Digital Conversion - Is it really happening?

[Kirby]

So, is the digital conversion really happening on Tuesday? My husband says no, that it has been waived until June. Is he correct?

 

[ZanneMarie]

The requirement to switchhas been extended to June but many stations are going ahead and making the switch in a few days as was originally required.

 

[Kirby]

Thanks! I wonder how many of them are not switching yet. I guess I will find out on Tuesday.

 

[dizzy203]

In the Providence area all stations will be changing to digital on Wednesday. The only exception is 2 stations that will switch to digital but will air the local news in analog (today's paper said that FCC declared that at least 1 station in each market has to retain it's analog signal until June). For people that do not have a converter the rest of the air time will be replaced with information on how to make the change to digital. A couple of PBS stations have already switched.

 

[Octoberbride03]

Basically, you should assume that if your favorite station says its switching on tuesday, then its switching on tuesday. That pretty much accounts for our favorite stations here.

Hope my analog cable box still picks them up. But since Cox says they're taking care of it they had better. If we don't have NCIS somebody there is going to get an earful.

 

[bicker]

Of the approximately 490 stations that said that they're switching on Wednesday, about 100 were told that they couldn't unless they filed papers explaining why they should be allowed to anyway. About 40 of them promised to do a significant amount of community outreach, which qualified them, and another 10 demonstrated that they were financially incapable of continuing without switching to analog now. So in the end, about 440 stations are going to switch on Wednesday. That'll bring the total of stations that have already switched to about 600, I believe, leaving about 1200 stations left to switch between March 17 and June 12. (No stations can switch between February 18 and March 17.) Most of those 1200 will switch on June 12 itself, but some will likely switch earlier. Unlike those 100 stations who's applications were bounced for the February 17 date, stations wishing to switch between March 17 and June 12 do not need to prove need, to do so, but only prove that they've provided adequate notice.

 

[chirurgeon]

And the only people who would be effected by the conversion are the ones who get their signal through the airwaves. If you have any sort of cable or satellite, you won't be effected. I don't remember the percentage of people who have cable or satellite, but I think it is over 90%.

Kim

 

[JDinCO]

Some stations have been broadcasting in both for a while now.

 

[dementia412]

No cable here. Hey if we lose channels it will just mean we will be glued to the tv less, oh and since we won't be watching the shows on those channels we will lose interest and when we get the converter eventually we won't go back to those shows. I see it as a positive.

 

[bicker]

There risk of that is pretty slim. As I indicated earlier, after the digital transition is complete, the overwhelming majority of stations are increasing the number of viewers who shall be able to receive a viewable signal, so right from the start, the chances of actually losing access to a viewable signal of any station is extremely small. Add on top of that that, in many of the cases where a certain area is losing access to a specific station, the loss is noted with an orange triangle in the FCC coverage maps instead of red dot: A red dot, as you would expect, means loss of viewable signal, but an orange triangle means that, while a specific station's signal is being lost, that location still receives a viewable signal from another station affiliated with the same network.

 

[bicker]

And the only people who would be effected by the conversion are the ones who get their signal through the airwaves. If you have any sort of cable or satellite, you won't be effected. I don't remember the percentage of people who have cable or satellite, but I think it is over 90%.

Not quite: As of a few years ago, about 60% of homes had cable service and about 25% of homes had satellite service. It is likely that those percentages have increased over the past few years, putting the total at 90% or higher, but keep in mind that that is the number of households that have at least one television with cable or satellite service -- it does not mean that only 10% of households use over-the-air (OTA) service. Many homes with cable or satellite service also use OTA service, typically for televisions used less often. How much that should matter is a subjective judgment. Remember, much of the concern surrounding the digital transition involves emergency notification; if there is an emergency, then people will likely turn to their primary television. That isn't to say that there is nothing to be concerned about; but rather that the concern is much smaller than some alarmists would have folks understand.

 

[Kirby]

We have a digital converter for our main tv. The other one is so old that it can't be hooked up to anything. It's the one I watch to pass the time while I'm walking on the treadmill every morning. I really hate to lose that time passer but don't have the money to buy a new tv. Guess the it's radio for me now!

 

[bicker]

As far as I know, the last time they build a television that could not be hooked up to "anything" was 1959. Since then, every television has had at least two screws on the back to which a $3 adapter, available at your local Radio Shack, could be attached, to which, in turn, a CECB (coupon-eligible digital to analog converter box) could be attached.

 

[Anewman]

As far as I know, the last time they build a television that could not be hooked up to "anything" was 1959. Since then, every television has had at least two screws on the back to which a $3 adapter, available at your local Radio Shack, could be attached, to which, in turn, a CECB (coupon-eligible digital to analog converter box) could be attached.

Agreed...

If the TV has a connection for an antenna, you can hook up a converter to it.

 

[Kirby]

I'll tell that to my husband then because he's the one that said nothing could be done. Thanks for the info!

 

[Micca]

As far as I know, the last time they build a television that could not be hooked up to "anything" was 1959. Since then, every television has had at least two screws on the back to which a $3 adapter, available at your local Radio Shack, could be attached, to which, in turn, a CECB (coupon-eligible digital to analog converter box) could be attached.

And if you have a working tv manufactured prior to 1959, you should be on Antiques Road Show with it. Of course if you don't have cable or an adapter you won't be able to see yourself on tv with it.

 

[bicker]

One of the neat things about television that old is that it might have Channel 1.

No, no -- I kid. Channel 1 was gone by 1949.

 

[MrsToad]

Ok, I had to Google why there isn't a channel 1 - I hadn't thought about the fact that our TVs didn't have a channel 1 when I was growing up! If I undertand it correctly, some FM radio stations and TV channel 1 broadcasts were stepping on each other due to being too close in the frequency range?