The Big DTV Switch: The World Didn't End
Looks as if Americans aren't as stupid as government officials make them out to be after all.
On Saturday, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) applauded Friday's final transition to all-digital broadcasting, a feat originally planned for February but was delayed due to funds and overall readiness. But now with everyone on board--broadcasters, consumers and political parties alike--not only was the nationwide switch from analog to digital successful, local stations received "low to moderate" technical calls. Considering all the hoopla surrounding consumer awareness and the DTV converter discount vouchers, the low volume of calls either means that Americans have more under the hood than politicians believed, or the four extra months actually helped make the transition easier.
According to the NAB, the national call center said that it received 317,450 calls on Friday, a small fraction of the 15 million households affected by the analog to digital switch. "The NAB applauds the unprecedented public-private partnership among industry, government and consumer groups in preparing America for the digital television (DTV) transition," the association said.
On Friday, June 12, 525 full-power television stations switched to digital broadcasting before 6 p.m. (EDT). The NAB claimed that nearly half reported receiving "low to moderate" calls in the several hours following their transition. Those stations received an average of 121 calls, and a median of 40 calls per station as of 8 p.m. (EDT). The NAB said that the bulk of problems viewers faced involved scanning for digital channels, installing the converter boxes, and dealing with antennas. By the end of Friday, the NAB declared that the vast majority of the American public was "prepared."
“A relatively small percentage of viewers so far have needed assistance given the large number of broadcast-only households affected during the today’s transition. Importantly, much of the assistance sought by viewers has been on the relatively minor issue of scanning and re-scanning converter boxes and digital TV sets," the NAB said.
Currently America is the first large country to transition from free analog television to all-digital broadcasting. To receive the new transmissions, consumers merely need an HDTV with a built-in receiver and an antennae. For those still using analog-based TV's, viewers will need to purchase a separate DTV converter, sold at many retail outlets. Consumers subscribing to cable and satellite TV aren't directly affected by the nation-wide switch.
The NAB said that broadcasters are currently working on improving the "digital experience," and are experimenting with mobile digital television this summer. "Stay tuned for the next generation of free digital television," the association said.
Now that DTV is here and the world didn't come to an end, has the transition made an impact on your viewing? Is it better, or is it worse? We want to know!
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Democratic Motto. Your constituency are retarded children and you are there caretaker.
Lol! I have been using cable... did I miss something?
Its easy to assume that people just want to sink money into cable when they don't watch that much TV. That and $50/mo is silly for 70 channels of which only 2 or 3 even hold my interest. There are plenty of people who use OTA reception. Mainly people who are financially savvy and those who'd rather read a book than dumb out in front of the flat screen.
I've had HDTV since 2004. People need to get on board, plus this should have happened long ago. It's 2009 folks what's taking you so long. Hdtv can be had for nothing now. Even though there is nothing on LOL
Digital TV via Antenna SUCKS!!! It's like listening to a call with bad quality even when your getting 75% signal. Before it would just fuzz up, but now it just stops altogether. It's incredibly annoying.
Democratic Motto. Your constituency are retarded children and you are there caretaker.
falchard,why are you making a tech site political? The digital switch was subpposed to happen under bush but they failed. Go cry on ann coulter's site with all of the other failures and crybabies.
Help out your low-tech friends or volenteer at your local Senior Center!
Instructions for a fantastic (& cheap) homemade UHF antenna:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=798265
If you read down the thread a ways you'll find instructions for a better design (from member "Mcclap") than the original poster provides.
A neighbor of mine has been paying for cable for months and had no idea that she had the TV plugged into the wrong cable jack in the wall (our apartment has a dead line from an old setup). She was drawing OTA channels through tuning the cable through the walls. I'm her tech guru and she started asking me about setting up a converter box which threw me a few flags something was wrong. She now is amazed that she doesn't need to get a converter box and at how many channels she has.
Before anyone starts making fun of her, she has been in America for maybe a year on a work visa and comes from somewhere much less technologically advanced (some part of India, sorry she wasn't specific). She's also as old as my Mom, who has only a slightly better of knowledge.
falchard,why are you making a tech site political?
I'd say the invitation was rather obvious:
Looks as if Americans aren't as stupid as government officials make them out to be after all.
