out even the box is useless.
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7-25-2008 @ 10:34AM
HSOUIXZ said...
LARRY: YOUR TV IS PROBABLY NOT TOO SMALL FOR A CONVERTER BOX. MANY PORTABLE TV'S HAVE A PORT ON THE BACK FOR ADDITIONAL ANTENAE ACCESS. IF YOU DO NOT; THERE IS ALSO AN ADAPTER THAT USUALLY WORKS (sells for about $5.00). HOOK IT UNDER THE SCREWS (where it allows for attatching a stronger antenae), AND HOOK THE CONVETER BOX IN THE PIG-TAIL END OF THE ADAPTER. YOU MAY HAVE A PROBLEM IF THE FRONT OF YOUR PORTABLE TV DOES NOT HAVE PORTS FOR VIDEO / AUDIO JACKS (those types used for game / dvd connection) TO BE INSERTED. THE PICTURE IS MOSTLY BETTER AT NITE. I'M NOT SURE WHY. DEPENDING ON HOW FAR YOU ARE FROM THE TRANSMITTING SITE (or if you have landscape...ie: mountains / blgds blocking the "rf-waves" path)...YOU MAY ENCOUNTER WHAT'S KNOWN AS "SLUTTERING" (tv-pixel distortion)...OR NO SIGNAL RECIEVED. FOR THAT YOU MUST MOVE YOUR ANTENAE (yes ...you will need an additional set of rabbit ears)AS THE BOX IS INFLUENCED BY DIRECTIONAL RECEPTION MUCH AS TRADITIONAL ANALOG SERVICE WAS BY DIRECTIONAL RECEPTION. YOU MAY LOSE SOME ANALOG SIGNALS YOU WERE USED TO GETTING...AND GAIN NEW DIGITAL SIGNALS YOU WERENT ABLE TO GET; OR DIDN'T KNOW WAS TRANSMITTING IN YOUR AREA. I PICKED UP 4 ADDITIONAL CHANNELS I COULDN'T RECEIVE BEFORE ( 2 I knew about....2 I didn't know about). AND LOST ONE I COULD RECEIVE BEFORE(but it had lousy reception anyways). YOU SHOULDN'T WAIT TO BUY THE BOX BECAUSE MANY AREAS ARE ENDING THEIR SERVICE WELL BEFORE THE FEBRUARY DATE. THE BOX (which comes with it's own remote....and the remote is the ONLY way to use the conveter box) IS NOT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO HOOK UP TO THE TV. HOWEVER IT MUST BE PROGRAM ADJUSTED ALOT! WHEN IT WORKS....IT LOOKS GREAT. IT DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK, THO.
7-15-2008 @ 4:17PM
Rebecca said...
We had made the choice NOT to get cable because most of what is out there is so bad. We felt that sticking with the main broadcast channels and public broadcasting was fine for us. My kids watch cartoons on PBS, instead of those cable stations that are more about promoting products and questionable values.
I guess we are going to become relics of another time, a time when you didn't have to pay to get crappy TV. I think it's so funny when we are visiting family that have cable or sat. with 100's of choices and there is still nothing worth watching.
We will just have to use out television set to watch movies on DVD's .
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7-15-2008 @ 4:18PM
Josh Smith said...
If you get a converter box you can still get free TV over the air assuming you live close enough to pick up the digital over the air transmission.
7-15-2008 @ 1:30PM
Evelyn Perkins said...
This makes me wonder just when the federal government became so concerned about the quality of my television picture. There is something else to this that we are not being told, and I don't think we are going to be happy about it.
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7-15-2008 @ 1:52PM
Joe said...
Most people who reply to this site have no idea how this works. All you need is a TV with a digital tuner with an antenna, or an analog TV with a digital converter and an antenna to receive free over the air broadcasts. If hooked up properly, your picture should be much clearer and receive more channels.
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7-15-2008 @ 11:58PM
Elaine said...
Joe,
I don't think you understand that some of us have a weak signal because of our locations. I am in a rural location. I have two HD tvs and purchased two HD attenaes. The problem is the signal is very weak and instead of getting a snowy or wavy picture, the screen goes totally blank. At first we were really excited to experience high definition television, then quickly got tired of jumping up every few minutes to adjust the signal and then change the channel and have to start all over again. I have been very disappointed in our HD experience. I also have a small portable b/w tv in the bathroom that we use when the power goes out and mostly listen in the morning for traffic/weather. Its too small for a converter, so it will be only useful for the radio. When the power goes out for days (which happens from ice storms or hurricanes), we will not have any television access. Like another poster said, if you don't have access to cable/satellite or can't afford it, you are out of luck after February. No more "free" tv.
7-17-2008 @ 12:17AM
Christine said...
So can you tell me what will happen now to my hand held TV I received for my birthday to carry with me when I have to wait in my car for the kids, or out in my boat or at a park? This now makes it obsolete does it not? Or what about the little 9" TV I take out on the deck? They have made it impossible to have a portable TV. They have forced us into this, they should make it right. The boxes should have been given to us free. Somebody is making a lot of money on this deal, believe me. What happened to our right to CHOOSE?????