The beginning of the end for analog TV

Certain days in history are remembered generations later: July 4th, 1776; February 3rd, 1959; May 20th, 1993. Well you can add March 1st, 2007 to that list, because that is the day future gadgetheads will look back upon as the beginning of the end for analog TV. Couch potatoes have been enjoying over-the-air analog broadcasts since 1946 -- whiling away the hours with Jack Benny, Roy Rogers, and Howdy Doody -- and will continue doing so until February 17th, 2009 (717 days, 11 hours, 13 minutes, and 49 seconds from the time of this writing, according to a handy countdown timer on the new DTV Transition site). So while you'll be able to catch analog CSI for a few more years, it's going to be harder and harder to find a new set that actually supports the NTSC standard: that's where March 1st comes in. As of yesterday, federal law mandates that all 13-inch-and-above TVs sold in the US must sport a fancy new ATSC digital tuner -- although according to the Washington Post, many retailers haven't exactly been quick to ensure compliance. Just go into any of the big box stores and see if they're all stocked up on new sets; chances are most of the employees haven't even heard about this changeover, or even possess the knowledge to direct you to the proper equipment. Still, nothing's gonna stop the analog signals from going dark in February 2009, so despite the slow start, we're pretty confident that most stores / websites will get their game together eventually. And if not, there's always the small chance that analog will make a comeback -- hey, you never know.

[Thanks Steve M.]

[BAMF @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:22PM]

How many times has this date been pushed back now? I will be surprised if this 2009 date actually sticks.

[theonetheonly @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:30PM]

FYI : Feb 3rd 1959 being the Day That Music Died, and July 4th was when Will Smith delivered us from an alien invasion.

Anyone know the significance of May 20th 1993?

[Hoag @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:31PM]

5/20/1993 - Final episode of Cheers

[Hoag @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:32PM]

Perhaps I should say 20/05/1993 for disambiguation

[Doug Brashears @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:38PM]

It boggles the mind that the Federal government would move to eliminate analog TV while there are so many more pertinent issues requiring their attention. Are they going to offer tax credits so I can update my analog hardware to the mandated platform? I think not...if you're going to outlaw something, make it the media monopolies like ClearChannel, which spew worthless jabber and commercials, offer a half-%$#@ advance like digital radio and then wonder why people wont bite...it's the commercials, stupid.

[Richard @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:42PM]

"Are they going to offer tax credits so I can update my analog hardware to the mandated platform? I think not..."

You should really educate yourself on this issue...

The FCC has already announced they'll provide a "fund", partially paid for by the billions they'll make on auctioning the gained spectrum to either totally pay for, or heavily subsidize conversion boxes for consumers who don't have sets that are natively capable of viewing the new standard.

[Hater @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:51PM]

@Doug Brashears

From: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html

"Beginning in 2008, your household may be able to obtain up to two coupons worth $40 each toward the purchase of converter boxes."

[Richard @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:39PM]

"And if not, there's always the small chance that analog will make a comeback -- hey, you never know."

No, we know... the FCC plans ti auction off all that extra spectrum they'll gain by going to digital.

We're talking billions upon billions of dollars they'll put in the Treasury's coffers when that happens.

Spectrum prices just keep going through the roof.
They'll never go back to analog.

[Hater @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:47PM]

"...billions upon billions of dollars they'll put in the Treasury's coffers..."

You mean in the trunks of their cars.

[Leif @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:46PM]

Wait a minute, so the day in which the last episode of Cheers aired is as important as the Beech Bonanza Crash and the goddamned Declaration of Independence?

[Alex @ Mar 2nd 2007 6:02PM]

"Leif @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:46PM

Wait a minute, so the day in which the last episode of Cheers aired is as important as the Beech Bonanza Crash and the goddamned Declaration of Independence?"

wow with a blazing sense of humor like that you must be the life of a party.


