RSSCongress may see the glass half-empty on DTV transition
By Scott M. Fulton, III | Published September 24, 2008, 5:47 PM
Suppose only a small percentage of the American population finds themselves without television service come next February, and either don't know why or aren't sure what to do. Are federal, state, and local governments ready for them?
After a pair of congressional hearings in recent days where witnesses gave generally favorable reports on the status of the nation's transition to digital television -- still slated for next February 17 -- leaders there are still putting out the word that a crisis of misinformation may not be avoided in time.
During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing yesterday, Bill Saffo, the mayor of Wilmington, North Carolina -- the city that has already thrown the switch in the nation's first test of DTV preparedness -- reported having received some 300 phone calls in the first week after the switch was thrown. Roughly 80% of those calls were from residents needing technical assistance with getting their converter boxes to work, while the remainder sought installation assistance that the city had offered through its local fire department. Fire personnel were only too glad to help, Saffo said, because it gave them another opportunity to check to see whether households had proper fire safety equipment such as smoke detectors and extinguishers.
"It was reported to me that predominately the vast majority of the calls first received right after the switch were seniors who either did not want to even try to install the converter box or they attempted to install the box but were not finding success," Saffo testified. "It also appears that many of these callers were not scanning the channels after they installed their box or, that they would need to perform an additional scan after the Big Switch at noon in order to receive all the channels. Many sons, daughters, and neighbors have been calling to request assistance for an elderly community member."
But none of those calls appeared to be from individuals who were unaware that the DTV switch would be taking place. That coincides with data given to BetaNews earlier this month from TV station managers in the Wilmington area, who reported receiving an average of about 40 calls per day per station on technical issues.
The Wilmington viewing area is estimated to serve about 14,000 residents. The US Commerce Dept.'s National Telecommunications and Information Administration estimates that there are as many as 14 million households that rely on over-the-air transmission. Is the federal government ready to handle a potential thousand-fold response level -- forty thousand calls per day?
That's the question Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D - Hawaii) found himself asking yesterday.
"As the recent test in Wilmington, North Carolina, demonstrated, even with a Herculean investment of time and resources that will be impossible to replicate throughout the rest of the country, consumers made thousands of phone calls seeking help with various aspects of the transition," stated Sen. Inouye. "On a national level, this may translate to millions of calls. Unless more is done, February 17, and 18, and 19, will be very long days indeed."
More what, exactly? NTIA chief Meredith Atwell Baker gave both houses of Congress data that suggests that more education may still be necessary. Of those 14 million over-the-air (OTA) consumers, NTIA believes some 60% are eligible for the government coupons being distributed since last February, for about 8.4 million possible recipients. Of that number, it estimates some 79% have actually applied for those coupons -- some 6.6 million.
Baker then pointed out that fewer than half of those who have received coupons have actually redeemed them yet -- about 49.3%. That's some 3.36 million who have not acted -- folks who may most likely be described in terms that Mayor Raffo used.
"The primary lesson NTIA gained from Wilmington is that we must emphasize to an even greater extent the need for consumers that rely on OTA broadcasts for viewing on analog television sets to apply for a coupon and purchase a converter box well in advance of the transition date," reads Assistant Secretary Baker's prepared testimony. "It is essential that consumers are aware that it will take several weeks to make adequate preparations -- to apply for and receive a coupon, and to purchase and install a converter box -- to ensure that all of the analog televisions in their household are prepared when the transition occurs."
If people don't know about the switch to digital TV by now then they must be living under a rock.
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|It's like Y2K for the rabbit-ears crowd. I'm sure they're stocking up on food as we type.
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|There are many converter boxes on the market, with more coming. As with any new technology, their quality, efficiency and price vary considerably. So the selection of a converter box will be an important variable to desired digital reception.
For those viewers who have not yet purchased a converter box, Consumer Reports has upgraded their ratings on some of the available converter boxes at: http://www.consumerrepor...erter-boxes-ratings.htm
Here is a quick summary of a lot of models: http://www.consumerrepor...converter-box-guide.htm
Some Off-Air viewers who buy a converter box have problems receiving the same stations digitally with the box installed as they did without it or get no broadcast stations at all (with converter boxes that don’t pass analogue signals). Excluding the possibility that they have a defective converter box or have installed it incorrectly, there are many more likely reasons why this happens:
1. They have an old antenna that has corroded over the years.
2. They have the wrong antenna (VHF only) for UHF reception where most of the digital broadcast signals are and will be located.
3. They may have received an acceptable analogue picture for years, but a) the broadcast station analog signal was not that powerful in the first place (signal power or distance) producing a little snow and/or b) the old antenna is not powerful enough to receive and send a strong digital signal to the digital tuner in the converter box. Unlike analogue, no strong signal, no picture, just a blue screen.
