Feds Unveil Digital-TV Subsidy Details

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
National Telecommunications and Information Administration said today that Americans who want a converter box that allows digital broadcasts to be played on analog TVs will be eligible for federal subsidies.

Under the rules, all U.S. households will be able to apply for up to two $40 coupons to defray the cost of a basic digital-to-analog converter box during the program's initial phase, in which up to 22.5 million coupons are expected to be available.
 
Unfortunately, the digital to analog converters will do nothing for the people that get medium to low signals in rural areas (using an antenna). Digital is less forgiving when it comes to signal strength. Basically, they will be without TV or be forced to subscribe to a service...
 
I hate to get on my Libertarian Soapbox here, but the Founding Fathers of our country are rolling in their graves at the prospect of a Government (who I should mention has murdered 3000 of its own soldiers in the name of "freedom") outlawing analog signals.

That being said, I think that this is a step in the right direction, but I'm still not happy. If the government feels it necessary to outlaw technology that our county has used for 50+ years, then we deserve nothing less than free digital-to-analog converters.
 
I hate to get on my Libertarian Soapbox here, but the Founding Fathers of our country are rolling in their graves at the prospect of a Government (who I should mention has murdered 3000 of its own soldiers in the name of "freedom") outlawing analog signals.

That being said, I think that this is a step in the right direction, but I'm still not happy. If the government feels it necessary to outlaw technology that our county has used for 50+ years, then we deserve nothing less than free digital-to-analog converters.

Unfortunately for us to move forward, we must forcefully pull away from technologies that some generations who are still with us, will forever refuse to do....
 
Actually they aren't outlawing analog signals, it's just that that frequency range is going to be used for other purposes. Those frequencies have already been set aside for emergency response signals. Since the feds are in charge of regulating the airwaves so that it isn't a giant mess of everybody trying to use the same channel, this basically needs to happen.

I do think many of the people in rural areas will either have to get a huge antenna for over the air broadcasts or they will need to get digital satellite.
 
It's a good transition for the most part, I hope they stick with the cutoff date, and I think they will.

The coupons will be limited to converter boxes only (not PVRs), but one big question the article didn't answer is: can they be HD, or do they have to be SD to qualify?
 
while this is good in one sense... it really frosts my weenie that the government is going to spend a billion dollars to get people who are too poor to get a digital decoder to save a few bucks on one..

Next you know they'll do the same with poor people and Lexus SUVs... oh wait they already have that too, it's called welfare.
 
We are subsidising people's ability to watch TV?

I must have missed where that was a responsibility of the government.
 
I hate to get on my Libertarian Soapbox here, but the Founding Fathers of our country are rolling in their graves at the prospect of a Government (who I should mention has murdered 3000 of its own soldiers in the name of "freedom") outlawing analog signals.

Plenty of things with regard to telecom are outlawed. Like broadcasting on the emergency channels for non-emergency reasons, for example. Digital channels take up a smaller frequency range, so we could either fit more channels or -gasp- use that huge spectrum range for better wifi. I don't know why the government is regulating what is sent over the air, or dictating content, but whatever they do, it should be used for the public good, not to make money for the few people with the resources to use it.

Television is not a necessity. The government should be involved in regulating who gets to use the airwaves, but not involved in regulating what goes over those airwaves. Subsidizing digital TV receivers is a silly idea.
 
If the government feels it necessary to outlaw technology that our county has used for 50+ years, then we deserve nothing less than free digital-to-analog converters.

Think of how technology has changed over the last 50 years. New technology now allows 4 stations to be broadcast in the space that one used to use... and the quality is BETTER digitally. With digital you either get perfect images, or none at all. If someone has a little static with their antenna on their TV currently, things will get better. If its one of those stations that you can barely make out what is going on, then things will be worse.

I don't think people realize how useful the frequencies used for broadcasting TV are... since we're using 50 year old technology we waste most of it. With the change to digital, some frequencies currently used for TV will be open for better uses... The reason we're using the 2.4 gig frequency range for wifi is not because its a good choice, its because there is no other options. UHF + VHF frequencies go through stuff better (like walls, trees etc) bend better over hills + mountains. Same things with cordless phones.. 5.2 ghz is a lousy choice, but with wifi the 2.4 gig waves are too noisy. The 900mhz - which is similar to what TV uses) is awesome, but too many devices use this now too + you get a lot of static/noise due to overdevelopment.

To see what various frequencies are currently used for in the UHF/VHF bands, check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vhf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uhf
 
I do think many of the people in rural areas will either have to get a huge antenna for over the air broadcasts or they will need to get digital satellite.

If someone currently pics up watchable analog TV, the SAME antenna will tune digital signals perfectly. Now if watching TV looks like watching scrambled HBO on cable (think American pie - "that is definatly a boob"), then they won't get anything with their current antenna. I live about 60 miles from the closest broadcast tower. I had to put an antenna outside.. I wouldn't consider it huge, but rabit ears on my TV did me no good.. I had to get an antenna rated for that distance.

My local chanels actually push more content digitally than they do on analog.. one of the local news stations does all the time weather + their normal analog feed. My local PBS brodcasts 4 diffrent feeds - the normal analog one + 3 others I wouldn't get with a "normal" tv.

I look forward to feb 2009.
 
Unfortunately, the digital to analog converters will do nothing for the people that get medium to low signals in rural areas (using an antenna). Digital is less forgiving when it comes to signal strength. Basically, they will be without TV or be forced to subscribe to a service...

Sorry Oregon, digital signal is far more forgiving than you think, anything over 60% on most new sets is good for a perfect picture and 5.1 sound. Now try to get a perfect picture and great sound at 60% reception on analog, you cannot.
I have one analog TV and could only pick up 4 stations in my area worth watching.
Now with my 2 HDTVs on the same ChannelMaster high gain Antenna and 777preamp, I can get close to 22 channels if you count the subchannels.
PS,,, and this is a big one:
PBS HDTV ROCKS the house in HDTV!! I have digital HDTV from charter cable and my OTA channels BLOWS AWAY cable!
You should see Ken Burns Black and White civil war series in HDTV. It makes DVD and cable HDTV look sick, and its in black and white.
 
I agree with most other people. This is something that needs to happen. Time to move on to greener pastures.

oh and the reason the government is involved in terms of regulating TV and the signals and the such that some people were asking: It is because the TV broadcast stations are also used in emergencies as a means to communicate to the populace. These stations need to be accessible to everyone regardless of whether they have the dish, cable, or just pull signals off the air. That is why they are doing this; to make sure that people will have access to that signal no matter what their finical situation may be.
 
Since cable/sat penetration in the US is over 85%, and the remaining 15% are too busy looking for thier next fix to realize the TV doesn't work anymore, I'm like WTF.

But the converter box...aka DTV tuner with chan 3 analog output... should only cost a few bucks, so whatever. And since all settop boxes have analog outputs to feed old equipment (like my current 27" tv) the alleged problem is basically non-existent.
 
Back
Top