Tyler Tech: Switch to digital TV slow but imminent
Tyler Waldman
Life | 3/23/08
Your television may already be obsolete. In fact, it may have been obsolete for quite some time now according to the FCC.
On February 17, 2009, all analog broadcasters will switch off and start broadcasting exclusively in a digital format. Yes, I know, that's 11 months away, but change has been slow as broadcasters, manufacturers, and retailers try to get the word out.
Digital television has been around for some time now. In 1996, the federal government mandated that all television stations broadcast exclusively in digital by 2006. Obviously, that didn't happen, due to a mix of poor planning and consumer apathy. In the last few years, the FCC began to reexamine its strategy and plan how to pull it off.
By digital, of course, I don't mean high-definition, so don't worry about going out to plunk down hundreds on a new television.
High-definition is by nature digital, but not necessarily the other way around. That said, with HDTV's plummeting in price, it couldn't hurt to look into picking one up just to catch up with the times.
In fact, to help ease the transition, the federal government is offering two coupons of up to $40 each per household to put towards converter boxes that convert digital signals back into analog for older televisions. Digital cable or satellite subscribers are also set, as those devices already receive digital signals.
Most broadcast stations currently broadcast in digital and analog simultaneously to be ready for the switch. All of Baltimore's local stations currently maintain a digital feed, so when the change comes, all that happens is a flip of a switch.
Digital television offers numerous advantages. Its bandwidth usage is much more efficient, allowing for higher resolution content, interactivity, and multiple different streams coming from the same channel. It allows a clearer picture and more functionality to be delivered through a much smaller piece of the wireless spectrum.
For the FCC, however, a primary motivator in speeding up the switch was money. In January, the FCC started auctioning off large chunks of the wireless spectrum used to broadcast television. The results of that auction, which raised a mind-blowing $19.6 billion according to Wired News, were announced late last week.
On February 17, 2009, all analog broadcasters will switch off and start broadcasting exclusively in a digital format. Yes, I know, that's 11 months away, but change has been slow as broadcasters, manufacturers, and retailers try to get the word out.
Digital television has been around for some time now. In 1996, the federal government mandated that all television stations broadcast exclusively in digital by 2006. Obviously, that didn't happen, due to a mix of poor planning and consumer apathy. In the last few years, the FCC began to reexamine its strategy and plan how to pull it off.
By digital, of course, I don't mean high-definition, so don't worry about going out to plunk down hundreds on a new television.
High-definition is by nature digital, but not necessarily the other way around. That said, with HDTV's plummeting in price, it couldn't hurt to look into picking one up just to catch up with the times.
In fact, to help ease the transition, the federal government is offering two coupons of up to $40 each per household to put towards converter boxes that convert digital signals back into analog for older televisions. Digital cable or satellite subscribers are also set, as those devices already receive digital signals.
Most broadcast stations currently broadcast in digital and analog simultaneously to be ready for the switch. All of Baltimore's local stations currently maintain a digital feed, so when the change comes, all that happens is a flip of a switch.
Digital television offers numerous advantages. Its bandwidth usage is much more efficient, allowing for higher resolution content, interactivity, and multiple different streams coming from the same channel. It allows a clearer picture and more functionality to be delivered through a much smaller piece of the wireless spectrum.
For the FCC, however, a primary motivator in speeding up the switch was money. In January, the FCC started auctioning off large chunks of the wireless spectrum used to broadcast television. The results of that auction, which raised a mind-blowing $19.6 billion according to Wired News, were announced late last week.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 2
Tim D.
posted 3/24/08 @ 2:49 PM EST
You don't have to buy a new Digital TV. You can get a converter box so your old TV will still work! I found this at http://www.ezdigitaltv.com/Converter_Box_Coupon_Program. (Continued…)
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