Source: Tom's Guide | Keywords: Digital, switch, wilmington, Anlog, tv | Themes: Home Theater, Digital Entertainment, Business
A North Carolina city will today succeed in being the first town to switch off analog television in favor of digital broadcasting despite bad weather over the last couple of weeks.
In preparation for what will be a national switch to solely digital broadcasting, Wilmington, North Carolina’s four commercial network affiliates stopped broadcasting an analog television signal at midday today, the Associated Press reported. However, for the residents of Wilmington it seems such a switch couldn’t have happened at a worse time.
Weekend weather reports for North Carolina predicted heavy storms and a hurricane. While preparations for the digital switch have been going on for months, many people are no doubt unprepared and have no alternative to analogue TV in place.
While normally, this may not present a huge issue, the fact that many people will be relying on the networks for weather reports and updates on the forecasted storms and hurricane could mean people will be left out of the loop.
A similar guinea pig test was done on a small town in England this time last year and worryingly, surveys showed that with just 100 days to go until the switch 6,000 out of an estimated 25,000 households had yet to switch their television for digital friendly equipment.
The digital switch for the rest of the U.S. is scheduled for completion by mid-February 2009.
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There will always be something to make converting "the worst time ever". While I empathize with the people who are unable to watch the weather, good disaster planning includes owning a weather radio (something that can be hand cranked for power is preferable) - and that message has gotten many more years of play on TV than the digital conversion ads. Thus, I can empathize but not sympathize.
There has been all kinds of commercials, tickers, radio ads, internet buzz, and news coverage for the switch for months, now, so anyone who doesn't know about the switch by now must not watch, read, or listen to any kind of media. If that's the case, they may not use it for weather, either. And like MDillenbeck said, weather radios are the best way to go for emergency weather reports, anyway.
My first post here. I can see that some people seem annoyed that alot of people are not ready for the big switch over to digital TV. To be fair to those that got caught with their pants down when these TV networks switched of the analog signal today is the fact that maybe they were not expecting it yet because the big switch over is not supposed to happen until feb 2009 so yes I feel a little sorry for these people because maybe they were gonna get HDTV's but were holding out for a little lower prices that may come as the year carries on. I know if I were one of those people & I switched on my TV only to find fuzz for a signal I would be pissed becuase it was noy supposed to happened until 2009 so cut these people some slack for not being able to tell the future & know when the TV big wigs would cut the signal before the dead line arrives & no I am not one of those people that got caught in all this this change over will not effect me as I do not live in the USA so I could care less about the big switch over...lol
From what I have understood about this town from other articles, is that they volunteered for this early switchover. I have to agree that, with a hurricane looming, people going out to purchase a digital TV (or converter box) seems to be ludicrous. There will be people who will be unprepared. We will hear about it online and on the news networks if they don't delay the switchover until the hurricane passes. With regards to MDillenbeck, there isn't much more of a "worst time ever" then a natural disaster that can be forecasted, which most people follow on TV. Yes, these people can do themselves the favor of owning a weather radio, but they could just simply delay the switchover for this one town for safety's sake.
My first post here. I can see that some people seem annoyed that alot of people are not ready for the big switch over to digital TV. To be fair to those that got caught with their pants down when these TV networks switched of the analog signal today is the fact that maybe they were not expecting it yet because the big switch over is not supposed to happen until feb 2009 so yes I feel a little sorry for these people because maybe they were gonna get HDTV's but were holding out for a little lower prices that may come as the year carries on. I know if I were one of those people & I switched on my TV only to find fuzz for a signal I would be pissed becuase it was noy supposed to happened until 2009 so cut these people some slack for not being able to tell the future & know when the TV big wigs would cut the signal before the dead line arrives & no I am not one of those people that got caught in all this this change over will not effect me as I do not live in the USA so I could care less about the big switch over...lol
My 88 yr old dad took it upon himself to be ready. He got a free box. The town had plenty of warning of the early switch.
Come on!
Give me a B-R-E-A-K !!
Walk across the street to you neighbor who has cable TV, dish TV, the internet, or a RADIO--and while you are at it, look up in the 'effing sky--how hard is that?
"unprepared"? This is news? That is like saying, "oh, I'm 'unprepared' to go outside in my bare feet." Take off you shoes, get off your arse, and unplug the stupid tv. The earth will keep moving around the Sun, believe me!
Geez!
Booh Freakin' Hooh.
Yeah I just looked over the article again so yeah they had plenty of warning that this was gonna happening. So I guess wal-fart will be busy
for the next while when people scramble in to get a HDTV only to find out that if you live in the country you will need a dish to go with it.
lol.