Senate Panel Sets End To Analog TV Broadcasts

[Suhit Gupta]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyid=2005-10-20T213211Z_01_KRA071635_RTRUKOC_0_US-CONGRESS-DIGITALTV.xml' target='_blank'>http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyid=2005-10-20T213211Z_01_KRA071635_RTRUKOC_0_US-CONGRESS-DIGITALTV.xml</a><br /><br /></div><i>"A U.S. Senate panel on Thursday set an April 7, 2009 deadline for television stations to switch entirely to digital broadcasts, the latest effort to provide certainty to the transition that will free airwaves for wireless companies and emergency responders. The legislation approved by the Senate Commerce Committee would require stations to end their analog broadcasts and return those airwaves to the government, some of which would be sold in an auction that could bring in $10 billion or more. The bill also earmarks up to $3 billion to subsidize some of the cost for Americans to buy devices that would convert digital signals so existing analog television sets could still work. The cost of the boxes is expected to be about $50."</i><br /><br />I am surprised that they are sticking with Analog signal for that long. :) Although I am probably underestimating the number of people that are still watching analog signals on analog television sets. Do you think that that date is a reasonably far enough one?

[OSUKid7]

I think that's very reasonable. My family doesn't own a digital TV, and probably won't for several years. I would love to build a Media Center PC to run HDTV through, but the problem there is with the software. Unless I want to be limited to only a few OTA HDTV channels, I'll have to use Cable HDTV, and a cable box. Until I can get cable HDTV through a Media Center PC (easily), I see no reason to spend the money for an HDTV monitor (and last time I checked, they weren't inexpensive).

[Felix Torres]

The deadline is probably too far away.

Worth considering:
1 - at present, less than 10% of people rely on analog broadcasts; 87% get either cable or satellite
2- the number of analog TV viewers is never going to go to zero before analog broadcasts end, regardless of the date.
3- you do not need a new, digital TV to watch digital broadcasts

What the FCC needs to be doing isn't mandating ATSC tuners in new big, expensive TVs but encouraging the development and marketing of cheap tuner Set-top boxes.

[jeffd]

well .. most people are still viewing analog. They are just send from a digital source like a cable box, dish, or dvd player. ;)

I think its to far away too.. but I also think the only "problem" really is cable. The literal "airwaves" on the other hand is another question. I didn't like the part that said the airwaves were to be returned to the gov.

I know that we have over the air HDTV broadcasting, but will we see HDTV on $20 tv's? Whats nice with current airwaves is its a good backup for when..say..the cable goes out. or your power? $20 battery operated TVs are a nice thing to have as a backup for emergancies.. shouldn't we be keeping the main 5 (abc, nbc, cbs, fox, and pbs) stations still in the air in analog?

[Philip Colmer]

By comparison, the UK is heading for a 2010/2012 deadline. We are reasonably well down the path of viewers picking up digital transmissions but there are still quite a lot of people holding out. Part of the problem for the UK is that there are parts of the country that cannot currently pick up the signal so the BBC has been given the task of boosting the transmitters. That all takes time and money.

--Philip

[Felix Torres]

I didn't like the part that said the airwaves were to be returned to the gov.


Uh, that is the reason for the whole exercise; the bandwidth being allocated for VHF and UHF transmission is mostly wasted spectrum and this is spectrum with singularly good transmission characteristics that is desperately needed for other contemporary uses such as a cohesive, interoperable, nationwise first-responders' emergency communications network. Think of it as a form of emminent domain where "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few". Except the government already owned the spectrum anyway; broadcasters are merely licensed to operate in it, they don't own it.
So if the "right" to watch soap operas on a cheap $20 set goes away for a while... &lt;shrug>

Just keep in mind that the transition issue is about the *distribution* channels, not the content or its format. Even after the vhf/uhf bands go dark the broadcasters will still be shoveling out tons of SD content and misformatted pseudo-HD...

What confuses the issue here is that there are actually *three* separate transitions going on at the same time:

1- In broadcast frequency and format from NTSC to ATSC
2- In hardware, from analog (mostly CRT) to digital displays
3- In content format, from SD to HD

All the government cares about is the first part so they can evict the over-staying "guests" that won't leave the needed premises. Left to their own ways, these "guests" will never leave so they must be prodded out.

