I’ve been following the digital tv transition—the countdown to Feb. 17, 2009, when analog television in the U.S. goes dark—pretty closely. In general, I think the Department of Commerce has been doing a good job getting the word out about the transition through public service announcements and a p.r. campaign. If you watch any English or Spanish language TV at all, and don’t Tivo through the commercials, you have likely heard multiple times about the $40 coupons available for people who need converter boxes and don’t want to either subscribe to cable or buy a new television. (I’m actually in that group (though my husband is pushing for a new TV), are is my mother and aunt.) This group includes almost 19 percent of the U.S. TV households, or over 20 million people, according to the National Association of Broadcasters, and others who want to convert second or third televisions in their homes, even though their newest TV is already digital.
There’s no denying there are problems with the transition; my coupons (they look and function like debit cards) took months to arrive after I ordered them in late January, and expire next month. Stores don’t always have converter boxes in stock; last week, during a meeting of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee, several Congressmen proposed extending the expiration dates, since a reported 60 percent of coupons issued are expiring without being used. (You can’t order new coupons after yours expire; it’s two per household, that’s it.) The FCC will likely run out of coupons long before the transition date; Congress budgeted $1.5 billion for the program, but that won’t cover everybody. So far, nearly 17 million coupons have been requested, over 15 million mailed, and just over 3 million used.
Enough backstory. Yesterday I went into Walmart, coupons in my purse, digital recorder in hand (I’m working on a podcast about the digital TV transition). I expected that I’d ask about coupon-qualifying converter boxes and my question would baffle the sales
clerk. Heck, it’s hard to get someone at Walmart to tell me where the cat food is.
“They’re in aisle 37,” the Walmart associate I approached reported, pointing a few aisles to her right. “We only have the RCA ones in stock right now.
“Uh, do you know anything about them?”
“The RCA ones are better than the Magnavox.”
“They are?”
“Oh yeah.”
Wow. I was impressed. She really seemed to know something. “Are you selling a lot of them?”
“Uh huh.”
She seemed so knowledgable, I was tempted to ask her about the cat food, but I resisted and went straight to the converter display, about six shelves, half empty. I wasn’t the only one holding my coupon card and comparing it against the box to make sure the RCA gizmo qualified for the discount. “Radio Shack is sold out,” another customer offered as she took a box off the shelf. She wasn’t happy about having to go to two stores. Frankly, she wasn't happy about the digital TV transition in general, and wasn’t planning to hook it up until she absolutely had to next year. But I guess she heard the news that she'd have to do it eventually and that she needed to get and redeem a coupon while the coupons are still available.
I just bought one converter, though I have two coupons. Including tax, it cost $10 and change over the $40 coupon price. The checkout clerk grabbed my card and scanned it since I was a little slow getting it into the scanner; I had to sign for the purchase, as if it were a credit card. She also confirmed that converter sales were hot.
Next: off to a specialized electronics store for converter number two.
Comments (7)
NTSC TV works. But, like AM radio, once you've heard FM, listening to AM is only a last resort. AM never really went away, but is it truly on your dial for other than the quick news or interstate road warning? The impact of digital TV is difficult to describe, its a experiential thing. Anyone who has seen HD programming, or a nicely rendered NTSC image on a digital TV will not look back and try to keep their NTSC units working by getting a converter box unless the economy has impacted them that badly. Like the last gasps of VHS tape and film, and now long live digital recording, its time to move on and say adieu to NTSC.
Posted by Marv Gozum, IEEE Member | June 25, 2008 3:47 PM
Posted on June 25, 2008 15:47
The current analog/digital conversion law
states that stations with high power
transmitters of 100,000 watts or more, are
required to be digital on February 17, 2009.
What is NOT being stated by the many public
service announcements, is that it is only the
station's primary transmitter transmission that
must be digital.
Rural areas with translators have up to three
more years to build out their digital network.
(The first translator in line is fitted with
a digital to analog converter so to feed the
rest of the units in line.)
As well, television stations under 100,000
watts have three more years before they must
comply with the transistion.
There is also a proposal that stations within
50 miles of the Mexican border be allowed to
run analog up to 2014, which will mean many
towns in those areas may not have full use of
the converter for a long while.
