A clearer picture
More on the transition to digital broadcast television and the misinformation that is being perpetuated as a result:
A reader e-mailed this morning to say that she heard bad info at stores in Carroll County and Glen Burnie last week, just like the secret shoppers from Maryland PIRG found in their survey, Mixed Signals. She will be able to watch television after the February 17, 2009 deadline with a digital converter box and her outdoor antenna, despite what she was told.
Someone also commented yesterday, pointing out that you don't need an expensive 'digital antenna' to pick up those signals --- just a digital converter box. The PIRG study found that some sales clerks were directing customers toward pricey converters with lots of bells and whistles that aren't eligible for the coupon discount. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration posted a list of eligible converters on their transition Web site, where you can apply for the coupon as well.
And for cable or satellite television subscribers,
just to reiterate: you don't need additional equipment to get the digital signals.
Another reader e-mailed this morning, saying he was told otherwise by a Comcast representative. That's not so. Here's the Comcast policy from spokeswoman Aimee Metrick:
COMCAST HAS CUSTOMERS COVERED FOR BROADCAST DIGITAL TRANSITION
The federal government has required that, as of February 17, 2009, all TV broadcast stations (such as ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS and Univision) begin broadcasting exclusively in digital format. As a result, analog TV signals will be shut off on the effective date, and viewers who had been using rooftop antennas and “rabbit ears” may no longer be able to receive broadcast stations on their televisions.
All Comcast customers who have TV sets connected to cable will continue to receive broadcast channels without interruption after the broadcast digital transition. The broadcast digital transition will have no impact on these customers, no matter what level of service they subscribe to from Comcast.
Comcast intends to offer analog feeds for a number of years, certainly beyond 2009, and we’ll ensure that all of our customers, including those with analog TV sets, will be able to watch their favorite channels after the broadcast digital transition. We plan to use various consumer-friendly approaches, such as converting signals to formats our customers can receive, using set-top boxes, or other solutions we're exploring. More than half of our customers already subscribe to digital cable for the additional viewing choices it offers, and we expect that number to grow rapidly.
We are also initiating an extensive communications campaign to educate our customers about the broadcast digital transition and will reach out to consumers who are not cable customers, and who currently use rabbit ears, to explain the broadcast digital transition and their options.
Below are a few websites that provide more industry information on the broadcast digital transition and can help answer many questions:
Comments
You can also find information in Spanish at Preparate para TV Digital or on NCTA's website.
Posted by: Cable Tech Talk | February 15, 2008 10:56 AM