DigitalSwitchover
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European Parliament approves January 2013 deadline for 4G spectrum free up
Back in November, the European Commission, European Parliament and its member states agreed on plans to repurpose their 800MHz frequency bands for 4G mobile networks. Today, that decision has been officially approved. The Radio Spectrum Policy Programme (RSPP) has been set up to coordinate the use of this spectrum for fourth-generation services across the continent. Currently, 800MHz is used for analog television, but the new ruling gives member nations until the 1st of January 2013 to switch over to digital and authorize the band for its new role. Those nations dragging their heels can obtain an exemption, but mobile operators will be eager to see the spectrum freed up before then if possible. Swedish politician Gunnar Hökmark, who pushed for the legislation, hopes that it could lead to the EU having the fastest mobile broadband worldwide. Just don't tell AT&T.
ION scared off by the DTV transition, postpones debut another month
Seriously, ION, this is getting ridiculous. With a healthy dose of spin, ION TV is delaying its planned February 16 HD launch by a month so it will not coincide with the confusion around the DTV transition. We'll admit that the state of the analog shutoff is a real mess, but somehow we think that any money-making enterprise would want to sweep in with advertiser-loved HD content to put before viewers' eyes. Anyhow, the service is now planning to pull the HD trigger in 20 markets on March 16, and then 25 more markets on what we assume will be perfectly normal, nonconfusing days later in the year.EDIT: reworked a murky sentence for clarity.
Best Buy wants to annoy you into a converter box, takes the DTV PSAs in-store
For the five percent of you who managed to miss the whole analog TV shutoff debacle, select Best Buy locations will be blaring out hourly PSA-style announcements in-store, just to bring you up to speed. Even if you can't hear the hourly chime of impending analog Armageddon over the din of everyday Best Buy activity, personnel milling about in "DTV Blackout Prevention" tees should clue you in to the fact that something is going on. That's your cue to ask what the big deal is, whereupon your salesperson will encourage you to act without delay to keep the OTA flowing into your eyeballs. If you've put things off this long, though, you'll be able to procrastinate another four months, right? Seriously -- just pick up a new converter box if there's one on the shelf, because we really don't want to postpone the switch again, mkay?
Klipsch horns in on DTV transition madness
In a bit of a creative leap, loudspeaker manufacturer Klipsch is launching a marketing campaign that ties in with the (probably soon-to-be delayed) DTV transition. We're on board with the catchphrase "A high-def picture demands high-def sound," but let's be clear -- the DTV transition isn't going to bring 24/7 high-def video to all your OTA channels, and it certainly isn't going to mean high-def sound will be filling the airwaves, either. Like we said, though, it's hard to deny the fact that most people aren't aware of how atrocious most TVs sound, or how spending a little money on some new speakers can really increase their enjoyment of their systems. Klipsch is hoping its HD Theater 300, 500 and 1000 systems are an ear- and wallet-opening experience for them. So, are you willing to forgive a bit of a marketing stretch for a good cause, or do you lump this right in with cable companies using the DTV transition to scare customers into digital tiers?
Bob Barker does TV PSA, doesn't involve spaying or neutering
Wilmington, North Carolina, come on down! It looks like Carol Brady will be enlisting the help of none other than Bob Barker in getting people to convert over to DTV. The former host of 'The Price is Right' has shot a public service announcements (PSAs) specifically for the guinea pigs of Wilmington, NC as well as a spot intended for nationwide consumption. Check out the link below to see the spot for yourself -- we've got admit that Bob Barker looks less aged than the TV. Read - Watch Bob barker PSA
Antennas Direct taking preorders for ClearStream2 OTA antenna
Well in time for the analog shutoff, even for the test subjects in Wilmington, NC, Antennas Direct is rolling out its long-range UHF/VHF ClearStream2 antenna on June 30th. According to the linked press release, the company has started taking preorders for the C2. Based on the specs, this model could be a real life saver for many folks near the scary precipice that is the digital cliff -- a 50-mile range combined with a 70-degree swath, all from a 10 x 20-inch assembly. We spoke with a company rep who said there should be a "small batch" of these available as early as this week to those who place a pre-order for the $79 antenna.
Analog shutoff may put asterisk on 2009 February sweeps
Here's a nice wrinkle -- issues associated with the digital switchover on Feb. 17, 2009 may taint the Nielsen "sweeps" ratings for that month. Depending on which reports you believe, the switch to all-digital signals will either be a small bump or an apocalyptical cliff. But one thing's for sure -- lots of money rides on those sweeps numbers, and Nielsen cannot break its role as an impartial observer and give its "families" any special help in making the transition. For its part, Nielsen has no plans to change operations for February 2009, which we think is the best approach. Despite ethnographic discrepancies in homes with unready TVs, there's still time and lots of PSAs in the works. Looking into our notoriously murky crystal ball, we see lots of panicked consumers buying (sans coupon) DTV converter boxes during the third week of February and a week or two of skewed data.[Image courtesy Scott Hanselman's ComputerZen]
CEA rolls out "Convert Your Mom" DTV campaign
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has tapped Florence Henderson (a.k.a. Carol Brady) to launch its "Convert Your Mom" DTV transition campaign. It's true that awareness of the digital switchover is spreading; but we also know that there's a big difference between being aware and knowledgeable. And we're all familiar with how preparations The spots will encourage baby-boomers to help older family members make sense of converter boxes, antennas and other gear necessary to keep the health TV glow burning in the living room. And seriously, how could anyone not help Mrs. Brady? As the HD intelligentsia class, we encourage EHD readers to pick up the cause (some of us have already done our part). Even if the person you overhear at the local big-box store isn't family (or even a Brady), try to lend a hand. No need to launch into HD-esoterica (which we love), just keep it simple and ease them into DTV.