Few converter boxes have been built to allow
a pass-through of both digital and analog
signals so far. Many areas that though
somewhat fuzzy because they may have a mountain
in the way can still receive an analog signal
will not receive a digital signal. (Tests in
my area of the Sierra Nevada confirmed this.)
We also found that even with a 26dB in line
amplifier not all [available] stations came in
at the same time as it depended on which
mountain the transmitter was on and the power
of the signal to what channels we received at
what position we rotated a standard arrow
style antenna.
The consumer may lose various channels unless
a digital translator is constructed before the
transistion and unless a very good 'omni'
antenna, a possible needed rotor. (If two
televisions on two channels that the antenna
will only receive one at position, the other
television may not work without its own
antenna. (Note: we tried an inside antenna
with very poor results as we had several
other buildings in line that blocked our
reception.))
People who still have an analog VCR will lose
their capability of recording one channel and
watching another channel as the converter will
work like a cable box with only one channel
out. (If you wanted to record programs on
three different stations, YOU would have to
change the converter box channel at the time
the next program came on, and maybe need to
rotate the antenna if it was on a channel
where the translator is located in a different
area.) In essence, you record only channel "A"
if you go out for the evening.
Several other items that can be mentioned.
We came to believe that to be able to watch
television on February 17, 2009 with a [still]
"ANALOG" TV and VCR in a rural area such as
where I live, we would need two outside
antennas with rotors, two converter boxes,
three video switching boxes, at last three
amplifers, cabling, AND - if we were home at
the time - an alarm clock so we knew when to
rotate the antenna on the VCR if we wanted to
record different channel programs at different
times.
And two channels still not available out of
seven, until a separate digital translator is
built for them for this area.
Many people I have interviewed due to the poor
public service announcements as well as the
local television stations stating constantly
they are airing 'high definition news', or that
the product is being shown in high definition,
in both the city and rural locations said they
believed they were able to receive digital.
One station that turned off their primary
analog transmitter during a news broadcast for
one 1/2 hour period for the customer to verify
if they could see the 'digital' signal, had
people 100 miles away calling in to say 'yes'.
Buy a converter as soon as you can if you
intend to keep your older analog television?
ONLY if you live in an area where you can
receive ALL 'primary' channels in digital
without a rotating antenna.
Otherwise, hire an IEEE member to figure out
the equipment needed as the 'trained' WalMart
associate will only say that 'digital is
better'.
Posted by Gregg E Zuelke | July 3, 2008 5:41 AM
Posted on July 3, 2008 05:41
That's a fascinating break-down of the rural problem that I was not aware of, since I'm sitting in Silicon Valley. Still, I'm wondering if I'll really have reception once I hook up the converter box. (Plan B is to break down and get cable, but I'd rather not.)
Posted by Tekla Perry | July 9, 2008 3:47 PM
Posted on July 9, 2008 15:47
RCA DTA800B1 and DTVPAL converter boxes are available at BSAT eshop. BSAT eshop is a NTIA certified online retailer who accepts coupons online.
BSAT is at http://dtv.bsat.net
Posted by Joe Kupisch | July 24, 2008 8:05 PM
Posted on July 24, 2008 20:05
RCA DTA800B1 and DTVPAL converter boxes are available at BSAT eshop for $49.99. BSAT eshop is a NTIA certified online retailer who accepts coupons online.
BSAT is at http://dtv.bsat.net
Posted by Joe Kupisch | July 24, 2008 8:06 PM
Posted on July 24, 2008 20:06
BSAT e-shop is ripping people off the 47.99 converter box DVTpAL box is the exact same as the 52.99 box and the shipping is at least 25.00..
Posted by joan liting | August 8, 2008 12:11 AM
Posted on August 8, 2008 00:11
You are right in saying that there are many people who remain confused about how to digital television will affect them.
Our non-profit, the Urban Progressive Foundation has been actively working with seniors and other groups to make the "hook-up", provide straight, clear and understandable information to help them through the transition.
Later this week, I will be traveling to Wilmington, North Carolina, where the first full blown transition test-run will commence.
If you can't make the trip the trip, allow me to be your eyes and ears. Check my blog http://digitaldynamo.blogspot.com/ to read about the test-run and visit my website www.transition2DTV.com to learn more about the non-profit.
Posted by Denice Rhodes | September 3, 2008 8:01 PM
Posted on September 3, 2008 20:01