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dtv posts

Samsung develops first chip for US mobile digital TV transmission, provides no release date

by Darren Murph posted Oct 19th 2009 at 9:33AM

Mmm, nothing like a pinch of predictability to wake us in the morning. Just days after the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) finally announced that a North American mobile DTV standard was struck, Samsung has jumped in with what it's calling the planet's first single chip solution designed to handle those very transmissions. All we're told is that the solution combines RF and "digital chip components" into one 65 nanometer chip, making it ideal for smaller devices such as smartphones, car-mounted televisions and portable media players. Of course, Sammy doesn't even bother to mention a mass production date, so we're guessing we all just rise awkwardly and start a roaring slow clap to celebrate the accomplishment.

US Mobile DTV standard finally approved

by Nilay Patel posted Oct 16th 2009 at 6:33PM

Well freaking finally. The Advanced Television System Committee just approved the Mobile DTV standard, meaning we're finally about to see for-real mobile television in the US. LG and Samsung have already made gear for the new standard, and the tech will be demoed later today before a rollout... sometime. Still, it's heartening news to hear that it's finally ready -- over 800 stations are signed up to broadcast the new signal, which makes use of existing 6MHz airwaves to do everything from straight TV to video-on-demand and targeted advertising. Cool, so now we're what, just a billion years behind DVB adoption?

FCC says DTV transition going smoothly, few TVs shot up

by Nilay Patel posted Jun 15th 2009 at 7:41PM

Well, the DTV transition finally went down, and after the endless delay and countless arguments, it seems as though June 12 hit with more of a whimper than a bang: the FCC says there haven't been any widespread service disruptions, and although the agency's toll-free help lines recorded 700,000 support calls between June 8 and June 12, most converter box issues were resolved in less than five minutes by a simple channel re-scan. Similarly, we can't say we've heard of any particularly big problems out there, so really, we're just wondering what the hell took so long.

Digital TV transition: 12 hours in, how are things going?

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 12th 2009 at 1:35PM

The day is finally here, after the pushback and staggered changeover, analog television broadcasts across the country are giving way to a future of digital TV and making room for new services to take over the airwaves soon. Still, after months of announcements, coupons sent and many dollars spent there are still millions who will be caught unawares as their television blinks off today. It's been an incredibly long time coming, so take a look back at some of our coverage of the run up to the digital TV switch, and why not drop us a line to let us know of any interesting local coverage in your area or experiences (procrastination-fueled runs on converter boxes, transition gaffes, mob violence) going on. A roundup of FCC links and national press coverage is after the break.

Engadget's lead-up coverage:

T-minus one year till the US analog shutoff: are you ready?
The original DTV transition: what could've been
President Obama signs DTV delay bill into law
Digital TV transition spoof video is both informative and hilarious
Wilmington, NC kills analog dead as broadcasters go all-digital

Continue reading Digital TV transition: 12 hours in, how are things going?

MobiTV demonstrates mixTV mobile DTV service

by Donald Melanson posted Apr 20th 2009 at 6:43PM

This one is still only in the very earliest stages, but it looks like MobiTV has taken advantage of the big National Association of Broadcasters Show in Vegas this week to show off a new mobile DTV service that it's developed in partnership with Sinclair and PBS, which it hopes will eventually find its way to a few interested cellular carriers. The service itself is a combination of free over-the-air DTV broadcasts (from PBS and the CW, at the moment) and subscription-based on-demand content, which would apparently be made available for a seven-day window and be delivered via mobile WiMAX. Unfortunately, there's no indication whatsoever of a potential roll-out, but it looks like MobiTV will be working hard during the next few days to woo some additional partners, so there's at least a slight chance that we could be hearing a few more details before the show wraps up later this week.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Raleigh, North Carolina buses get on-board DTV

by Donald Melanson posted Apr 14th 2009 at 5:21PM

Planning to hop on a bus in Raleigh, North Carolina anytime soon? Then there's a chance you could be treated to an added distraction during your trip, as the city has just rolled out its first CAT bus equipped with mobile DTV, which looks to be one of the first projects resulting from those MPH tests that took place last year. This little bit of magic also comes courtesy of a little help from LG and Harris Corp., who are supplying the displays and mobile transmission equipment for the pilot program, which will be expanded to five buses by August, with another 20 planned for the second phase that'll run though August 2010. Of course, your viewing options will be somewhat limited, with a simulcast of local station WRAL apparently the only channel on tap, along with some weather information and, of course, a healthy dose of advertising.

[Thanks, Dana]

DTV voucher waitlist gone, expired coupon holders can re-apply

by Nilay Patel posted Mar 24th 2009 at 7:28PM

Good news for those of you going bonkers over your expired DTV converter coupons -- the voucher waitlist has been cleared out a little early and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration is ready to accept new applications. No word on how many vouchers are left in the budget or how long it'll take for this last batch to clear out, but hey -- you should have had this taken care of months ago, Chico. Hop to it.

DTV coupons begin flowing once more, waitlist should vanish in 3 weeks

by Darren Murph posted Mar 6th 2009 at 10:12AM

For all of you still waiting for a little governmental assistance in buying that DTV converter box that you should've purchased months ago (we kid... a little), we've excellent news. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is overseeing the program, has announced that it has finally begun to ship $40 vouchers towards the purchase of these very boxes once more. The waitlist has grown some 4.1 million deep since the subsidy program ran dry back in January, but the agency is hoping to have that cleared within three weeks. Of course, you better not procrastinate on your second chance -- who knows how quickly the $650 million it has left will last.