4. Many of the TV antenna designs now in use and on the market today such as the Yagi and rabbit ears have technology roots going back 30 years or more and may not work well with the digital chip sets in converter boxes.
5. The analog signal passed through trees, but the digital signal passing through tress, especially through pine trees, will not be strong enough to be decoded by the digital tuner.
6. Their antenna is aimed at the old analog tower location and the digital towers have been relocated or it was aimed wrong all these years, but received a marginal analogue picture.
7. The digital stations may be broadcasting in low power until the transition.
8. If you live less than 5 miles from the station, you might need an attenuator to reduce the signal strength and prevent overloading the tuner. If you live more than 35 miles from the towers, you may have to consider an antenna amplifier.
9. They may be dealing with multi-path in urban locations. Multi-path (bounced signals) is caused by buildings, hills and any other hard object in the line-of-sight to the broadcast towers. They cause signals to reach the antenna out of phase, confusing the ATSC (Digital) chip set in the converter box (or digital TV set tuners. Try re-aiming your antenna.
10. They may have not performed the correct search procedure on their TV to find the digital stations. Many stations have changed channels, mostly to UHF (14-69)
11. The old incoming cable and/or connectors may be bad. These do not last forever.
But a bigger variable is the need for the right antenna where Off-Air TV reception starts.
Viewers should certainly try their old antenna first. It’s true that any of these older antennas will pick up some signals, maybe all the broadcast signals a viewer wants to receive, depending on their location. If they’re getting all the OTA channels they want and some of their local stations aren’t changing from VHF to UHF or UHF to VHF, than they’re good to go.
In order to know if you’ll have the right antenna or combination of antennas, viewers can look up “DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds” at
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov..._publi...-06-1082A2.pdf and “Third Round DTV Tentative Channel Designations” at http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov..._publi...-06-1675A2.pdf to find out from what channels local stations will be broadcasting after the transition.
Or go to antennapoint.com for a quick general look at a specific city and those TV stations in close by cities within range of an Off-Air antenna.
While cable and satellite program providers will continue to serve the great majority of homes as the primary signal source, missing HD local reception, compression issues, rising costs, billing add-ons, service outages, contact difficulties, in-home service waits and no shows have left many of these subscribers looking to FREE OTA antennas as a good alternatives.
It’s correct that antennas can’t tell the difference between analog and digital signals, but there are definitely certain models which have higher DTV batting averages than others. Not all antennas are equally suited for DTV. A percentage of viewers will require something a little more tailored for DTV reception.
With one of the newer and smaller OTA antennas, with greatly improved performance, power and aesthetics, viewers may also be able to receive out-of-town channels, carrying blacked out sports programs, several additional sub-channels or network broadcasts not originally available with analog. And for those with an HDTV, almost completely uncompressed HD broadcasts, unlike cable or satellite.
And if they decide to buy a newer antenna, they should buy it from a source that will completely refund their purchase price, no questions asked, if it doesn’t do the job for them.
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|Hey btw - besides all the nonsense going on further down. Thanks for the writeup / links.
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|but what about the poor wittle vcr's...!!
how will people record their tv shows on the vcr's if your fancy explanation doesn't include them.
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|honestly.
the country is headed for a depression and congress is concerned about rabbit ears.
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|yup, why should they actually address a process they put into action 10 years ago.
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|Time to send some of those seniors to a retirement home if hooking up a simple converter box is too much for them.
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|I am still laughing at the "Because digital TV is SO MUCH BETTER" ads...
And the concept that coupons expired in several months - earlier than many outlets have actually had stock of the converters (has anyone actually found one at WalMart? - the staff at the local stores just laughs at the query...) - instead of say, by year's end is another aspect of planning by the same financial managers who brought you derivatives trading, sub-prime mortgages and the current financial mess.
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|Yet another republican screwup.....
Here's an interesting little fact. If you took that $700 billion bailout it could pay the entire Canadian national debt and still have plenty left over for some new social programs. Not bad for being "socialized".... [smiles] Libertopianism sucks.
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|Another double post! this is cool!
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|Why do you talk like you somehow have something to do with Canada, Palmetto Bug?
After all, you rode into Canada stashed in a bunch of bananas.
Tell us about your 3rd world hole you crawled out of before you ran to sponge off Canada's largess. You know, the one YOUR relatives made so glorious...with holidays celebrated by necklacing their friends.
And another Republican screwup? Clinton signed the legislation to reallocate the spectrum. You know, our first black president...
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|Idiot.. who owns congress... for the last 2 years... democrats... They have both houses... and they are running at just under 9% approval.. Bush is at 30%.. they own everything going on right now...