DOWN WITH ANALOG (tv)

[Ray-- @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:48PM]

wont cable companies still send analog signals though?? this only deals with OTA crap right?? i dont even know many people that use OTA analog anymore.

so does this really effect anyone? or will the cable companies use this as an excuse to force all over to the over-priced HD packages??

[walk2k @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:57PM]

Cable companies are already switching off analog actually.

Here Comcast simulcasts all the analog channels (2-82 or so) as digital, and plan to completely shut off analog some time in the next year or two...

[Hater @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:58PM]

@Ray

No, they won't. They'll stop broadcasting analog all together. The DTV decoder you'll need for your old TV will not force you to get HD in any way.

[Ray-- @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:50PM]

which country signed their declaration of independence May 20, 1993?

[August @ Mar 2nd 2007 2:56PM]

Is it just me, or did Engadget forget "September 11, 2001"?

Good one guys.

[Gun5tar @ Mar 3rd 2007 1:34PM]

I agree. They should have listed every important date throughout the history of man or they shouldn't have listed any.

[Richard @ Mar 2nd 2007 3:06PM]

"No, they won't. They'll stop broadcasting analog all together. The DTV decoder you'll need for your old TV will not force you to get HD in any way."

You got that right... the FCC (and the Gov't) knows better than to seriously fuck with an American's television.

Opiate of the masses, and all that.

[Ray-- @ Mar 2nd 2007 3:27PM]

im more concerned about my analog tuners for my media center and my DVRs... they will be obsolete?? shouldnt the govt require those to have to work with the HD signal as well???

i am also VERY worried about the fact that i will have to have boxes by all my TVs... right now i just plug cable into my TV and they all work... not crappy cable boxes or extra crap needed.... it so simple right now... will all that go away?

[BSW @ Mar 2nd 2007 3:50PM]

It's "so simple" today because technology has evolved. I'm only 32, but still remember the day dad brought home that magical box... 13 channels instead of 4! And it was wonderous.

So you're stressing over the possibility you might need a $30 converter box on top of your TV? 2 years from now?

If this were 1981, you'd be the guy worried about replacing his 8-track player with a CD player. The discs might scratch, or some other pansy-ass reasoning.

Man I wish I had your problems (or your foolishly rich parents).

[spacegravity4me @ Mar 2nd 2007 3:53PM]

Feb 17th is my B-Day:)

[spacegravity4me @ Mar 2nd 2007 3:54PM]

woot

[AdamC @ Mar 2nd 2007 3:55PM]

@August

Lighten up, 2 of the 3 dates listed were not of much historical significance. One was the "day the music died" and the other was the last episode of cheers. I would have picked Feb 28, 1983, but thats just me.

[August @ Mar 2nd 2007 7:10PM]

Yeah, I didn't really notice that until I read the comments a little further. Had I known that, I would not have posted 9-11.

But leave it to the open minds of Engadget to down-vote my post.

Why does Engadget still have this feature? Oh, that's right. To drive traffic.

[docbill @ May 28th 2007 8:56AM]

What Cheers was canceled? Why am I always the last to know.

[Jeff @ Mar 2nd 2007 4:10PM]

Let's make sure we keep a little perspective here. This affects people using analog TV's (i.e. CRT's) or outboard TV tuners catching analog over the air broadcasts with a set of rabbit ears. And those are the *only* people it affects.

I don't know how many people that actually is, but I don't know anybody who still gets their TV that way.

Those that *do*, though, are eligible for a converter box subsidy from the government. I don't know if it's going to cover the entire cost of the box, but these are not expensive boxes regardless ($30-$40). And guess what - you'll get better reception with a converter box than you did before (because you'll be receiving ATSC broadcasts - no static or ghosting anymore), so in effect, the government is subsidizing better TV for those people who this law affects.

If you have cable, satellite or have any other type of wire coming into your house that provides you with TV, then you will have absolutely no change coming to you from this law. If you use an ATSC over the air tuner on an HDTV, nothing to worry about either.

