Digital Deadline Feb 2009!!!!

[JoeSp]

I give up. Now the house has set a February 2009 deadline for the switch to digital from analog. On top of that they have earmarked $1.5 billion to help folks with old analog tvs buy digital settops!!!.

I sure am getting tired of State and Federal bodys of government taking my money!!!

Use this to read story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10532431/

 

[webbydude]

Cool!!! :

I wonder if I can get a free upgrade for my 1975 rotary dial Zenith!! Analog to digital would be nice

 

[hdtvtechno]

You wont get a new tv, but you will get an Decoder box to go with it

 

[sA :: Shaggy]

now digital, do u mean HDTV or just composite?

 

[HCI]

Nightmare waiting to happen

 

[SimpleSimon]

Write these words on your wall right now:

In Sept.-Oct. 2008, the NAB will be campaigning against anybody that doesn't vote to postpone YET AGAIN the digital deadline.

 

[HCI]

Write these words on your wall right now:
In Sept.-Oct. 2008, the NAB will be campaigning against anybody that doesn't vote to postpone YET AGAIN the digital deadline.

I speak my words again.

Nightmare waiting to happen

 

[Tom Bombadil]

I wonder how many TVs out there use only analog OTA?

Obviously, there is a legit concern (IMHO) for those living on lower incomes. People may have only a used 19" that they got from a pawn shop for $30. It is important that they still have access to local news & weather, as well as a little entertainment.

 

[Texanmutt]

I wonder how many TVs out there use only analog OTA?

Obviously, there is a legit concern (IMHO) for those living on lower incomes. People may have only a used 19" that they got from a pawn shop for $30. It is important that they still have access to local news & weather, as well as a little entertainment.

Yes, because it is the governments duty to provide for peoples entertainment.

 

[hdtvtechno]

Our local WGN Tv station did a segment about this just today.

I give them a thumbs up for that

 

[RBBrittain]

1. The $1.5 billion is coming from the estimated $10 billion the FCC will collect from auctioning off the freed spectrum for more valuable uses, such as wireless services. So unless you consider the bank accounts of Cingular, Verizon Wireless, etc. to be "your money", it isn't really "your money"; it's just the people's share of the government's windfall, so to speak.

2. The NAB supports this bill, especially after a provision was stripped out at the last minute that would have let cable systems down-res HD signals to SD: http://www.nab.org/newsroom/pressrel/statements/121905_Budget_Recon_Statement.htm

3. The big push that led to the 2/17/09 "hard switchover" date was from the public safety community, which is eyeing this spectrum for new interoperable radio services, a top post-9/11 (and now post-Katrina) issue for them. Since both public-safety and wireless users need the spectrum vacated as promised, it's unlikely the NAB will reverse course this time. Besides, they still have one (usually) free channel from the government, PLUS a subsidy for the new boxes many OTA viewers will need to watch it.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Yes, because it is the governments duty to provide for peoples entertainment.

The issue isn't the government providing them with entertainment, but in the government taking it away. Along with news, weather, public TV and more.

I just read an article that said the present estimate for analog TVs not connected to cable or satellite is 70 to 80 million.

The vote in support of setting a 2009 deadline passed by only the slimmest of margins, 212 to 206. Not much of a margin to put a lot of faith into the deadline being upheld if there is a public outcry.

I found it interesting that the estimated cost of these boxes by 2009 is $60.

 

[RBBrittain]

The vote in support of setting a 2009 deadline passed by only the slimmest of margins, 212 to 206. Not much of a margin to put a lot of faith into the deadline being upheld if there is a public outcry.

The reason for the slim margin has nothing to do with DTV. The DTV language is part of a much bigger budget reconciliation bill, which every House Democrat voted against due to cuts in entitlement spending. (SHVERA was passed last year in a similar manner.) It's also moving slowly thru the Senate for the same reason, though it should eventually pass anyway.

 

[sA :: Shaggy]

a used 19" that they got from a pawn shop for $30. It is important that they still have access to local news & weather, as well as a little entertainment.

HOW DID YOU KNOW MY TV :river

 

[navychop]

So there is no requirement for a warning label on analog-only TVs? At one time the labels were to be required 45 days after passage. Now, nothing. Can the FCC issue such a requirement themselves? Is there any expectation that the warning labels might be required in other upcoming legislation?

 

[RBBrittain]

So there is no requirement for a warning label on analog-only TVs? At one time the labels were to be required 45 days after passage. Now, nothing. Can the FCC issue such a requirement themselves? Is there any expectation that the warning labels might be required in other upcoming legislation?

I'm not aware of anything in the bill regarding warning labels. However, the FCC has already released a timetable for phasing out analog TVs altogether, I believe by the end of 2006; that would make warning labels ultimately unnecessary.

An update: An AP news article now says there's a good chance the overall deficit-reduction bill will receive a 50-50 vote in the Senate; Vice President Chaney is returning from a trip to Pakistan to provide the tie-breaking vote if necessary. DTV isn't mentioned in the article, although the DTV language is in this bill; again, the reasons behind the opposition have nothing at all to do with DTV.

 

[SimpleSimon]

I just read an article that said the present estimate for analog TVs not connected to cable or satellite is 70 to 80 million.

Yeah - but most of them are in houses that have TVs that ARE connected.

It's all in how the question is asked. f they polled me on that, they'd get "3" as an answer (except that I'm smart enough to see through it). Yeah - 3 TVs sitting here "not connected to cable or satellite". Of course, what they do NOT ask - quite deliberately - is: "do you subscribe to any cable or DBS service?"

Someone on the OTHER side of the fence DID ask the question properly, and it turns out that only around 20 million households are dependent upon OTA service.

 

[Foxbat]

I found it interesting that the estimated cost of these boxes by 2009 is $60.

Considering Radio Shack was selling ATSC receiver STBs for $90 in October, in four years they should be $29.95. I see 7" portable LCD DVD players now for under $100 (of course I paid $1,000 five years ago) so affordable ATSC STBs should be doable. Unless, of course, the CE manufacturers smell government subsidies and decide to cash in...

 

[RBBrittain]

Considering Radio Shack was selling ATSC receiver STBs for $90 in October, in four years they should be $29.95. I see 7" portable LCD DVD players now for under $100 (of course I paid $1,000 five years ago) so affordable ATSC STBs should be doable. Unless, of course, the CE manufacturers smell government subsidies and decide to cash in...

The proposed coupon value is $40, so it's highly unlikely the STBs will retail for less than that in early 2009, except possibly as a Best Buy or Circuit City promo.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

20 million households is a LOT of voters.

It will be interesting to see if those people can be placated enough to allow this to happen.