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|Hey Lady! Care to get back to the conversation we had about recession a couple of months ago? Well maybe the word still doesn't cut it and we have to invent an entirely new word to describe the mess this country is in now - or re-purpose the word 'bail-out'.
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|One day I'd really like (for kicks) to understand your perception of the '3rd world' you keep mentioning.
Sorry about the red fog vision caused by this statement (you are prob used to it anyway) but the US largely feels like 3rd world to Western Europeans. And no, we don't mean that in a derogative way. Honestly.
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|Caused by bad loans Mortgage companies were forced to give out by the FHA?
I wonder who was responsible for that mess...
Sure, it all looked good on the face of it, which is all they ever really see. Can't be bothered to look more than skin deep and 10 days out for what possible consequences their "house the poor" pie-in-the-sky legislation might have even 6 years down the road...
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|That's the problem electing term politicians instead of being born into a Kingdom. They operate within their short-term vision and are put into office by the democratic majority (which naturally outnumbers the best-of-the-best)
I tell ya that whole Boston Tea Party was a huge mistake!
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|*laughing*
Yeah. Bad teeth be damned, we should all have remained brits. ;)
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|What? So we could put up with queer - sorry: wimpy - scandals every year or so? And bad food to boot?
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|Palmetto Bug emigrated to Canada, nitwit.
So much for his claims of "we" versus "you"...
And with your ignorance of this, I don't think trying to explain the concept of a number greater than 2 is going to be very worthwhile in your case.
Besides, how are the Roma doing? Built any new Pogroms for them and the myriad other assimilated immigrants? And certainly no financial bailout needed for the projects funded by the 'redistributed' stolen assets of the Jews!
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|What, you don't like spinach quiche?
For shame... ;)
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|Umm... Quiche is French...
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|Of course not!
Damn us if we'd rather tolerate a cheerful President screwing his secretary than one enjoying wars and bringing the whole nation and global economy to it's knees as long as there is no shortage in chili dogs!
Btw - your cousin/father called to let you know that he's late since they run out of gas in the States down south. But he should be able to get a donkey and make it in a week or two.
Update, he called again: He saw a nipple along the way and needs to get mental treatment to overcome the ordeal. Shouldn't be more than another 6 months or so.
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|Funny, in the Dallas area there was NO shortage, despite the national news claiming there was.
That's right, a mistress is considered good business - even if its another guy...But then we have this thing about dictators who commit genocide and kill millions of their own (and other) people, whereas that doesn't phase you cultured head up your @ss effete snobs, does it...In fact, that is rather Europe's forte!
But then we didn't have the foresight to use Jews as a resource like you folks did. I guess the Roma just aren't as high quality a fuel...pity...but then, hey, it would be easy to easy to insight the Bosnians again... After all, you could do it with just a cartoon!
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|Maybe you are thinking of eels...
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|I don't think you will understand the analogy but will try my best to put this into your simpleton red fogged perspective:
There are indeed Europeans that have as much to do with Jews or Roma as American Asians/Africans with killing off Native Indians. Other Europeans yet ARE Jews or Roma.
I realize this comes as a shock to you. So relax, take it easy and don't worry which of those groups I might belong to since with the funds I am draining out of this country back to our socialist committees everything will be fixed in time...
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|A Texan!!!
My God a Texan!!! After all this time you finally managed to make me feel like an idiot for not having seen it bold at the wall...
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|No dimwit, I am not a Texan any more than Palmetto Bug is a Canadian.
Ironically I am an American who is also Canadian by birth as I was born in Brantford, Ontario of American parents living in Michigan, and thus qualify for duel citizenship.
Unlike your Roma who are born in Europe and yet have little to no legal status in their own countries.
But sorry to disappoint you that I do travel quite a bit and I do have occasion to travel to Texas.
So, how is your pet Jew doing? After all, you are in Europe aren't you? Neat how you don't have to feed them, isn't it? But , just wondering, does the EU court system have a means of distributing their gold to you, or do you just ransack their pockets looking for it?
And not like those dirty Roma - those ingrates expect to be fed!
...but not to worry...you come across as an idiot anyway...
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|Hey Texas Joe - burn any Negroes lately? Too bad they are gonna be your President any moment, eh?
Edit: Out of fairness I leave it as said but want to apologize to whoever is offended. This is between me and TexasFox only and has no place in a public tech forum.
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|Take a deep breath.
It was a joke. (Admittedly, a bad one...)
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|Nope Nazi, or Fascist, or Inquisitor or - hell, you guys seem to have a monopoly on SO many philosophies who espouse and practice genocide...all you have to do is pick an area and they have their own special variation.
