I am completely confounded by all the crap going on with TVs today. The industry is trying to make it impossible for people to watch. TVs cost an arm and a leg now and the quality is much poorer than it was 20 years ago. Why can't the industry leave well enough alone and why doesn't the FCC step in and stop this nonsense? My parents don't have a digital TV and get their signal from an antenna. They are retired and don't have a fortune to spend on equipment. I also have a TV with rabbit ears that picks up local channels I can't get on DirecTV.
Please educate me on this which now I see no rhyme or reason for happening.
2007-10-05 06:01:18 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Consumer Electronics ➔ TVs
The US congress did it. Effective 2/18/09, all OTA analog TV broadcasting will end in the US. Similar changes are happening in some other countries. Starting 1/1/08, each household can apply for two coupons worth $40 each towards two converters (cost about $60 each) which will convert the digital OTA signals into analog so that older TVs, VCRs, Etc. can still work. The FCC and industry are just implementing the Government's orders.
The reason for the change is that withour government action, there would be no way to migrate to the higher definition designs that are now possible since the government controls the portions of the airwaves needed.
2007-10-05 06:22:08 · answer #1 · answered by jjki_11738 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
>confounded by all the crap
The government/FCC is doing it, maybe that explains the confusion.
>educate me on this which now I see no rhyme or reason
The current analog standard is based on 1940's technology. Electronics technology has advanced considerably since the days when computers with the calculating power of a $5 calculator were the size of a large room and required enough power to light a small town.
Changing to a modern digital system allows for higher quality signals and more channels can be squeezed into the same frequency allocation. The system is so efficient that some of the frequencies currently used for TV are being reallocated to other wireless uses.
Almost all "over the air" analog broadcast will stop on 2/17/09. Cable companies have to provide analog signals until at least 2012, but they can do it by providing converter boxes it they wish.
Starting in Jan 2008 the government is starting a coupon program that will let people buy a couple of over the air converter boxes for about $20 each. You just connect your antenna to the converter and connect the converter to your TV. It's about the same as hooking up a VCR. The converter comes with it's own remote control and tunes in all OTA digital and analog channels. Since the picture quality coming out of the converter is about the same quality as you get from a DVD player, there isn't much reason to wait till the last minute to get one.
There are also BS artists who claim that you have to have a new "HD antenna". This is a marketing gimmick; most people will be able to use their old "analog" antenna.
>My parents ....signal from an antenna... retired and don't have a fortune
Why are you complaining so much about a $20 converter box?
Old type OTA TV signals = NTSC = "Analog TV"
New type OTA TV signals = ATSC = "Digital TV" = DTV
OTA = "Over the Air" = stuff you get through your TV antenna
2007-10-05 22:47:48 · answer #2 · answered by Stephen P 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Check this site from RCA
Explains what is going on and also promotes RCA's new low-cost set-top box for old analog TVs.
www.keepmytv.com
2007-10-06 14:07:54 · answer #3 · answered by TV guy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