Ultimately, I think they'll have to call the cops on them to get them out. :wink:

[bluemax]

The first deadline came and went, the previous deadline was supposed to be 12/31/2006 but now it's 04/07/2009. I don't understand the rediculous selection of date and wonder if we will even make it by then.

My observations tell me it ain't gonna happen until the manufacturers and retailers get on line. Just try to find a set with a digital tuner. I can't here in St Louis. Best Buy, Circuit City and others keep telling me I, "can get one on the internet." The local cable company wants to screw you every month for $75.00 and more before they will let you have digital anything and that doesn't even include HD.

Is it ever going to really happen? I wonder.

A note to Congress - "Stop stringing us along and get on with it!"

Bill B.

[jeffd]

what bands do the HDTV signals work on?

[Felix Torres]

what bands do the HDTV signals work on?

High UHF.
What needs to be vacated is VHF and the lower UHF bands.

From Wikipedia:
______________________________________________________
The general services in the VHF band are:

30–46 MHz: Licensed 2-way land mobile communication
30–88 MHz: Military VHF-FM, including SINCGARS
43–50 MHz: Cordless telephones, "49 MHz" FM walkie-talkies, and mixed 2-way mobile communication
50–54 MHz: Amateur radio "6-meter" band
54–72 MHz: TV channels 2, 3, and 4
72–76 MHz: Remote Control devices
76–88 MHz: TV channels 5 and 6
88–108 MHz: FM radio broadcasting (88–92 non-commercial, 92–108 commercial)
108–118 MHz: Air navigation beacons VOR
118–132 MHz: Airband for Air Traffic Control, AM, 121.5 MHz is emergency frequency
132–144 MHz: Auxiliary civil services, satellite, space research, and other miscellaneous services
144–148 MHz: Amateur band 2 Meters
148–174 MHz: "VHF Business Band," the new unlicensed Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS), and other 2-way land mobile, FM
156–174 MHz VHF Marine Radio; narrow band FM, 156.8 MHz (Channel 16) is the maritime emergency and contact frequency
162.40–162.55: NOAA Weather Stations, FM
174–216 MHz: TV channels 7 through 13, and professional wireless microphones (low power, certain exact frequencies only)
216–222 MHz: mixed services
222–225 MHz: Amateur "1-1/4-meter" band
above 225 MHz: Federal services, notably military aircraft radio (225–400 MHz) AM, including HAVE QUICK, dGPS RTCM-104
__________________________________________________________
A brief summary of some UHF frequency usage:

300–420 MHz: government use, including meteorology
420–450 MHz: radiolocation and Amateur "70 cm" band
450–470 MHz: UHF business band, GMRS, and FRS 2-way "walkie-talkies"
470–512 MHz: TV channels 14–20, public safety
512–698 MHz: TV channels 21–51
698–806 MHz: TV channels 52–69 (to be auctioned for other uses once conversion to digital TV has been accomplished)
806–824 MHz: pocket pagers and Nextel SMR band
824–849 MHz: Cellular phones, A &amp; B franchises, mobile phone
849–869 MHz: public safety 2-way (fire, police, ambulance)
869–894 MHz: cellular phones, A &amp; B franchises, base station
902–928 MHz: ISM band: cordless phones and stereo, RFID, datalinks, Amateur radio 33cm band
928–960 MHz: mixed Studio-Transmitter Links, mobile 2-way, other
1240–1300 MHz: Amateur radio
1850–1910 MHz: PCS mobile phone—note below
1930–1990 MHz: PCS base stations—note below
note: order is A, D, B, E, F, C blocks. A, B, C = 15 MHz; D, E, F = 5 MHz
2310–2360 MHz: Satellite radio (Sirius and XM)
2390–2450 MHz: Amateur radio, shared with below:
2400–2483.5 MHz: ISM, IEEE 802.11, 802.11b, 802.11g Wireless LAN
around 2450 MHz: Microwave oven

[Felix Torres]

BTW, USA-Today has a detailed explanation of the issues and misconceptions:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/andrewkantor/2005-10-27-digital-tv_x.htm