On February 17, 2009, broadcasts of analog television signals in the U.S. will stop. That date is easy for me to remember; it’s my birthday. And I’m paying attention to the upcoming event for another reason: I’m one of the minority of U.S. TV viewers who is completely dependent on over-the-air broadcast. I don’t have cable, I don’t have satellite. I do have an antenna on my roof, a very old antenna that was already installed when I moved into this house. It works really well, I get all the network and a few indy VHF stations, and a selection of UHF stations in various languages.
As a result, I’ve been thinking about the upcoming “end of analog” day. I’ve also been thinking about winners and losers lately, as the Spectrum staff prepares its annual Winners and Losers issue. So I came up with my own list of who wins and who loses when analog TV goes dark.
Who wins: The consumer electronics manufacturers. My family will have to finally buy a new TV set to replace our 19-year-old 26-inch Mitsubishi CRT (yeah, Mitsubishi used to make direct view TVs), which is working just fine. I know, I could get a converter, but I have enough wires and boxes in a pile already, and somehow, buying a converter for what will then be a 20 year old TV seems silly. We can’t be the only ones that are waiting to buy a new TV until we absolutely have to. Kaching go the cash registers.
Who else wins: My husband. No struggling to figure out what to buy me for my birthday in 2009, see above.
Who loses: Me. I can think of a lot of things I’d rather get for my birthday than a new TV.
Who else loses: My mom. Her TV was maybe 30 years old when it finally died last year and the local electronics store sold her an analog TV that she thought would last the rest of her life. They neglected to mention the upcoming 2009 event. I guess the good news is that she’ll get a visit from me (cross-country) to hook up her converter.
Who wins: Recycling centers. Besides the Mitsubishi, I’ve got two smaller CRT TVs that I’ll have to cart over to the local recycling center. Fortunately, in California, where I live, the recycling fee comes out of funds collected when new TVs are purchased, so though I will be paying for disposal indirectly, it won’t have to pull out the wallet when I bring in the TVs.
Who loses: The environment. Not everyone is going to cart their old TVs to a recycling center. Some will be dumped—uh, disposed of improperly.
Who else loses: The folks (and there are lots of them) that collect, repair, and use vintage TV sets—see the video that opens this post—are going to have to find a new hobby. Well, they’ll be able to collect the sets, they just won’t have anything to watch off the air. (Purists believe that classic TV shows only should be viewed on classic TVs, which used different materials for phosphors than today’s TVs so displayed different shades of color.)
Who else loses: Other antenna-users who have come to love distant stations, and don’t mind a little snow on the screen; that’s not enough signal in a digital world, those channels will be completely out of reach.
Who wins: Pirate TV stations, because viewers who try to turn on their analog TV post-2-17-09 will find these the only game in town. Though the pirates' heyday may be brief, because the spectrum vacated by broadcasters will quickly be returned to the FCC, resold, and repurposed, it could be a lot of fun.
Comments (2)
Telka, I have to agree with many of your statements.
But there are more winners then you mentioned. I now have picture perfect reception and about twice as many channels choices then I did with analog reception. I have also found that I can receive just about any distant channels digitally as I could with my analog signal. Granted some stations are currently broadcasting their digital signal at a lower power do to channel crowding. I think you'll find that every station you can get reasonably well, (good enough to watch) with your analog tuner you will be able to get after the analog shutdown in 2009 with your digital tuner, and they will be crystal clear without grain or snow.
The TV collectors will simply have to use a digital set top digital tuner to convert the signal back to analog, no it won't be the same but the TV's will still work.
I have written a page for those struggling to understand exactly what is happening with this digital transition and I invite anyone looking for help to visit it. It's at http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/2029710.html
Posted by Denny Duplessis | November 23, 2007 8:05 AM
Posted on November 23, 2007 08:05
well all i can say is for those of you who will still have your analog tuner TVs you are about to get the best commercial free television station ever with movies,old shows and a the worlds ONLY video music station that acually plays MUSIC VIDEOS!! I am going to show you all how TV is done!! So be sure to hang on to those ANALOG sets you are going to love what hapens next....and best part of all Analog will always be FREE!!
Digital has it's place in the world but not as our only option in TV and radio!
Posted by floyd Mcleod | May 12, 2008 3:17 AM
Posted on May 12, 2008 03:17