FCC says DTV transition going smoothly, few TVs shot up
By Nilay Patel 
posted June 15th 2009 7:41PM
posted June 15th 2009 7:41PM
posted June 15th 2009 7:41PM
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Bullshit; not in my area everybody is having problems even though the towers are less than 4 miles away from everybody here and we live in dc
In West Los Angeles, I lost all but 5 DTV channels. I still got some analog stations until mid-day Sat, but never did get back CBS, NBC or the other stations I had no problems getting before. I did notice a new sub-channel in the CW network, so I guess it isn't a total loss, but somebody will have to tell me what happens on Grey's Anatomy next fall OK!
rescan, guys.
Rescan + antenna = win.
I made the digital switch years ago and now get channels that were too far out on the analoge fringe. During the analogue years, I picked up only 9 channels. Now that I have digital, I get over 40 channels. It's like cable but not paying a dime. I am very happy and definitely won't be looking back.
You can take that DTV and stick it up your candyass. The reception on it is garbage I have to readjust my antenna every time I want to pick up certain stations then adjust it back to watch the other ones. Where as my analog came in loud and clear. Also DTVs volume sucks I have to put my TV on almost double the volume as analog. Oh and I bought new antennas for the stupid conversion they worked great on the old analog stations, but digital just bleck. The picture on Digital is great when it works.
If you bought a Magnavox Converter, that could be your problem. I Have one and its a Piece of Sheet. Get a channel master CM-7000 and your lost channel woes will be a thing of the past.
Thats what im wondering too.
yeah, it's so smooth that I actually lost channels. Rescanning didn't do anything. Some of my local stations are either moved too far or didn't bother to improve their digital signal. I actually get less digital channel now.
you get what you pay for. oh, wait...
Me too. HD channels I used to get clearly before, have disappeared. I don't understand? The channels were already working fine.
I am currently selling Dish Network and the calls have been hellacious-at-best since the conversion. Many people are calling in, pissed off because their once-free TV stations didn't work very well at all with the converter boxes. A lot of them have complained that the number of stations they did have OTA was reduced for whatever reason...
... and there are also those who feel as though this is a giant conspiracy. Muah. Muah ha. Muah ha ha ha. ha.
Meh.
I only get pbs now :( at least I have dsl so i can wacth hulu from now on.
3 Channels of PBS and Create.
Yea, I actually lost digital channels after the switch.
Well here in VA everything has been relatively ok EXCEPT one of the goofy station (an NBC affiliate) switched their signal back to VHF instead of leaving it UHF and now people even in the City of Richmond (where the broadcast comes from) can't receive their signal.
BTW I am vacationing in Richmond Co. (Not to be confused with the city) which is very rural, and we get good reception on the large out door antenna but get nothing on rabbit ears.
I also live in Virginia and can no longer receive channel 12 (NBC) since the switch...i have no idea why...this sucks
I also lost NBC in the midwest
I called the number 345-1212 and they said that some people might not be able to receive them for weeks or months as they install a new UHF transmitter.
The solution: Get an OUTDOOR antenna
Here are two of the best:
http://www.channelmaster.com/
http://www.winegard.com/
Solid Signal is the New Egg of TV reception products:
http://www.solidsignal.com/
To determine which one you need go to www.antennaweb.org
@(Barcode) - All of the engineers where I work, highly recommend Wineguard.
From what I have been hearing, it sounds like a good antennae is fixing most problems. The problem, is that most people are expecting rabbit ears to work.
My TD DB4 antenna wont receive channels 9.1, 11.1 and 5.1 from inside the house anymore, so i moved it closer to the door and it seems to get better. Looks like I will need to mount it outside now. :(
Have those that have lost signals edited their antennas? If not, give that a try.
WVEC in Norfolk, VA had major problems because in their infinite wisdom they decided to move from UHF back to VHF. They totally screwed it up! I can't get them OTA with my current UHF antenna. I won't get a new VHF one. Looks like I'll have to finally replace my HDTiVo with another DirecTV HR2x...
Obama is what took so long.
You mean, "Obama . . . is . . . what took . . . so long."
You realize the senate were the ones who ordered a delay, yes?
Honestly I can't wait for them to finally use the dam spectrum now not in use.
@ JPW:
Nice.
@ Midnitte:
Yes the Senate ordered it, at Obama's request, since the Senate will do pretty much anything Obama asks these days.
Is there anything else you'd like to blame on Obama? Did you burn your toast this morning? Yep, it's Obama's fault. Miss the bus? Obama's fault. Audi lost the 24hrs of LeMans to Peugeot. Was that a result of mismanagement? No, it was Obama's fault! We might as well blame the War of 1812 on Obama as well.
