DigitalTv posts

The transition to digital television seems to have netted its first arrest: A 70-year-old man who shot his TV set in frustration when he couldn't get his digital converter box to work. The incident happened in Missouri, where the man was charged with unlawfully discharging his weapon -- his wife told the local news that he had been drinking.

I understand his frustration after watching the digital TV transition this weekend. We went to visit my husband's disabled great aunt who has four ancient TVs in her apartment that are not connected to cable. Usually, when we go over there, my daughter sits there glued to a slightly-snowy broadcast network watching movie reruns on weekend afternoons -- a rare treat for her because we never let her watch commercial TV at home.

But on this last visit, my husband connected up two digital TV converter boxes (we could only get two boxes, because the government ran out of money for the program and we have two wait to get her two other boxes). After he plugged in a few cords, he TV in the living room suddenly got a crystal clear picture, something it had never had before.

And then it promptly froze.

Then the picture pixelated, stuttered, came back on and then froze again. With the TV connected to the building's rooftop antenna, the box picked up about 7 English-language stations, but pretty much the only ones of interest were CBS, NBC and ABC. The TV in the bedroom, which has rabbit ears, fared a little better in terms of reception. But my uant was none too happy, in the end, with having to learn a new remote and ending up with even fewer channels than she had before, despite the momentary clarity.

Since so many homes in this country are connected to cable or satellite and are bypassing any distress for this transition, people like my aunt and her TV viewing aren't a top concern. But there are millions more like here out there, and like the man who shot his TV, so the furor may just now be starting to announce itself. Come summer, when the full transition takes place, watch out if you walk by a tall building ina neighborhood full of the eldery or the infirm. You may be hit in the head with a falling TV.

You pretty much have to be living under a rock to still be ignorant of the looming Feb. 17 deadline for the transition to digital TV. On that date, all old analog TVs will go dark, and the FCC will begin broadcasting in digital only.

But some lawmakers now say they want to postpone that deadline by 90 days, in response to some criticism that not everybody is ready. The FCC says a delay will only throw a wrench into transition plans and intends on moving forward with the switch.

While the majority of TV-watchers now own digital sets, or are served by cable or satelite service, which won't be affected, there are still a lot of folks out there who aren't ready.

According to the New York Times, only 6.8% of the viewing public are unprepared for the change. And consider who still uses old analog TVs: The very poor and the elderly. is it fair for those who for economic reasons or technological naivete be cut off from their favorite shows?

Not helping matters is the fact that the government has run out of coupons to help defray the cost of the converter box analog-TV users must install to keep their broadcasts coming in. There are reports that people claiming their coupons recieved expired coupons in the mail, and then had to get on waiting lists for new ones.

So far, this whole exercise has cost the government some $1.3 billion in subsidies. I don't know why it can't just print more coupons (as long as the Fed's printing money like it is). And the troubles don't end there. Still, a delay will end up costing more money. Which is preferable?

What do you think? Should the transition be delayed?

The government had intended to help people get ready for the federally mandated transition to digital TV broadcasts. It made your local TV stations nag you about it. And for a while, it has been supplying $40 coupons to defray the cost of the converter box necessary to translate the new signals, which begin on Feb. 17.

Well, guess what? The government project is out of money. Which means it's out of coupons a month before the deadline. Now all the people who had been getting over-the-air, analog signals but who hadn't yet made plans to get their boxes will be forced onto a waiting list until the moment funds are cleared again -- or they'll be forced to go out-of-pocket by as much as $80 to get their own box.

Those of us who have cable TV or satellite dishes (that's 93% of us) are already covered, but there are lots of Americans who aren't. There's no telling how many rural residents, senior citizens, and people without means will find themselves unplugged from their TVs until the budget backlog is cleared up and they can get wired again. People who get analog signals from their apartment buildings may also be out of luck for a little while.

Although the coupons have been available for a year now, unsurprisingly, the rush to obtain them has been biggest for the past six weeks as broadcast stations have gone into overdrive to educate viewers about the upcoming format change. According to the Washington Post, 7.2 million coupons were requested in December, far exceeding the 4 million that were expected.

Congress had originally allocated $1.34 billion to help citizens stay connected though their TVs. Some politicians are working to free up some money to put some more coupons in play, and unredeemed coupons may also go back into circulation to ease some of the pressure.

Procrastination has its penalties. Even when viewers are cleared to receive their coupons, it's going to take six weeks to receive one. Which means that this year might end up being a boon for at least one industry: radio.

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?

Read the entire series

If you're running some older analog-only television sets in that extra bedroom or summer home, you may already know that come February 2009, those older televisions that get their signals using an over-the-air antenna will go blank as the FCC shuts off the analog television airwaves to make room for more wireless services here in the U.S.

Now, this won't affect most of us -- cable and satellite customers won't notice any difference -- but for those televisions that need to receive signals from some sort of antenna, you'll need a new converter box. Basically, these $60 (roughly) boxes will allow older, analog-only television sets to receive the newer digital (HDTV) signals broadcast by just about every network television station and turn that signal into an older analog signal that those older televisions can then display.

For those of us with boats, cabins and other places that use analog-only television, what to do! Well, the U.S. Government will supply two $40 coupons for each U.S. household to help defray most of the cost of up to two of these converter boxes just by supplying a name and mailing address.

These coupons won't be mailed until sometime in late February (or later), when national consumer electronics retailers are expected to have the analog converter boxes available. You can apply for your two free $40 coupons by visiting www.dtv2009.gov today and get your name on the list. If you need a few of these boxes, the two coupons will save your wallet $80 come a year from this February.