Wilmington, NC to test run digital TV in September
Did you catch Whiz's tech column last week on the uneven quality of reception you get from the digital converter boxes people (who still get their TV the old fashioned way through rabbit ears) must buy to watch TV after Feb. 17, 2009? You know, when the whole digital conversion hits us?
Whiz did not give those converter boxes high marks, saying reception can depend on the age of your old TV, the box and location:
When it comes to old-fashioned analog TV reception, all sets are not equal. Some are much better at finding distant channels than others. Reception depends on many factors, including the converter you have, the quality of your set, your antenna and - as Realtors love to say - location, location, location!
But the more channels you receive today by antenna, the more likely you are to be disappointed - or hopping mad - when the broadcasters turn off those analog transmitters. This is particularly true if you watch sports or news on Washington stations or other distant channels.
With that said, one wonders whether this whole conversion is a big colossal mistakegood idea, possibly leaving people with perfectly good sets without TV come February. In an effort to avoid widespread disaster, the guvmint is launching a test run in Wilmington, NC.
Those thrill-seekers at television stations in Wilmington have volunteered to shut off their analog signals on Sept. 8, a full five months before the national transition.
National Association of Broadcaster's Vice President of the Digital Television Transition (whew. that's a long title) Jonathan Collegio said, "The FCC-initiated experiment in Wilmington can shed light on a number of issues surrounding the national DTV transition in Feb. 2009. The results must be objectively reviewed to determine how or whether the findings can be applied nationwide."
Here are some questions they're hoping the experiment will answer:
What is the coordination plan between the federal, state and local governments to distribute information about the September 8 experimental analog shut-off?
How will the government ensure retailer coordination so that enough coupon-certified converter boxes will be available given the increased demand of the early shut-off date?
In particular, what specific actions will the government take to ensure that retailers have “analog pass-through” converter boxes available, given the low-power television stations in the Wilmington market, including one major network affiliate?
How will the government prioritize converter box coupon application requests originating from the Wilmington DMA, given the current national backlog of coupon requests?
What action will the government take to ensure that national messaging or messaging from bordering markets about the February 17, 2009 transition date does not result in confusion in the Wilmington DMA?
How will the government ensure that satellite operators accelerate their coordination schedule
How will the government ensure that cable operators serving the Wilmington market are prepared to coordinate an early analog shut-off and have they made plans to ensure viewability to analog television subscribers?(Sun Photographer Glenn Fawcett)
Comments
ah phoooeeee
Posted by: robie | May 12, 2008 7:52 AM
Wilmington residents need to move quickly. The $40 government coupon program takes about 8 weeks from the day you order.
Also people will not be able to get important news when a huricane nocks out their cable or satellite dish.
Hmmm....maby everyone should get a DTV converter just to be safe. The emergency broadcast system is rolling over in its grave.
www.dtvtransition2009.blogspot.com
Posted by: Jeff Marquardt | May 16, 2008 12:03 AM