Delaying DTV deadline compounds complexity of transition

clajoie — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:57:47 GMT

The "RF Update" newsletter just went out today, and already we're getting quite a few comments on the top story, "Delaying DTV deadline compounds complexity of transition":

GP 1 point

The transition to DTV was ill-conceived from the beginning oh so many years ago...To this day, it was all about auctioning off spectrum to fill the US Treasury....That DTV revenue was a Clinton/Gore idea I believe...sorry to be political here... Interesting that it very nicely had to be a requirement during the next admin (i.e Bush/Cheney). The dates and the money however were decided mostly by Gore and the Dems. In fact, VP Al Gore pushed for a receiver tax intially.....Sure we will get much better pictures but such lousy coverage and no graceful degradation due to "cliff efect". Cable will be the answer to distribution, not over the air. So then I ask; why the expensive upgrades to the transmitter plant?....It may have had it's faults but the analog system from B&W to the compatible color system will never be replicated again in terms of backward compatibility. The brilliant people who could see how to not turn everyone's B&W TVs into junk back then just don't exist anymore.

John 1 point

I'm sorry, but if people aren't ready after all the announcements that have already been made. Why do you think giving them more time will mean they will be ready when the next "dead line" approachs.

Gregg E Zuelke 1 point

CONCERNING THE DTV CONVERSION:

Note, I have worked in electronics myself for over 30 years before having to
retire for medical problems. I am a member of the 'National Association of
Broadcasters', associate member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers,
member of the IEEE, retired Electronics Technician 1st Class in the US
Navy, and have carried the [old] FCC 1st Class Radio Telephony
(engineering) licencing for many years.

Here is an observation I have about the "DTV" conversion from the area of
Nevada I live in:

I have been helping set up the 'converter boxes' for elderly people for about
a year now.

I live in a mountainous area about 40 miles east of where the primary
television transmitter group is located at, near Reno, NV. Our 'analog'
1.8MW ERP station often does not have a decent signal with homes behind
the mountain and hill ranges. In many cases, neither the analog or digital
signals come through in areas behind mountains for the seven primary
stations in the area.

We operate four 'translators' in the area for stations whose signals were
known not to make it this far. The two stations that do not have translators
in this area will be lost for those hidden from the signals even with outside
antennas if no digital translators or new digital to analog translators are
erected now for the three to five year period of translator change-out.

For those I have set systems for, quite a few had purchased the 'digital only'
converter boxes since they were not aware the 'rural' areas would remain
analog through translators for awhile. I had to install A/B switches so they
could go between the standard TV and the box since their TVs were old
enough not to have an auxillary signal input. (Quite a few are handicapped
so they have to roll to the TV every time they need to switch signals, more of
an inconvenience to their life.)

Others who purchased the boxes with the pass through but no auxillary
inputs to the TV, have to turn the 'box' on and off to get either analog or digital
since the boxes do not have the 'TV/VCR' [type] function that VCRs do.
(Warm up and turn off times have been as much as a minute.)

The few that do have auxillary inputs can basically run their TVs regularly, but
I did have to rig antenna splitters for them so the box and TV could each get
a signal and install amplifiers since more splitting eats up signal strength.

MANY places I put a 'rotor' on the antenna due to where the analog
translators to the digital transmitters were located at, as well as the
distances and the mountain blocking, so to change channels they also
have to rotate the antenna, both on digital and analog.
(Some I had to put an external antenna up because they live in older metal
mobile homes.)

TWO things that have upset MANY people that do not have more modern
equipment, include:

MANY were not aware that their [older] VCRs would 'NOT' record any digital
channel. They have only heard their 'TV' would not work. I explain they can
put another 'converter box' in line with the VCR, but, unless they change the
converter box channel at the time they want to record another channel since
the box does not operate like a VCR where you can set channel AND time to
record, if they go out they only get the first channel they tuned to on the box.
And that the 'other' box has to be different or the one remote will control
both.
(And, of course, for those who had to have rotor antennas, if the antenna is
aimed at one area and what they want to record has to have a different aim
or a TV in a different room that someone wants to watch a different channel,
they may not get that channel anyway.)

AND, that their [older] radios with analog TV audio, will ALSO fail for any
channel that will not have an analog translator out here. (MANY radios ---
including the 'American Red Cross' emergency radios --- are STILL being
sold w/o a warning that the analog TV audio will not be usable.)

FEW manufacturers make VCRs with BOTH analog and digital tuners; the
few I've seen are in the $350 range; the few only record on a DVD for the
digital side. Those I've set that do not have auxillary inputs to their TVs
--- if they have multiple locations such as their living room and bedroom ---
cannot move a DVD from their living room to bedroom to watch what they
recorded. MANY 'CANNOT AFFORD' to buy new items so to be able to
handle this. And MANY are not quite capable to operate so many different
items and remotes.

As I installed the boxes, I would inform my "local" television stations of:
where the box was being installed and what signals were available,
including if I had put a rotor on the antenna what 'point' the antenna was
aimed at --- I usually rotated the antenna at 15° points --- how the
signals were affected.

I also sent results to the "National Association of Broadcasters", to the
"Nevada Broadcaster's Association", to commissioners at the "FCC",
talked about this problem to the local "Society of Broadast Engineers" where
at a couple of different meetings we had members from the "National
Association of Radio and Television Engineers" and "National Motion
Pictures and Television Engineers", put my observations on several
websites, mentioned what I found to the couple of local "big box" stores that
were doing 'so-called' "DTV TRAINING" seminars, and talked to whomever I
could when asked about the conversion. For those who are in the industry, I
essentially was turned aside. (I had heard that the "NBA" did "ONE" 1/2
hour show for Nevada, known as "Observations", about the DTV change-over
with a little bit of information in what I was mentioning, but it is not advertised
as such in the local TV guides; for the few other shows that have been
put out for the "DTV" conversion such as on "PBS / KNPB-TV 5", it did not get
in to as much detail as what I had been telling them.

There may have been $1.25B put out to educate the public that we are
changing to digital, but the implementation of the plan to explain the massive
extent of the change, especially to those who live in RURAL areas where
translators are norm; in areas of mountains; of the OTHER equipment that
will ALSO be affected, washorribly done, on websites --- which MANY people
I worked with ALSO did not have internet access --- nor when calling in to
find out what was going on since they did not know what questions to ask.

We may need an extra few years and money to bring people more up to date.
When we went to color, it did not affect B/W TVs. The addition of stereo did
not affect mono TVs. VCRs were a simple upgrade. Going from analog
to digital is a massive change-out that just telling people that your TV will go
dark as of Feb 17, 2009 w/o a converter box or new TV, was poorly done.

Here is an interesting item: I can get both the 'analog' signal directly from
one TV station where I live. I can get the 'translator' channel from the same
station, which the translator has a digital to analog converter installed since
translators will be around for awhile and our units do 'donate' their signal to
other units down the path. During one of the tests, I changed from the
primary channel to the translator channel and on my 8 year old TV, I passed
one test and failed the other test, without having a converter box installed.
Cool, isn't it? What do you think OTHER people who normally tune in to
translator channels ONLY, will think when it says their [older] TV will 'PASS'
or the digital conversion even if they do not have the converter box installed?

Sincerely,

Gregg E Zuelke
Silver Springs, NV

ET1 USN (retired / medical)
IEEE member
NAB member
SBE associate member
FCC 1st class R/T licensed
AmRad Operator

.........

What's your take on the issue?

DTV Transition

Delaying DTV deadline compounds complexity of transition