My guess is the vast majority of this country still gets their TV through cable, and most of the rest uses a choice of satellite, fiber optic or whatever, so I doubt this is going to affect all that many people.

[Flex @ Mar 2nd 2007 4:21PM]

Does this mean that at some point (2009?) I'll no longer be able to buy a tv, take it home, plug in some rabbit ears and get SOMETHING on it? I thought the airwaves were a public trust that we the people gifted to broadcasters. Aren't they obligated by law to allow unfettered access to broadcast signals?

[MikeN @ Mar 2nd 2007 4:48PM]

@Flex:

Dude, read the post. All TV's sold will require an ATSC tuner. So you can go buy (make) an antenna, plug it in via coax, and recieve your free "public trust" OTA channels. If your current TV does not have an ATSC tuner, then you will need a converter box, which as others have mentioned will effectively be free due to FCC subsidization.

[BSW @ Mar 2nd 2007 5:11PM]

I fully appreciate the explosively controversial nature of this debate, but must we really drag the innocent rabbit-ear antenna through the muck as well?

Flex, why wait until 2009? Today for about $20 you can buy a variant of the rabbit-ear antenna (called a "satellite dish") which coupled with a $100 FTA box and a 2nd-grader's tech skills = almost 1000 channels of "SOMETHING"... But keep looking down your nose at us OTA'ers, appears to be working for you.

[Jesse Eastman @ Mar 2nd 2007 5:29PM]

Hoag you rock, to me TV ended when Cheers did. Frasier was great, damn great! But nothing will ever compare to Cheers. (Yes I know this is not a television blog, and yes I know you're not supposed to begin a sentence with "but") oh well....

[Roo1 @ Mar 2nd 2007 5:48PM]

Jeff, most TV viewers do subscribe to cable or satellite. But 15 percent of viewers, or 15 million American households, still get their TV signal via over-the-air broadcasts. Of that 15 million, many are from low-income homes. The transition could pose a number of issues for that particular demographic.
News article from Chicago with more details: http://www.chicagodefender.com/page/local.cfm?ArticleID=8590

[teodoro @ Mar 2nd 2007 5:53PM]

Well google never lies. May 20 1993 was the meeting of the "Midwest Chapter of the Cryogenic Society of America"
http://www.cryogenicsociety.org/about_csa/local_chapters/meeting_detail.php?id=49
It's the first hit, so it must be accurate.

[Sam @ Mar 2nd 2007 7:20PM]

The cable companies will probably get rid of analog at some point since it sucks up so much bandwidth and add more standard def channels to clear QAM. Plus the local networks don't like the idea of them taking the HD signals and downconverting them to standard def analog after the switch happens.

[Keith @ Mar 2nd 2007 8:17PM]

Oddly enough HDTV sets are getting their butt kick by SD sets now......Hope it changes. HDTV makers need to stress to the public the benefits of HDTV better.

Keith
http://www.eHDMI.com

[McBlah @ Mar 3rd 2007 12:59AM]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't anyone who has "basic" digital cable already possess a converter box leased from their provider? ...And these have been around for quite awhile now and are growing - not because of the fact that it's "digital" - but because of the availability of metadata while "channel surfing" , dvr, etc.

I think the effect of the transition from an analog to digital broadcast signal on retail television sales is neglegable at best. The hardware transition would happen consequentially anyway due to the appeal of the aesthetics and practicality of most LCD televisions, HD media, etc.

I can see how there is a lot of "insider" interests at play with this - but it's not like this transition is "forcing" anything on the public to spur progress. Digital technologies are doing just fine on their own merits and simple A/D converter boxes are enough to keep most people happy with their "old fashion" tube tv's and blissfully ignorant of this non-event.

