Analog TV broadcast end date in the US

binarysoul

I understand that on Feb 17, 2009, all TV broadcasts in the US will be digital as per FCC.

Now, here in Canada ( a cold northern country with plenty of ice ) as you can expect we get all kinds of US channels. Does that mean that all Canadian viewers should get a digital box or will Canadian cable/satellite companies will install some kind of converter equipment to still allow alalog broadcast to people who don't have digital?

What will happen to those analog frequencies? Will they be available on ebay for grab ?

dtlokee

This is like th 3rd or 4th deadline link this with TV broadcasts, they keep getting pushed back due to the slow adoption of the new technology. This deadline wil most likely get pushed back also.

JDMurray

The bands used by North American analog television will be auctioned by the FCC next year, so this is the real deadline. The FCC is hoping that the cable, dish, and TV retailers will start a big advertising push in 2008 to inform the consumers and sell more cable/dish boxes and HD TVs with off-air antennas. The same is true for people that receive U.S. TV in Canada and Mexico: get cable/dish or get an HD TV with an off-air digital antenna or both.

World-wide analog television switch-off schedule

michael_knight

What's the reason from moving off of analog permanently?

JDMurray

Analog television transmission is being discontinued to free those bands of the radio frequency spectrum for other uses. By today's standards, analog television signal transmission is very wasteful in the amount of bandwidth required for the small amount of information actually moved.The amount of information that can be moved in that bandwidth by modern encoding methods makes it a goldmine of opportunity.

See: Web Giants Angle for Spectrum

NinjaBoy

We were told (in the UK) that the old analogue system was going to be used for the telephone system (cell/mobile, etc).

Over here in the UK we have already started the change over between analogue & digital broadcasting and the whole country should be digital only by 2012.

-Ken

michael_knight

I read the article JD...well at least most of it. I don't think this will be a good thing. What happens to the poor? A lot of poor people can't afford cable or satellite. for some other than a radio that's there only means of getting information. There are millions of poor people in the US, with the threat of another Katrina or 9-11 or what ever that fire storm was called looming over us, how would we get information out to that sector of our population. Did I read correctly that channels 2-51 would stay the same or is that going to change. I would assume that it's going to change because that's all the VHF spectrum and most of the UHF spectrum

JDMurray

michael_knight wrote:

I don't think this will be a good thing. What happens to the poor? A lot of poor people can't afford cable or satellite.

This creates a business opportunity for providing cheap, basic access to local channels by cable companies. For people that believe television must always be free, they can go watch it with their neighbors like people did back in the 1950's and 60's, or just listen to the radio (like I do). We may actually see a change in American society where television viewing among the poor becomes a communal event. That would certainly have helped spread the word of emergency evacuations with Katrina.

Netstudent

Nice critical thinking guys!

supertechCETma

The Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 (see Title III of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, Public Law 109-171) authorizes the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to administer several programs in Fiscal Year 2007, including:

• Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program,
• Public Safety Interoperable Communications,
• NYC 9/11 Digital Transition, and
• Low Power Television and Translator Digital-to-Analog Conversion.

Programs authorized to begin after auction proceeds are available after June 30, 2008, include:

• Low Power Television and Translator Upgrade,
• National Alert and Tsunami Warning Program, and
• ENHANCE 911.

for more info go to:

http://www.dtv.gov/

JDMurray

I really should also mention that cheap digital televisions do exist. They are not HDTV, but all current analog broadcasts (in the USA) will be available as digital broadcasts when the switchover is completed. All you need do is throw away your old analog TV and buy a new digital TV at WalMart for $200 (or less). Regardless of how poor people are in America, somehow they manage to find the money to buy a big color TV.

Kasor

You will never know until that time. The govn't still have too many analogy TV at their office. They should be the one to lead by example... U know, but it will be difficult and might pushing to later time to implement full digital.

Plantwiz

Kasor wrote:

You will never know until that time. The govn't still have too many analogy TV at their office. They should be the one to lead by example... U know, but it will be difficult and might pushing to later time to implement full digital.

I doubt the date will be pushed back for the reason JD mentions above

But when the Gov't pushed legislation mandating handicap accessible facilities in all public buildings, they were the late to comply. Keep in mind, the quicker the upgrade the more taxes they'll impose on us to assist with their update.

JDMurray

Plantwiz wrote:

Keep in mind, the quicker the upgrade the more taxes they'll impose on us to assist with their update.

All the FCC will do is mandate that all analog TV transmission stop in those bands, the sale of which will generate many billions of dollars of revenue for the U.S. Congress and the FCC. Nothing is gonna stop those auctions!

FCC Spectrum Auctions

jtwoods0601

The FCC is also trying to reduce the stockpile of old TV's at the ****, with the new rush on flat panel TV the **** are over run with older tube sets.......wow how technology come in waves. Anyone still have a Beta Max or Laser Disc player lying around collecting dust???? LOL