They wouldn't have needed so many converter boxes if the government had mandated that TVs be sold with digital tuners earlier. Instead, they set the date for digital TV and still let TV makers sell sets that only had analog boxes. Makes me kind of wonder if people who produce the converter boxes weren't in on the delay for that mandate. I feel kinda bad for people who got early 720p and 1080i TVs without a digital tuner though as I haven't seen any of those tuners with at least an S-Video out. Oh well.
Made the switch without too much trouble. Sadly, I can't find a good "smart" DTV antenna. You think that someone would have jumped on this by now?
it's freaking horrible! yes it looks better but I've had nothing but problems. You can tell that its all compressed into some sort of mpeg. But no, thats not where the problem lies. You know when you play a video and sometimes it glitches and you can see squares across the screen from it skipping, and it takes seconds to refresh itself, then seems to do it again and again constantly even at the best parts coming up. Cha... thats the junk I get ever since they switched everything to digital. comcast is c***
I actually didn't notice lol. I have cable so...
it's freaking horrible! yes it looks better but I've had nothing but problems. You can tell that its all compressed into some sort of mpeg. But no, thats not where the problem lies. You know when you play a video and sometimes it glitches and you can see squares across the screen from it skipping, and it takes seconds to refresh itself, then seems to do it again and again constantly even at the best parts coming up. Cha... thats the junk I get ever since they switched everything to digital. comcast is c***
You do realize if you had a actual cable for cable, it was digital.
Then again your rant was just unreadable to begin with.
WELL WHAT IF YOU DON'T HAVE CABLE AVAILABLE?
At least I could get "channels", sometimes snowy
but better than nothing. Still haven't figure out
why I can't make my VHS work anymore since the
"CONVERTER" supposedly outputs the sig to the TV
and it runs thru the recorder. Then of course the
extra $60 for a new antenna some "Brain" at the
800 number said I needed to get but that didn't
help anymore that what the old Rabbit Ears already
got....
To me it was just a big "GRAB' and a few BILLION
more added to the Gov treasury.....
like the Cellphone scam in the 80's that
took more "freq" away from John Q. Public for a few
billion more.
Now if I'm lucky I can get 2 channels - not snowy
for sure.....just a bunch of "streaks or garbled
sound, if at all, in place of the 9 I used to get...
that's progress FCC.....What's the next scheme....
license us owning a radio or a tv or a cellphone ....
or maybe blow a few TRILLION more and just TAX us
for having them....But why am I surprised - I've seen
the "STREAK/JUMPING PIX/MESSED UP SOUND - OR NOTHING"
on DVD's for a long time....Oh, one other thing - do
I want "16 by or 4/3 or compressed or letter or whatever
other choices I can get converted to by the glorious
"Converter Boxes" I HAD TO BUY OR ELSE????
Oh well what's next? HAHAHAHA
PS - Does anybody thin maybe we could just OUTLAW
politicians or just send them on a long cruse so
they can't screw up anything else.....I pay the
way for at least the first 10 volunteers!
I hate Tom's blogs seriously...
"Now that DTV is here and the world didn't come to an end, has the transition made an impact on your viewing? Is it better, or is it worse? We want to know!"
WHY would it be any better OR any worse????????????!!!!!!!!!!!
Mine is better. The digital signal strength is a lot higher now that they've shut off analog.
Anyone who pays for a HD or digital antenna is making a mistake. I made one from spare parts in my garage that consisted of about $3 worth of extra stuff I had laying around.
Just FYI, you can easily make your own antenna, there are DIY articles all over the net that describe how. Mine may not look very pretty but it sits behind the TV anyway, and it works great.
I had a converter box on my main set before the switch and now that they have dropped analog, I have seen an improvement in the quality of the picture and the digital signal is stronger. That being said, since some of the stations changed frequencies and/or tower locations I'm on the edge of a couple of stations I used to get. It looks like I will have to put up an outside antenna to get full coverage.
I don't subscribe to cable because I find it insulting to watch tv most of the time. The commercials are louder than the program and they also last just as long. One sided liberal news stations were just to much for me to take any longer. Since then I have a TV but I only play DVD's that I want to watch without the BS. Not buyin no converter box.