[Image courtesy of BreakItDownBlog]

Intel develops embeddable DTV antenna for OTA on the go

by Ross Miller posted Mar 4th 2009 at 11:32PM

Not wanting you to miss a second of LOST while you're making the Wednesday night commute, Intel has created an embeddable Digital TV antenna for picking up that fancy over-the-air HD signal from your laptop without having to use one of those cumbersome external receivers. There isn't much to say here other than its existence and this handy diagram (the preferred DTV receptor method is on the right, by the way). With details pretty scant and the patent still pending -- not to mention the official transition date in perpetual flux -- don't get your hopes up for seeing this hit the market anytime soon.

DTV switch doesn't kill TVs, drunk septuagenarians with guns kill TVs

by Richard Lawler posted Feb 20th 2009 at 1:19PM

The elderly have been slightly behind in picking up on the DTV transition, so news of a frustrated 70-year old Missouri man doesn't surprise us too much. That the combination of losing his cable and being unable to get a DTV converter working drove him to shoot his TV and cause a short standoff with the police? A bit more shocking. All, however, is explained in one line: "According to the man's wife, he had been drinking." Please, spare your TV and follow instructions.

[Via Multichannel News, Image courtesy of Phrank.com / Sledge Hammer]

Stations can still yank analog plug this month, though many won't

by Darren Murph posted Feb 6th 2009 at 5:20AM

Wow, this isn't confusing. At all. The on-again / off-again digital TV transition date -- which is now formally set for June 12th -- may or may not be honored by the hundreds upon hundreds of local broadcasters across America. You see, when Congress postponed the mandatory cutover date from its original place on the calender (February 17th), it also gave stations the option of sticking to that original date. Thus, what could end up happening is that half a city's local OTA stations would go all-digital in under two weeks, while the others delayed things until June. The good news is that most of the major US television networks (that's CBS, ABC, FOX and NBC) have reportedly decided to hold off until the new June date in order to prevent a chaotic series of events, but it's hard to say if each individual station will indeed abide. The bottom line? Get your converter box now if you need one, and if you're waiting around for one of those $40 vouchers, hats off to you and your patience.

Read - Optional cutover
Read - Broadcaster intent

It's official: DTV "hard date" moved to June 12

by Richard Lawler posted Feb 4th 2009 at 4:41PM

After much wrangling, the DTV Delay Act has worked its way through the House of Representatives and will certainly be signed by President Obama, changing the cutoff date for analog broadcasts from February 17 to June 12. Don't expect this to bring a sudden end to digital TV confusion, since stations can switch prior to that date, and according to the FCC up to 61% will be able to. Since simply powering analog equipment costs thousands of dollars a month, OTA TV watchers will want to check their local broadcaster's plans as more than a few will be going ahead with the original date for better or worse. Got an unused, expired coupon? No need to head to Retrevo just yet, since you'll now be able to reapply to the again-funded coupon program. Of course, the FCC still has to figure out how to implement the new law, with only a few days to prepare, tomorrow's open meeting on the subject should be very interesting.

Senate okays digital TV transition delay to June 12th

by Darren Murph posted Jan 26th 2009 at 8:05PM

We knew it was bound to happen, and sure enough, it's happening. For the millions of Americans still waiting for their $40 voucher before buying one of those newfangled DTV converter boxes, the US Senate has just given its stamp of approval on providing them a four month reprieve as it attempts to get its act together. Oddly, there's no mention of Congress looking for new sources of funding, though we are told that consumers holding expired coupons can now request new ones. We suspect more details will flow out on all of this soon, but for now, you can bank on the digital TV transition -- originally scheduled to go down on February 17th -- now occurring on June 12th. Until it changes again, of course.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Digital TV transition postponement all but certain

by Darren Murph posted Jan 22nd 2009 at 10:59PM

We're actually having a hard time believing this ourselves, but word on the street has it that the Senate is "on the verge of passing a bill that would delay until June the date when TV stations must broadcast in all-digital format." Without Congressional action, all TV stations will switch off their analog signals on February 17th -- a date that has been blasted out to the general populace for years now. The issue is that millions of Americans are currently on a waiting list for one of those $40 vouchers, and evidently it'll take a few more months to get additional funding and clear the backlog. It's expected that the new switchover date will soon become June 12th, and you can find all the fine print just down there in the read link.

[Via TVWeek, thanks Vanbrothers]

FCC's Kevin Martin proposes alternatives for delaying DTV transition

by Darren Murph posted Jan 12th 2009 at 4:07AM

Shortly after Barack Obama's transition team urged Congress to postpone the looming digital TV transition, FCC chairman Kevin Martin has hit back with suggestions to keep things on track. His primary concern is that delaying the cutover, which has been scheduled for years and advertised as such, will confuse consumers -- and honestly, we think he has a point. If the February 17th changeover date suddenly becomes meaningless, we could definitely see consumer confusion about this whole ordeal hitting an all-time high. Martin was quoted at an interview at CES as saying that "there are options they can do without having to delay to get coupons flowing immediately," suggesting that extra funding should be hastily given or that those 90-day expiration dates be marked null and void. Additionally, many broadcasters have already scheduled work to take down their analog equipment, and cancellations could be costly and disruptive. Oh, brother -- just call us when this mess is over.