digital TV

Podcast: Making the switch to digital TV

Submitted by wccatv on October 22, 2008 - 1:17pm.
in

Here's a great podcast with a first-hand account of some of the challenges in switching to digital TV.

mp3 link, show notes

Don’t believe the hype. The transition to digital was supposed to revolutionize free TV. So what’s with the high-def reruns?

Submitted by mauro on October 9, 2008 - 5:57pm.
in

SN&R
Writes:
"On February 17, a little more than four months from now, your old analog set will no longer work—unless it’s hooked up to cable or a satellite dish, or unless you shell out $49.99 at Wal-Mart for a converter box. In fact, Chong says there are about 19 million American households at risk of losing television service.

Which is why, between now and D-Day, you’ll be hearing a lot more about digital television.

A lot more."

link

Look for this part:
“It’s like going from dial-up to broadband,” explained David Lowe, general manager over at the public TV station KVIE Channel 6. “We’re going to be able to slice and dice that spectrum in all sorts of ways.”

"Under the new digital regime, each station still gets the same slice of the broadcast spectrum—6 megahertz—that they always did. But now they can fit two, three, even six channels of information in that same space."

Hmm, let's check out the city's renewal covering that.

A savings tip as we say goodbye to analog broadcast

Submitted by mauro on February 9, 2008 - 10:22pm.
in

On February 17th of 2009 it is expected that most TV stations will quit broadcasting analog TV signals over the air. and older sets will go blank. The changeover to digital does not necessarily mean you have to dump your old analog TV set.

Most TVs made after 1998 have digital tuners but they were not required until last year. So you can still buy analog TVs on the cheap in some stores.

By Feb 2009, you could open your wallet for a new digital TV or, opt to continue to use your analog TV. You may need to purchase a converter box.

The government is giving away 33.5 million $40 coupons that would reduce the price of 19 converter boxes expected to cost $50 to $70 after the discount.

Consumers can try to download a coupon application at dtv2009.gov or call 888-388-2009. Hearing impaired can can call 877-530-2634 or 866-495-1161 for Spanish.

To find out where you can find a vendor to purchase converters visit:

dtv2009.gov/Vendorsearch.aspx to list those stores.

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