Feb. 17, 2009: Goodbye analog

Digital to dominate airwaves soon

About half of Joe Chronister's customers are aware of the impending shift to digital television broadcasting.

"It's not an issue for customers who have cable or satellite TVs," Chronister said. "They already have a digital (cable) box. Satellite customers already are pulling in a digital signal."

Chronister, a salesman at Ultimate Electronics, 10021 E. 71st St., said he is concerned about the 20 percent of his customers who receive television "over-the-air" via "rabbit ears" or rooftop antennas.

"They are fixed-income, Social Security people," Chronister said. "You look at $3 gasoline, rising taxes -- how much is cable TV worth?"

A 2005 report by the Government Accountability Office, an investigative agency of the federal government, found 21 million households -- roughly 19 percent of the nation -- rely on an antenna rather than cable or satellite to receive television signals.

Over-the-air television via anten na, the traditional TV system using magnetic waves to transmit and display TV pictures and sound, is called analog TV, and its days are numbered: 484 days, in fact.

On Feb. 17, 2009, all U.S. full-power TV stations will stop broadcasting in analog format. From that date, TV stations will transmit only digital signals.

On Feb. 17, 2009, people who don't subscribe to cable or satellite and receive television service through an antenna on an analog TV set will be looking at a blank screen, industry officials say.

But analog TVs won't be obsolete.

Analog TVs receiving over-the-air programming will still work after February 2009, but owners of these TVs will need to buy converter boxes to change digital broadcasts into analog format.

Converter boxes will be available from consumer electronics dealers, and a U.S. government program will pay most of the cost, government and industry officials say.

Beginning in 2008, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will distribute upon request $40 subsidy coupons, two per household, to help consumers pay for converter boxes. More information on the digital-to-analog converter box coupon program is available online at cf,fgc www.tulsaworld.com/tvcoupon cf,ceno or by calling 1-888-DTV-2009.

Beyond the technology, many consumers are asking why the digital conversion is necessary, industry officials said.

The Federal Communications Commission, which is shepherding the digital transition, says digital television (DTV) is a more flexible and efficient technology than the existing analog system.

"For example, rather than being limited to providing one analog programming channel, a broadcaster will be able to provide a super sharp "high definition" program or multiple standard definition DTV programs simultaneously," the FCC says on its Web site at cf,fgc www.tulsaworld.com/fcccf,ceno .

"Providing several programming streams on one broadcast channel is called "multi-casting." The number of programs a station can send on one digital channel depends on the level of picture detail, also known as "resolution," desired in each programming stream. DTV can provide interactive video and data services that are not possible with analog technology."

Converting to DTV also will free up parts of the valuable broadcast airwaves, FCC officials say.

"The switch from analog to digital technology will offer consumers many benefits, make valuable spectrum available for public safety uses and expand wireless competition and innovation," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in a written statement.

In the coming months, consumers will be notified of the digital transition by TV and other media public service announcements.

The National Association of Broadcasters said last week that all broadcast networks as well as 95 television broadcasting companies have committed to air public service announcements as part of a $697 million campaign that will reach nearly every television viewer in the nation.

Earlier this year, the cable television industry announced its own $200 million digital education campaign.

At Cox Communications, Oklahoma's largest cable television provider, executives are informing customers they should see no changes in their cable viewing in February 2009.

"No matter what kind of television set you have, even an older analog model, you will still be able to receive every program," said Dave Bialis, Cox Oklahoma president. "Cox will simply convert the new digital broadcast signals to allow them to flow to every TV connected to our video service."

Andy Morgan, spokesman for AT&T Oklahoma, said AT&T/DISH Network and Homezone customers already have the equipment needed to view digital broadcasts.

"People won't need to get any additional equipment," Morgan said.

As for the low- or fixed-income consumers and the rebels without subscription cable or satellite service, Ultimate Electronics' Chronister said they will be fine if they have digital tuners, which have been built into all new TVs in recent years.

"If you have a decent antenna -- the bigger and uglier, the better," Chronister said, "you stand to reap the rewards of receiving a dozen channels out of the air for free."

D.R. Stewart 581-8451
don.stewart@tulsaworld.com

Q&A: ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL TV TRANSITION

What is analog television? What is digital television?

Analog television is the traditional TV system that uses magnetic waves to transmit and display TV pictures and sound. Digital television (DTV) uses information transmitted as "data bits," like a computer, and it displays higher-quality pictures and sound while using less broadcast spectrum. DTV technology also can be used to provide interactive video and data services that aren't possible with analog technology.

What is the significance of Feb. 17, 2009?

According to legislation passed by Congress in 2006, television stations will stop analog television broadcasting on Feb. 17, 2009. Most television stations will continue broadcasting both analog and digital programming until that date.

Consumers who receive cable television or satellite television broadcasting will not be affected by the digital TV transition. Their cable or satellite television providers have been broadcasting digital programming for some time, having already made the analog-to-digital television transition.

Consumers who receive television broadcasting "over the air" via "rabbit-ears" or rooftop-mounted antennas will be affected by the halt in analog broadcasting on Feb. 17, 2009. Consumers who do not have subscription cable or satellite television services will have two choices:

• 1) They can purchase a digital TV (either a stand-alone digital TV or separate digital tuner set-top box) or
• 2) They can buy a digital-to-analog converter box for each of their analog TVs to continue receiving free over-the-air digital television programming. The converter box will convert the over-the-air digital signals into signals that analog TV sets can receive and display.

Converter boxes are available from most consumer electronics retailers for less than $100. Starting in 2008, a government agency, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce, will make available $40 subsidy coupons, two per household, to help consumers pay for converter boxes.

More information on the digital-to-analog converter box coupon program is available online at www.tulsaworld.com/tvcoupon , or by calling 1-888-DTV-2009.

Will I need a special antenna to receive DTV over-the-air?

Dependable reception of DTV will require the same type of signal reception equipment that currently works to provide good quality reception of analog TV signals. If a consumer requires a roof-top antenna to receive television, the same antenna generally will be needed to receive DTV.

Will I need a new TV?

All television sets that work today will work as they do now until analog broadcasting stops in February 2009. Even after the transition is over, existing analog television sets will not become obsolete. A converter box can be used to receive broadcast DTV signals and change them into the format of current television sets.

Even with a converter box, however, current analog television sets will not be capable of displaying the full picture quality of DTV. To receive the full picture quality of DTV, consumers must have a DTV set.

What do DTV sets look like and what will they cost?

Most DTV sets have wider, more rectangular screens than analog TVs. The wider format allows for images that are more like those shown in a movie theater.

Like analog TV sets, DTV sets are sold in a range of sizes. The cost of DTV sets varies by size, but they are not substantially more expensive than analog TVs.

Will VCRs, DVD players and camcorders work with DTVs and high-definition television sets?

Existing analog VCRs, DVD players, camcorders and video games will work with digital TV sets, but not in high definition. Their video will be displayed in the maximum resolution that is available with each analog device.

Sources: Federal Communications Commission and retail electronics dealers.