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Obama Focusing on DTV Transition

Nov 30, 2008  •  Post A Comment

As President-elect Barack Obama juggles a cratering economy and two wars, broadcasting and consumer groups are throwing him another sticky issue—the impending switch to digital over-the-air broadcasting.
While less than 1% of TV viewers lost their signals during the Sept. 7 DTV test in Wilmington, N.C., advocates warn that when the switch is thrown nationwide, significant numbers of Americans could lose their TV lifeline.
Some fear the combination of public-awareness campaigns, a coupon program to help people buy digital converter boxes and a change in administration could be a recipe for problems on Feb. 17, the date set for the digital switch.
The Obama transition team is interviewing broadcast and consumer groups to get a handle on what kind of challenge it faces with the DTV switch, which takes place less than a month after he becomes president.
Gene Kimmelman, VP and director of the Washington office of Consumers Union, said he’s hopeful the change of administration will aid the digital switchover.
“I think it should actually help,” he said. “I am most concerned that [the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration] isn’t doing enough to make this as simple as possible to get the most low-cost converters out to consumers who need them. Hopefully the new players preparing to come into the Commerce Department will be more open to anticipate consumers’ needs.”
Dennis Wharton, executive VP of media relations for the National Association of Broadcasters, said his group has met with the transition team, but he declined to detail the meeting.
“We don’t think the DTV transition will get ‘lost’ because of the $1 billion educational effort undertaken by NAB,” he said.
The president-elect has yet to detail what staffing changes he plans to make at the Federal Communications Commission and the NTIA, which is the lead agency on the DTV switch.
“I think the most important thing is to continue to report on the transition to keep it in front of the new administration,” said Mark Lloyd, VP of strategic initiatives for the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. The group is worried that some people could lose their TV service in the transition.
“This is a serious issue. For many Americans, over-the-air TV is a lifeline. It is the most relied-upon source of news and emergency information,” Mr. Lloyd said. “While the broadcasters, the FCC, the Commerce Department’s coupon program have been very helpful, there are still too many Americans who are at risk.”

49 Comments

  1. How practical or rather impractical will it br for someone caught off guard to find out that you have to wait about a month in order for the NTIA to mail a DTV converter coupon out to a consumer?
    Maybe in the beginning this made sense, but this may lead to unnecessary frustration once the DTV switch happens and you find people who need a converter immediately.
    On a marketing perspective it is bewildering that none of the retailers a person visits show anything except some closed circuit in store looped programming on their in store displays. One of the biggest points of DTV is just totally not promoted by the retailers.

  2. The transiton timing is wrong. The economy, the weather and other technical issues such as lack of education for the antenna connection will impede viewers. Obama should place a moratorium on the transition to keep the nation informe by EAS in case of emergency.

  3. This has been in the works for years and years. The Government has spent a huge amount of time and energy to make this happen. The convertor boxes are cheap and do more than current analog solutions. The whole transition is a significant step up!

  4. Regarding Jerry’s comment, DTV may be a step up if you have a roof top antenna with a rotator. If you live in an apartment whose windows face away from the transmitters, if you don’t realize you might need to purchase an expensive advanced antenna, if you are elderly or not technically inclined, then you are likely to encounter a winter wipeout on your TV screen in February. Despite the years of so-called planning, the government and broadcasters have failed to understand the problems this transition is going to cause, and they have done little or nothing to inform and assist people regarding the quirky and unreliable digital signals and the various complicated issues regarding antennas. The transition should be postponed at least until next summer. In the meantime, more information and technical assistance is needed about the different types of antennas and how to orient them for digital signal reception. All the “happy talk” about converter boxes has obscured the real issues.

  5. Jerry is right about DVT’s being a step up but Joe makes some good points, too. There will be some people who are in circumstances that will make DTV reception difficult or impossible without outside help. I do antenna work part-time and know from first hand experience that DTV reception can be tricky. An outdoor antenna is often necessary. I just about froze my fingers off yesterday putting up a system for a client here in West Central Ohio. Temperatures were in the mid-twenty’s. Delaying the analog shut-down a month or 2 sounds like a good idea to me; but no more than that.

  6. ““We don’t think the DTV transition will get ‘lost’ because of the $1 billion educational effort undertaken by NAB,” he said.”
    Fooey! The whole problem starts by lack of total education. 2 comments above mention “antenna education,” meaning I’m finally getting my word out on DTV’s WHOLE (caps for emphasis) story not getting out there.
    However, I also saw the following comment, showing the message isn’t really penetrating:
    ” If you live in an apartment whose windows face away from the transmitters, if you don’t realize you might need to purchase an expensive advanced antenna, ”
    That’s true, but one also needs to know what their own situation is and the laws, along with area barriers are. This means moving traffic, buildings, bridges, power lines, etc. Just picking up a $400.00 antenna without being educated on what’s around you won’t help.
    Currently, “John” has the right idea. As more and more people are losing jobs, moving into those things that almost refuse 8-VSB Modulated signal… known as apartments, I personally think it’s not in the interest of the public to totally switch yet. A look at the broadcasting industries’ situations also may show this as well. I am doing more work at my media job, due to lack of revenues forecasted and retrieved. Company stocks are in the toilet too. Therefore, it is totally the wrong time to be forcing people to change technologies.

