Analog TV shutdown all but set for 2009
By Marc Perton 
posted February 2nd 2006 10:22AM
posted February 2nd 2006 10:22AM
Mark your calendar for
February 17, 2009. That's the date set by Congress, as part of a sweeping budget-cutting bill, that broadcasters will
be mandated to shut down their analog broadcasts (both the Senate and broadcasters had previously
agreed to the date, so the bill now only awaits the President's signature to become law). However, if you can't bear to
part with that old Philco or Admiral, you won't have to toss it. The government will be setting aside $1.5 billion in
subsidies to help consumers get converters to allow older analog sets to receive digital broadcasts. And, no, you can't
request a piece of that to pick up a 60-inch plasma, so don't even think about it.
Analog tv signals use a large spread of the spectrum to transmit one tv channel. Going digital(OTA digital signals will be sent over the air also) will allow the government to send out either more channels or higher quality channels(HDTV). So instead of having 6 channels on the specrum they can now send out 12(not an accurate number but you get the idea) HDTV(OTA) signals require multiple channels but now using digital there are more channels and you can therefore have more hdtv channels than are possible with analog spectrum. This means the government can make a more effective use of the spectrum than is currently possible with analog. People with analog tv's cannot convert digital(OTA) signals into a picture without the converter box. New tv's that are digital can convert the Digital(OTA) signal into a picture. Old tv's will require a box that converts the digital signal that is still being sent OTA into an analog signal that is sent down their coax cable just like it is now from their antenna to their old tv. Digital is still being sent OTA just like analog. Hope this clears it up. You will still be able to use a bunny ears type device on your old tv you just need the converter box inbetween and possible a new set of digital bunny ears.
Forgive me if I dont hold my breath. The cutoff date originally was supposed to be 2006, but broadcasters whined and drug their heels enough to postpose the date. Now that theres better hd market penetration, most major stations are upgraded, and many shows are recorded HD, maybe itll actually happen this time.
TV is slowly dying. IP-TV is the way of the future.
>HDTV(OTA) signals require multiple channels
Chris McDowell, you were so close! But I still have to step in. The whole point is that the spec for HD was designed to fit neatly into a conventional 6MHz channel--the MPEG-2 compression significantly reduces the native data rate. The 5.1 Channel sound you get is icing on the cake.
Maybe you meant to say that multiple DTV channels of content can fit into the same bandwith that a conventional channel would occupy. DTV offers many options where only one existed in NTSC.
Hope this helps,
-JPW
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® Manager, Rochester Section