I find plenty of contents online, free or fee-based. This switch to DTV will reduce the number of audience on TV channel even more. This switch will hurt TV stations, although great for internet content providers. Paid programming like NBA TV, WSJ (with video), now look a lot more attractive. Hulu and Fox Direct, CBSnews, NBCNews.com provide full episodes online free of charge. I just watch Conan O'brien, the Office, and the Family Guy. Of course, people who are inclined to waste time watching jerry springer can find similar quality contents on youtube.
I've had HDTV since 2004. People need to get on board, plus this should have happened long ago. It's 2009 folks what's taking you so long. Hdtv can be had for nothing now. Even though there is nothing on LOL
what the hell, you're kidding right? I could buy a used budget car for the subscribing fee and replace it every year for the monthly fee!
We're not all having diamond door knobs you know! Oh and just so you know, diamond ain't cheap
"an antennae"? C'mon, editors.
what the hell, you're kidding right? I could buy a used budget car for the subscribing fee and replace it every year for the monthly fee!We're not all having diamond door knobs you know! Oh and just so you know, diamond ain't cheap
What are you talking about? HDTV OTA is free and over cable it's like $20 more than your regular bill... You can buy a car for $240?
What are you talking about? HDTV OTA is free and over cable it's like $20 more than your regular bill... You can buy a car for $240?
Don't know where you live, but here in reality you can't get any kind of cable subscription for less than 60$ a month.
700k calls in the first two days says "yes they are!".
If five years of announcements spamming your TV, newspaper and radio are not enough to warn you about the change you don't deserve a TV, or a phone to complain about the change for that matter.
They started talking about it on our local news about 9 years ago. I doubt the timing was much different anywhere else in the country.
In the last 2 years they showed 30 second commercial warnings so much it was irritating.
I had great DTV signal before the switch in Rougemont NC (North of Raleigh/Durham NC) But after the switch I'm missing at least half the channels! I've rescanned twice now with mixed results. I have an HDTV and a new long range antenna. I was able to watch LOST and other shows in beautiful HD. Now I can't get more than a black screen telling me their is no signal for that frequency. I also had a small HDTV in the bedroom with "bunny ears" that was able to receive most channels as well... and now it can't get a thing!
So I was loving it before the switch... now it sucks really really bad. Hopefully I'll find a solution soon.
lol, I like that statement "Looks as if Americans aren't as stupid as government officials make them out to be after all." - Yup the new goveenment thinks we are stupid and need bigger government to take care of us.
As far as the switch - yup, the Iowa PBS moved to a digital channel I don't get though I have cable. Oh well - there goes my pledge money. Me no see, me no pay.
"quote"
What are you talking about? HDTV OTA is free and over cable it's like $20 more than your regular bill... You can buy a car for $240?
I paid $250 for my 1990 VW jetta 2.5 years ago, and I am still driving it. I have put 78,000 miles on it since.
Democratic Motto. Your constituency are retarded children and you are there caretaker.
I prefer to say that the Democratic MO = Nanny Nation.
I am very angry that our government felt the need to mess with stuff that worked fine. I had no complaints with OTA, free, low quality TV. If you want/need 1080P you could get it from cable and pay for it. I'm on a budget now, and that budget does not include a new TV or a monthly cable bill.
Now as for DTV reception using a converter box...it stinks. I live in the metro NY area, and got all the major channels. Now when it rains, I lose two. VHF was easy for me to get. UHF does not make it through the local buildings and trees. I have an older corner-reflector UHF Yagi up about 25 feet. The amp is at the end of the coax, for distribution. Sure, when it works, the picture is great, and so is the sound. Just not enough to make up for what is lost. Oh yeah, and I have to disconnect one other set because the overall antenna signal (after the distribution amp) is not enough to power the converter (no sets work at that point).
To make DTV work, I'll try for a large directional commercial array with mast mounted amp, but there's no guarantee. No coupons for that; the experiment comes from my pocket. And don't get me started on the DIY coathanger. I made one and tested it at the work place. We are not "local" enough, but did get some limited reception. To be fair, it worked a whole lot better than rabbit ears or the silly circle UHF thing on the old set. But again, we will not get what we had without spending money well beyond the converter box.
Please tell your Senator and Congressman that the next time they get the urge to fix technology, they should try to fix Washington politics first. Maybe then they'll have credibility. I won't hold my breath.