How is this digital broadcast TV switch going to go over?

[jkjsooner]

How do you guys think this digital broadcast TV switch is going to go over with the public?

I think it's going to be a bust.

First, you are going to have the people who get over-the-air TV who simply haven't been paying attention to all the messages about it.

Secondly, and more importantly, is that people are going to discover that they just do not get a good enough signal for digital TV.

I live several miles away from several broadcast towers. If my cable goes out I can watch the analog channels fine. Sure, there's a little noise and the signal isn't perfect but it's definitely watchable. This is with no external antenna at all.

Downstairs I can't pick up the digital channels at all even with a moderate directional antennae. On my computer upstairs I can get the channels and they look darn good (especially HD) until they freeze every 10 seconds or so. The freezing makes it extremely annoying to watch.

Sure, where I live I should be able to easily get a nice antenna and watch nice HDTV over-the-air broadcasts but how many people who watch a little snowy picture are going to have that set up when they switch over? And what about the people who live farther out who live with a fairly degraded analog signal but even with a great antenna are not going to get a watchable digital signal.

Digital is great. Don't get me wrong. But when it's not good it's REALLY not good. You can live with analog noise and interference. You can't live with blockiness and freezing.

I think we're going to have an uproar from our less technologically inclined.

What do you think?

[Boomer.....]

I think you would have to be living under a rock to not notice the eleventy billion ads and warnings about the February switch to digital cable.

Hopefully every chanel will now be able to broadcast in HD all the time.

[royalfan5]

If people missed the ads, they probably aren't watching enough TV to make it worth the time to get a converter.

[Frozen Sooner]

I think if you don't have cable or sattelite then you probably don't care enough about TV to make this a huge problem. :D

I have a feeling that a lot of local stations are going to boost the power of their digital transmission when they cut off the analog.

[sooner_born_1960]

I have a feeling that a lot of local stations are going to boost the power of their digital transmission when they cut off the analog.
So all those people who don't care enough to order cable or satellite will be able to watch?

[Widescreen]

This gov't handout for the converter boxes is just a band-aid. They need to pay for satellite TV for everyone. And I want the premiums too.

[Frozen Sooner]

Pretty much.

Right now a lot of digital stations (and this is solely based on conversations with people working at particular stations) are broadcasting at low power.

As it was explained to me (and this could completely be full of ****, I have NO technical knowledge on this) the analog broadcasts take a ton of power. Once that power consumption is gone, they can boost the digital signal.

[Widescreen]

That boost may prove to be a problem. I'm already getting a very high signal strength on most channels and if they boost the signal, it could very well overload the tuner.

[Frozen Sooner]

I would imagine your tuner would clip. Don't know what that'd do.

Again, I'm completely talking out of my ***. This is all based on one or two conversations which I may have misunderstood.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

That boost may prove to be a problem. I'm already getting a very high signal strength on most channels and if they boost the signal, it could very well overload the tuner.

Can't speak for digital off-air, but as far as 6 meg analog, this is true. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but won't the digital conversion still occupy 6 MHz of bandwidth per channel, but the encoding is now digital, thus decreasing the need for higher dBmV at the set and at source? In other words, the pipe is the same size, just the water's a helluva lot cleaner?

And to address the OP, my mom and dad get horrible off-air reception. Has sucked for years. Once they set themselves up for the digital off-airs, it's night and day. Beautiful reception. They get the rare tiling every once in awhile, but for the most part, they can actually sit down and watch television that doesn't explosively suck nards.

[olevetonahill]

I dont watch TeeVee enough to Keep My Sat. on during the Off season
But Ive heard about this .
If I have a Prob Ill find out In August and fix it then .
jes sayin

[Widescreen]

My signal has been strong enough at times that I've had to insert an in-line 6db attenuator to restore the signal. Try telling grandma that she needs to run up to Rat Shack and buy an attenuator. :P

[bluedogok]

If my understanding is correct, they can't "overdrive" the digital signal like what happens with the analog signal. I think it is because the digital signal profile is much smaller and "stays" in its channel path. So if you are close to a tower, the signal isn't going to wipe everything else near it away. I am something like 17 miles from the towers and get very good reception of the digital channels with a rooftop antenna, much better than some of the low power analog channels that are closer.

[soonerinabilene]

I am already preparing the bunker with water, canned food, and batteries just like I did for Y2K, only this is much more frightening.

[Penguin]

In my current financial condition, I have to watch tv via antenna. I can get the analog stations just fine.

The digital channels are OK, but they get interrupted every time a car passes by. And that happens every 10-15 seconds. :mad:

[AlbqSooner]

This gov't handout for the converter boxes is just a band-aid. They need to pay for satellite TV for everyone. And I want the premiums too.

So you ARE voting for Obama?;)

[Widescreen]

If it gets me free HBO, you betcha.

[OUHOMER]

I think I am going to get a setup for when my sat goes out during storms. How else am i going to play the Gary England drinking game