This seems to me to be more

[Mark @ Mar 3rd 2007 1:33AM]

The summary is a little misleading....it's not all TV's sold after 2/28/07...it's TV's manufactured after 2/28/07. There's usually a lag of about 1 month from factory to floor with TV's...and then the retailer still has to burn through their existing inventory.

[steve miller @ Mar 3rd 2007 9:55AM]

Who said the manufacturers had to wait for the deadline before they would start including atsc tuners in all size TVs. I have never seen technology wait so long for a mandated deadline before. I already have a 26 inch HDTV and the uncompressed atsc signal blows away what I could get off of a sat service.

[philipbarrett @ Mar 3rd 2007 3:19AM]

I raise my hand as one of the 15 million households who still have OTA as their only TV source (well that & Netflix). We are hardly on the poverty line, just resent paying $60 a month to the cable/satellite oligopoly for 1,000 channels of commercial filled crap!

[spaceman @ Mar 3rd 2007 9:45AM]

In Finland we have to swap over to digi coz analog is getting turned off at the end of August this year!

[August @ Mar 3rd 2007 3:05PM]

Zing!

What a hardass.

You are so clever.

[Uncle Fester @ Mar 4th 2007 5:33AM]

It's interesting reading all your comments, down under here in NZ we are about to get free to air digital TV launching in May 2007. Our switch off date for analogue is estimated to be between 2013 and 2017, depending on the uptake of digital.

[Erik @ Mar 4th 2007 10:14AM]

Oh well, I don't have to worry too much. All of my TV's have AT&T U-verse IPTV set tops, and they all have an ATSC tuner built into them as well, so this can act as a backup plan if needed.

[Paul @ Mar 4th 2007 11:05AM]

http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/218425/

I hope it's not the end of the analog camera too! All my photos are analog!

[Kent Mackey @ Mar 5th 2007 1:18PM]

May 20th 1993 was also the day Britain finally ratified the Maastricht Treaty which allowed greater co-operation between members of the European Union. Is that more significant than the final Cheers?

[AiboPet2003 @ Mar 5th 2007 4:50PM]

I can't see where this would be a problem for most. Only two glaring scenarios really come up when thinking of "no more analog over rabbit ears":

The little 5 inch sets I have in a few places for watching news over VERY rare power outages.

The car stereos in my two little trucks, that I probly actually use the TUNERS on....maybe twice a year. Ironicly, I think the last time I watched them for any amount of time....was on 9/11

As far as the little tiny "emergency" TVs, just chuck 'em.....or hook one up to my VIC20 for some good 'ol fashion "Never The Same Color" BASIC programming fun....GOOD TIMES!

I do hope they think of the "mobile user" when they start selling these little D/A boxes, so that I can still sit in the parking lot during lunch and catch The Simpsons if I wanted to.

[Greg Bair @ Mar 6th 2007 2:07AM]

To answer some Q's:

It's not a switchover to HD, it's a switch to digital. There's a diff.

You tv will need an ATSC tuner to receive and display digital signals.

Despite what Engadget says, most tv's produced in the last year have ATSC tuners, even the old tube models. Hell, even Broksonic TVs have digital tuners.

[js @ Mar 13th 2007 3:17PM]

As spaceman said, Finland is going to shut down the analog over-the-air broadcast network in August this year. The Swedes have already done so in the Stockholm region. And yes, this discussion does sound very much like what we had a few years ago. Now most people have digital tuners or DVB-ready TV sets, and the rest will either create an enormous rush in the stores (our national sport) or quit TV altogether (unlikely).

By the way, *please* tell me this ATSC is somehow compatible with DVB...

[todd harrris @ Mar 27th 2008 1:53PM]

LOVE your site. I've fallen WAY WAY behind on reading it due to work stuff. Wondering how to I go BACK to a certain date rather then NEXT NEXT NEXT back from today's date?

Doesn't seem to be a comprehensive way to do this. I'd like to get to the page for FEB 1st when I stopped reading daily so I can catch up.

THANKS

TODD