And didn't you know? Clinton was our first Black President.
Obama is black?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
And to think with the Inquisition that only lasted (like its over!) several hundred glorious years that you have any infidels left...of course you exported your brand of slavery and servitude around the world with the profitable slave trade you folks initiated, didn't you?
And to think such glorious traditions continue with the robust Euro white slave trade... And still the Roma are treated as less than human. Yup, such a grand tradition. Its always nice to remind someone of their grand heritage as they critique the US with their moral superiority - meaning of course that whatever they critique they have a basis as they have much greater experience and have done it on a much grander scale. That history sure can be a pain, can't it for someone trying desperately to forget/ignore the recent past and present.
Inappropriate? I should say so! True, sadly enough, yes. But it would seem more prudent to not do the deeds to begin with rather than to simply object to others noting them after the fact! Congrats
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|The difference is that your courts, while busy worrying about American companies, have utterly failed to address the REAL AND CURRENT plight of the Roma, let alone real legacy issues that many in Europe still fail to even acknowledge as real...just like when the first escapees from the camps stumbled into their midst! Whereas our courts and legislatures have not only acknowledged problems, but have actively sought to address the issues the issues long ago and only have to address anomalous idiots - unlike your heaven where they issues are real and ongoing.
Of course, it was your culture that exported those grand traditions of which you try to offload onto others to much of the rest of the world, wasn't it?
But I hear you can get a good deal on Jewish hide lampshades...
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|No worries, correcting someone leaves me cool.
In fact there is hardly anything that can upset me on BN since TexasFox started his obsessive campaign of hatred, slandering and abuse of the lowest kind for anything he doesn't understand.
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|As expected you didn't understand a single word. Nothing. Nada.
Quite funny how the human brain works. Some more technical context you seem to be able to comprehend just fine.
Nevertheless there are limits of what is appropriate to post. To be frank I am disgusted at your statements.
You seriously should seek some help how to deal with your anger and try to think about what is socially acceptable.
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|Just celebrating the great European traditions...after all, with such grand credentials, why shouldn't you and the Palmetto Bug critique the US.
Hatred and slander and abuse? Really? Oh, so Europe didn't bring us the Holocaust or Bosnia that the Euros failed to address, or the current plight of the Roma that your EU courts currently ignore?
Sad and pathetic? Absolutely! Seems like you folks have a full plate to deal with before worrying about others as you claim to have time to do.
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|Poor baby, you should be taking great pride in the FACTUAL events, many of which are actively ongoing. After all, you are the one who has, along with Palmetto Bug and sjc, taken it upon yourself to critique the US. So, its only fair we should shine just a small spotlight on some of the recent European contributions to world culture? Obscene? Offensive? How about factual and real! If you find the very mention of them offensive, how about spending a little more time worrying about having the EU court address them instead of worrying about the competitive practices of two US companies?
But as usual, you can claim anything you want - but you can't make the claim that the allegations are false.
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|Why do you try to offend me by insulting several races across 1000s of years of history you loser? I have no issue with any place you are from - just your pathetic self alone.
I give you a thought experiment: Think of me as the ultimate bas****: A gypsy Jew with Germanic heritage and a couple of other races thrown in. What's your advice? Suicide for everything anyone ever did? I guess it's the only option for someone whining how unfair the world is you dumba**.
Go back and read some more Neal Stevenson to at least impress with your vocabulary. Whatever dude - in fact better go have another mint julep with your cousin/father. Inbreeding will ultimately sort itself out.
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|Real men eat Quiche Lorraine
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|"I give you a thought experiment: Think of me as the ultimate bas****: A gypsy Jew with Germanic heritage and a couple of other races thrown in"
LOL YOU JUST DESCRIBED ALMOST EVERY AMERICAN !!
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|If you got dish, you can keep your analog TV until it burns out. I won't replace mine until it explodes, just to save money and flip the finger at the government. They should be working to increase bandwidth speeds and network capacity throughout the country, not this tech.
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|All thats why they are offering converter boxes (basic ones) that are covered by mail in rebates. The fact that if you have any service, dish or cable your already covered, you dont ever have to upgrade. EVER, go run an old black and white tv and run it till the next century YOU CAN.
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|Well, we got our coupon cards, but never used them because they'd expired by the time we were ready to use them. I know we should have acted sooner, it just wasn't a priority. Frankly, it still isn't and if we don't get broadcast TV come Feb 2009, I don't think we'll miss it. We don't watch much TV to start with and I really don't want to buy a converter box in the weeks immediately following the transition date as I imagine they will be selling for a pretty high price. Once things die down, I may get one, but we really don't need television in our lives to start with.
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