Ahh man you just opened a can of worms.
@ Harrison
I don't think my accusations were unreasonable. And yes, I'd also like to blame the deficit on Obama.
My grandpa has asked me if he gets any new channels out of this. I keep telling him no, you have cable TV, it doesn't affect you at all.
lol, antenna tv
That's what I was thinking. I guess it's more common in the states. You can only get about three (at most) somewhat scratchy channels with even a large roof antenna in lower Canada BC.
I get a TON of new digital channels. Too bad they are all either Spanish or showing a black screen. At least I still can have the analog signals that are coming across the airwaves apparently.
This transition was as hyped and fizzled as hard as Y2K. On to the next apocalypse.....
Yes! On to the "health care crisis".
wait do you mean the 2012 one?
I just helped my neighbor set up his digital converter box. His antenna only gets two channels. I advised him to get a new antenna.
It kinda sucks that quality indoor antennas cost almost as much as the converter boxes themselves.
The DTV transition is no trouble at all if your cables are correctly bipolarized. Go to Screen 47 of the DTV Converter Box On-Screen Installation Guide and use the resident GPS to correctly align your antenna for each channel (allowing for local ionospheric conditions) and ARRRGGGHH!
Technical reference:
http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/tv-d-day-usa/
This is the same FCC that said we had a national broadband policy in place. I don't believe them. My biggest question is how many remote communities that are dependent on TV relays/repeaters lost all OTA signals because they didn't receive financial help upgrading their equipment from analog to digital. These tend to be poor communities where many cannot afford alternatives such as paid satellite TV. I was getting completely fed up with the stupid comments about people not getting converter boxes; it was a way of deflecting a much broader, more expensive issue--community-wide delivery via expensive relays/repeaters. Digital converter boxes were never a solution for many, many remote rural communities in this country that cannot pick up any OTA signals without relays/repeaters. The FCC made extremely limited financial assistance available for this type of equipment; definitely not enough to help all the communities that are affected.
One thing that wasn't thought out too well (or entrepreneurs didn't see it well enough in advance) is the need for battery operated televisions with digital tuning. Lots of Americans rely on battery-operated televisions to keep them informed of weather-related information during hazardous storms (which occur frequently in summer), but the pickings are pretty slim and expensive.
Moreover, when you're hunkered down in a basement, closet, or bathtub, I'm not sure whether antenna reception is going to be enough to pull in a digital TV signal from those locations. Yes, I know there's weather radios, but I'd much rather be watching the local weather radar during a tornado watch.
then you dont live where tornados are common.
weather radio is Much less likely to go away than tv signal in severe weather.
we watch the tv when the watches come, and listen to the radio when the warnings come and we hide in the shelters.
Obviously not techies if you have OTA TV nowadays. How did you splurge for hi-speed internet?
The problems suck but it will work out.
By cheaping out on the TV.
Actually it is b/c of high speed internet I am planning on dropping pay-tv for OTA only. Streaming media provides enough content for me to supplement my OTA watching.
Here in northern VA, I lost both my local (DC) CBS and ABC stations as they both decided to go back to VHF. Very annoying... guess I'll have to do without, since I refuse to pay more than $0/ month for tv these days.
Yay for satellite TV.
(It's nice to live in a place where no OTA TV comes, and cable refuses to lay cable to get to...)
My basic cable (this is a much crappier package than even standard cable) actually suddenly has a LOT of new channels now. Many of the regular cable channels are now available. Not in HD, unfortunately, but they're there.
Before the conversion, I was getting channel 8 in digital format and figured that I would have no problem receiving their signal after the conversion. Boy was I wrong! I can't get it at all. I tried calling the number on their website for problems but all I could do was leave my telephone number and a message and I haven't heard back from them since. The funny thing is that before the conversion, I couldn't get channel 10 digitally but afterwards, it comes in perfectly. Before the transition I called channel 10 to ask about the signal and I told them that I could receive channel 8 and all of the other local channels that I was supposed to but not theirs. I was told that was funny as their antenna is on the same mast as channel 8's antenna. Now after the transition, I can get channel 10 and all of the other local channels except for 8. Supposedly, I'm guessing here, the antennas are still on the same mast so why can't I get 8. Heck, after the transition, I'm getting channels digitally from another city that is an extra 40-50 miles away AND my antenna is not even pointed at that city. Things are very screwed currently.
South Florida here. Switch worked fine for me, getting all channels on my car tv, and it looks great.
I live in Cambridge, MA and I lost two channels, including NBC and gained one "DW-TV" whatever that is! It's like a knock-off BBC.
I want my NBC back!