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So...with this DTV transition on Feb 17 2009...

W

Wheezer

Diamond Member
Face it, we have been saturated with information about this transition for at least the last year...but you damn well know that there will be some people on Feb 18th who will go to turn on their tv set and see nothing but snow and wonder wtf is going on.

 
Yeah... I kinda feel bad for those 80 year old shut ins who think that they're going to need to get a new TV when the one they have now "breaks" on 2/18. Oh well... it's good for economic stimulus, I guess.
 
It seems like every other day I have to answer my parents questions about it. They have a VHF antenna, no UHF. So I tell them "Even with an adapter you won't get anything without a new antenna". So every week, like clockwork. "So, I saw a commercial that says you just have to get a converter box and you'll be fine with existing setups." And again I have to explain to them that UHF and VHF are broadcast at different frequencies.

My parents aren't thick, just not technologically inclined (like 99% of the world). Most likely enough station will have shut off by the 17th that most people will already be complaining. I know of at least a few locally that are shutting off their analog broadcast before the deadline.
 
And how many people will blame the government and a lack of poor communication......and how many newspapers will eat it up and print quotes from morons stating they had no idea the change was going to happen?
 
Originally posted by: Cogman
It seems like every other day I have to answer my parents questions about it. They have a VHF antenna, no UHF. So I tell them "Even with an adapter you won't get anything without a new antenna". So every week, like clockwork. "So, I saw a commercial that says you just have to get a converter box and you'll be fine with existing setups." And again I have to explain to them that UHF and VHF are broadcast at different frequencies.

My parents aren't thick, just not technologically inclined (like 99% of the world). Most likely enough station will have shut off by the 17th that most people will already be complaining. I know of at least a few locally that are shutting off their analog broadcast before the deadline.
Click to expand...

Hate to break it to you, but digital broadcast isn't limited to UHF, and many stations will still broadcast in VHF even after Feburary 3, I know a few here that will be.
 
Originally posted by: ICRS
Originally posted by: Cogman
It seems like every other day I have to answer my parents questions about it. They have a VHF antenna, no UHF. So I tell them "Even with an adapter you won't get anything without a new antenna". So every week, like clockwork. "So, I saw a commercial that says you just have to get a converter box and you'll be fine with existing setups." And again I have to explain to them that UHF and VHF are broadcast at different frequencies.

My parents aren't thick, just not technologically inclined (like 99% of the world). Most likely enough station will have shut off by the 17th that most people will already be complaining. I know of at least a few locally that are shutting off their analog broadcast before the deadline.
Click to expand...

Hate to break it to you, but digital broadcast isn't limited to UHF, and many stations will still broadcast in VHF even after Feburary 3, I know a few here that will be.
Click to expand...

The overwhelming majority of stations are switching to UHF broadcasts for ATSC. Joe Sixpack will be angry when half his channels vanish even after he paid for "that dern converty box".
 
Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
Originally posted by: ICRS
Originally posted by: Cogman
It seems like every other day I have to answer my parents questions about it. They have a VHF antenna, no UHF. So I tell them "Even with an adapter you won't get anything without a new antenna". So every week, like clockwork. "So, I saw a commercial that says you just have to get a converter box and you'll be fine with existing setups." And again I have to explain to them that UHF and VHF are broadcast at different frequencies.

My parents aren't thick, just not technologically inclined (like 99% of the world). Most likely enough station will have shut off by the 17th that most people will already be complaining. I know of at least a few locally that are shutting off their analog broadcast before the deadline.
Click to expand...

Hate to break it to you, but digital broadcast isn't limited to UHF, and many stations will still broadcast in VHF even after Feburary 3, I know a few here that will be.
Click to expand...

The overwhelming majority of stations are switching to UHF broadcasts for ATSC. Joe Sixpack will be angry when half his channels vanish even after he paid for "that dern converty box".
Click to expand...

Many stations broadcasted in VHF for the analog and UHF for their HD content, many of these plan to switch their HD to VHF when the analog is shut down.
 
We got converted a few weeks ago. It's nice except that RCN, in their infinite wisdom, tweaked the channel lineups and it's taking a long time to make sense of it.
 
There will still be people surprised on Feb 17th, 2010.

This company I work for used a program that we stopped supporting in 2004. I still get calls on it occasionally. I love saying its been 4 years...we use this other prog now and they are like whatttt?
 
Originally posted by: ICRS
Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
Originally posted by: ICRS
Originally posted by: Cogman
It seems like every other day I have to answer my parents questions about it. They have a VHF antenna, no UHF. So I tell them "Even with an adapter you won't get anything without a new antenna". So every week, like clockwork. "So, I saw a commercial that says you just have to get a converter box and you'll be fine with existing setups." And again I have to explain to them that UHF and VHF are broadcast at different frequencies.

My parents aren't thick, just not technologically inclined (like 99% of the world). Most likely enough station will have shut off by the 17th that most people will already be complaining. I know of at least a few locally that are shutting off their analog broadcast before the deadline.
Click to expand...

Hate to break it to you, but digital broadcast isn't limited to UHF, and many stations will still broadcast in VHF even after Feburary 3, I know a few here that will be.
Click to expand...

The overwhelming majority of stations are switching to UHF broadcasts for ATSC. Joe Sixpack will be angry when half his channels vanish even after he paid for "that dern converty box".
Click to expand...

Many stations broadcasted in VHF for the analog and UHF for their HD content, many of these plan to switch their HD to VHF when the analog is shut down.
Click to expand...

This really depends on the region. In NYC, I know most channels will be UHF, but I believe three major networks will be VHF.
http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php
http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/
http://www.tvfool.com

I think the commercials indicating you'll need a converter box assumes that your antenna is capable of both VHF and UHF, like many rooftop antennas.
 
Originally posted by: eelw
But who is still using OTA?
Click to expand...

I've been using OTA for a year now. I actually use one of the tuner boxes on one TV, and still have a TV running analog.

Signing up for cable service in a few weeks though. Not because of the DTV transition, but I've finally got tired of only having OTA channels.
 
People are going to be pissed because OTA DTV will be a bad experience for most people, imo.

When the analog signal gets a little poor, you get a little fuzz, but you can still watch and enjoy.

With DTV you get that irritating blockiness and loss of sound, or instant total dropout, both of which make the program pretty much unwatchable. The shift from perfect to intolerable is always instant and total.

I have an OTA DTV receiver in my office. It's the most frustrating thing trying to watch.

It goes from crystal clear perfect to unwatchable in a blink.

The same thing happens with the receiver I have at home.

I have digital cable. I bought the newer TV's to see what the over the air digital was like.

Unless they improve it a lot, I can't see why they bothered.

When I was in Philly over the holidays I saw the same theme play out at my Aunt's house with a Digital OTA box. My Aunt has cable, but she was going to use the box on a back bedroom set. Another very frustrating experience with random dropouts and blockiness from otherwise crystal clear reception.

She decided to forget about the box and have cable put in for the back bedroom.

Not ready for prime time if you ask me.

 
Originally posted by: I Saw OJ
I'm gonna need a new antenna I know that, I can only get some stations in analog
Click to expand...

/facepalm

your current antenna will do just fine. You simply need an ATSC tuner. plug cheapo aluminum foil antenna into tuner, tuner into TV; viola, you're all digital.
 
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