DTV Mess?
Posted on August 27, 2008
Feb. 17, 2009. That’s the magic date for all US citizens receiving OTA (over-the-air) TV signals to be ready for the shutoff of analog TV signals and ready to receive digital only.
Most know that they’ve got to buy a converter box or a new digital TV in order to get basic television reception after that date. Barring use of satellite or cable, they have no other choice.
So for some months, the government has been giving out $40 coupons toward the purchase of a converter which will allow the continued use of the old TV.
February isn’t too far away, so how is the transition going? Not sure of the real numbers who have upgraded already, but we were told there were over 20 million analog households out there, and from the folks we have talked to, it’s been kind of a hit and miss proposition so far.
Pixelation of signal has been a common complaint. There are two very clear possibilities for this. One is distance, picking up a weak signal from a too-far-away station, and the other is the antenna. Many probably feel this is somehow a magic converter box they have bought that will make signals seems like they are coming a short distance instead of 30-50 or more miles away.
What used to be snow will now be pixelation. Trust me, you had much rather watch a snowy or slightly fuzzy picture than a pixelated one.
I can see a lot of converter boxes being disposed of and people calling the satellite company, going ahead and biting the bullet, and making the transition. So they should pick up quite a number of new customers out of this. Cable won’t benefit much at all, because most people who have access to cable are already using at least the most basic package.
» Filed Under General, Satellite TV, Television
Comments
One Response to “DTV Mess?”
Leave a Reply
[…] has been plenty of concern over the past year that the FCC isn’t really prepared for the shift from analog tv signals to […]