DTV Transition and the Coupon Program (Coupon applications now available online)

FCC ^ | 1/1/008

[PAR35]

You will need to take action before February 17, 2009 if you currently watch TV on an analog TV set that is not connected to cable, satellite or other pay TV service. If you own a television with a digital tuner or subscribe to a pay TV service, you will likely continue to receive TV programming as usual after the transition.

[eyedigress]

That is true. Maybe they will be ready by April, I figured the coupons would be gone by then. I wanted a broadcast converter for times the cable is out. I have one analog in the bedroom and one HD in the living room.

[Syncro]

I see thanks

[LongTimeMILurker]

I bought a converter a few years ago for $300.00. It stopped working. Any volunteers to fix it?

[sourcery]

Digital signals take up far less bandwidth than analog signals. So they can give a TV station a digital channel (which can be broken up into several subchannels)in exchange for the analog channel, and end up with extra spectrum to re-sell. The broadcaster ends up with up to 5 channels instead of 1, and the consumer gets the short end of the deal.

Yes and no. Full-bitrate HDTV signals transmitted digitally using the ATSC standard take up the same bandwith as do standard-def analog signals. That was an explicit design goal. Stations that don't put out hi-def programming, however, can do exactly as you state: cram multiple standard-def "sub channels" into the same bandwidth. Some stations do a combination of both: They transmit one HD sub-channel whose bitrate is limited (lessening the image quality,) and one or more additional standard-def sub-channels. This is commonly done by PBS stations.

[eyedigress]

I currently get 11 TV sub-channels plus many more music sub-channels. I have basic cable but my TV has a QAM tuner to pick these up.

[sourcery]

The ATSC standard governs “over the air” transmission. QAM tuners use the cable industry’s transmission protocols/standards. Most TVs on sale today will have both an ATSC tuner and a QAM tuner. An S3 Tivo has 2 of each (so that you can watch one program while recording another.)

To get any cable channels other than the “basic” ones, you will also need a cable-card in order to decrypt the “premium” content (cable companies encrypt the signal for channels such as HBO, Showtime, etc.)

[PAR35]

And I also noticed the gov will be selling the newly freed airwaves to the wireless phone companies.

Last I saw, the feds had thrown out the bids from the phone companies (although they could amend and re-file). Google was a major bidder in this round.

[sionnsar]

It is also wise to wait until there are boxes available that qualify under the program.

Coupons won't be sent out until the boxes are available.

[theymakemesick]

Since TV is not eneumerated in the Bill of Rights, I’m applying for mine and burning them. That will keep me from having to subsidise someone’s TV in some tiny amount.

[Hot Tabasco]

I would like to know where in the U.S. Constituiton the "right to own a TV" is? Is there something in there that provides a TV set as a basic "right" under said Constitution????

You and I both know that its not. That being said, if there is some way I can redeem a $40 voucher at a merchant who is going to sell these things without having to buy the converter then I am going to do so.

With the taxes I've paid over my lifetime I'm going to do every thing in my power to start getting some of those bucks back............

[nitzy]

What happens if your cable goes out?

In the past you always had the option of hooking up some rabbit ears. Now you do not. The new regulations take away 1/2 of the functionality of almost every TV in the US(excluding those with built in digital tuners). I don't want to be caught in an emergency situation where cable service is out and I can't get important information.

[cgbg]

Grab the popcorn folks. This will be like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

The people most likely to need the new boxes (no cable, no satellite) will be those hardest to reach and least likely to understand the changes, and least able to figure out how to connect the new boxes to their TV sets if they are able to figure out they need them.

There will be several million blank TV sets next year, and a whole lot of really angry folks.

If you meet any just remember to tell them to call their Congress-critter.

(On second thought, if a Democrat is President, tell them to call the White House.)

:-)

[traditional1]

"You pay $600 for a TV. The government then changes the law, making it worthless. It can be argued that that is a 'taking' or an inverse condemnation"

ANYTHING can be 'argued' and it happens every day. Regulations of all sorts don't pass the smell test, but FORCING others to pay for appliances (that's what a TV is) sounds like more of a "taking" than a TV being rendered useless by technological advances.

This makes as much sense as paying for new PC's, for those "stuck" with out-dated/un-supported Atari and Commodore 64 computers.

[traditional1]

"With the taxes I've paid over my lifetime I'm going to do every thing in my power to start getting some of those bucks back............"

Understandable, but it's those who PAY NO TAXES who reap rewards (entitlements) that keep the socialists in power with the handouts of OTHER people's earnings they appropriate.

[LongTimeMILurker]

I do have ONE TV with a tuner that gets HDTV. If you are close enough to the station, you can get the signal with rabbit ears. However, in some cases, you will have to put a two or three foot extension on the lead in to the rabbit ears, because there is so much interference FROM the DIGITAL TV itself that it interferes with the signal if the rabbit ears are too close to the TV. This is from actual experience, not hearsay.

[Paridel]

The government made something like $8 billion of the sale of digital broadcast rights. So this money (i.e. these rebates) shouldn't really be costing taxpayers anything.

Of course, the switch to digital will end up costing taxpayers a lot.

-paridel

[nc28205]

>>>sounds like more of a “taking” than a TV being rendered useless by technological advances.

It is not being rendered useless by technological advances. It is being rendered useless by government regulation so that the government can sell off the analog spectrum.

[Titan Magroyne]

bookmark

[Alex Murphy]

Ping to read later

[Proud2BeRight]

“The people most likely to need the new boxes (no cable, no satellite) will be those hardest to reach and least likely to understand the changes, and least able to figure out how to connect the new boxes to their TV sets if they are able to figure out they need them.

There will be several million blank TV sets next year, and a whole lot of really angry folks.”

Exactly. I will hook up the box for my mid-80s Mother but having her be able to use two remotes, learn a new remote, etc. will be a nightmare. She doesn’t like change at her age.

Also, the digital signal propagates, acts and looks different than analog. Some channels may come in better and some worse. Interference/snow is different too. There is a lot for the non-technical to have to accept.