  7. This change to Digital TV will be a dismal failure. While all of the working families spending $100 plus on cable or satellite service will not be troubled, the low income and elderly will not be able to receive complete television programs ever again without a big cash investment in equipment!
    The reception from DTV stations is destroyed by a windy day, and any low flying private aircraft. I have been viewing DTV programs off-air with my brand new Samsung DTV and outdoor antenna/rotator for more than a year and find the signal/reception totally unreliable. The digital decoder box will not be able to substitute for the loss of signal and may worsen reception.

  8. I’m in Poughkeepsie NY – part of New York City Metro market. Current setup is 25 year old UHF and VHF rooftop antennas with preamp. Analog reception gets Channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 31. Using that same setup with a converter box only gets DTV channels 5-1, 5-2. Eight channels down to one (or two if you include subchannels).
    DTV is a disaster in fringe areas. I think there is going to be big business for antenna installers during the month of February 2009.

  9. Joe nailed it on the head. Congress, and most American’s for that matter, don’t understand how RF transmission works. The issue isn’t the converter boxes, the issue is antenna’s. unless you live relatively close to the transmitter, an indoor antenna will do no good. The FCC built the digital model based on a 30 foot outdoor antenna… people don’t know this. Also people don’t understand frequencies and the difference between UHF and VHF.. even though a station may appear to be a UHF channel they may actually be broadcasting in VHF. The PSIP data in the digital stream makes it appear as though it’s a different frequency. The problem is there is no “easy” way to dumb it down and educate people. Our society likes to make things “easy” and no matter what this transition isn’t “easy”. It requires the consumer to educate themselves. If people want TV they should search out the answers.

  10. Problem one- Setting the transition date to occur in February, which for much of the country is not prime outdoor experimentation weather. ( I say experimentation because setting up an outside antenna will require much trial and error activity )
    Problem two- TV broadcasters are currently broadcasting on two frquencies, one for the analog signal which will end ‘sometime’, and one for the digital signal which is our ‘future’. Some of these are are both VHF signals, some are both UHF signals, And some are VHF now but will be UHF after the transition (or vice versa). The problem lies with the fact that many who have tried to follow the lead of the transitition purveyors are not aware that the transmissions they are currently receiving through converter boxes or digital tuners of their newer Televisions frquencies will change after the magical transition date. So those who believe they are ready (ahead of the curve) will wake to find their reception has gone black as well. IT takes a very different antenna to receive VHF vs. UHF signals.
    Problem three- Local broadcasters have only followed the required notification process without any additional technical information being made available to enable better preparedness.
    Problem four- This transition has been repeatedly miscategorized as a HDTV transition, further confusing the public (often hastening the purchase of, still overpriced, HDTV televisions. HDTV is a digital transmission, but most digital television transmissions will NOT be HDTV after the transition.
    Problem five- The signal from a digital transmission is often much more susceptible to environmental influences (disruptions). This is in part due to physics laws, transmission antenna limitations, broadcast power limitations (especially pre-transition), Limitations of the DTV tuners in Televisions and converter boxes and of course the fact that this is relatively new technology on the consumer side and market forces have not favored innovation! (Why improve something if I can sell the minimum now , then improve it and sell the new model tomorrow?
    Suggestions-
    Find additional funding for the converter box program.
    Postpone till July, the end of analog broadcasting.
    Require broadcasters to meet the February deadline for broadcasting from their final transmitter antenna location and final transmission frequency (That is switch from the temporary digital frequency to the final digital frquency and, likewise, switch the analog signal into the frequency currently being used by the digital signal) This will enable end users to actually get ready for the transition and know what equipment (antenna type, preamps,rotators…)are needed to receive a signal. This will maintain an analog signal while folks finalize their readiness for the transition to digital only signals.
    Require local broadcasters to specify their final frequencies, transmitter antenna locations, transmitter power.
    Be honest and inform the public that due to current technological limitations some of us will no longer be able to receive over the air television signals. This will likely be a relatively rare instance, but that remains to be seen.
    It is true that some of the info I have suggested be made more readily available is already available if you know where to look, most folks aren’t even aware that they need do anymore than buy a converter box and have some kid hook it up for them!

  11. Very concerned:
    DTV Transition is set to be implemented on February 17, 2009. I think before an implementation of such magnitude there should be so testing, now the possibility that there has been testing what were the results?
    What about the what if scenerios? I remember the BLACK OUT when the CELL PHONE DID NO WORK the LAND LINES was the mode of communication… why was that? Could something similar happen during or after thie transition. Have all these issues been addressed.
    Could this transition be phased in… example could this be done by counties or states… instead?
    Right now we as a country is in turmoil. Is this a priority at this time? TV has been a source of information for centuries what about the folks who have been unable to obtain a box for whatever reason. NO COUPON … lacking in resource to purchase without a coupon etc. Why is this been forced upon the us at this time?
    Please will someone be so kind to address my concerns..an inquiring mind would like to have a factual response.

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