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North Carolina launches FCC-approved TV White Space network in Wilmington
Back in December, the FCC approved the first white space device and database for the lucky city of Wilmington, North Carolina. Last week, the program bore its first fruits, when database operator Spectrum Bridge finally launched its TV White Space (TVWS) network in Carolina, as part of Wilmington's ongoing "Smart City" initiative. With the TVWS network up and running, Wilmingtonians will have internet access in public parks, while authorities will be able to use part of Spectrum Bridge's broadband for video surveillance. Public security, in fact, is among the primary functions of the new network, which will be expanded to help manage traffic congestion and to help the city function more efficiently. Beam past the break for more, in the full press release.
FCC approves first white space device and database for Wilmington, NC
The FCC has approved the first device to use the much buzzed about "white spaces" between television broadcast frequencies to transmit data. The recipient of the honor is a receiver from Koos Technical Services that's designed to be a last-mile connection for surveillance cameras and telemetry systems. The radio will tap into database run by Spectrum Bridge to ensure it doesn't interfere with other broadcasts. Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement that, "we are taking an important step towards enabling a new wave of wireless innovation. Unleashing white spaces spectrum has the potential to exceed even the many billions of dollars in economic benefit from Wi-Fi, the last significant release of unlicensed spectrum, and drive private investment and job creation." For now, only the city of Wilmington, NC will be able to benefit from the approval, as the FCC continues to iron out the details that will prevent these devices from interfering with wireless microphones. Check out the press release after the break for more info.
White space 'Smart City' network goes up in Wilmington, North Carolina
White space internet just took another step on its long, vaporous journey: in addition to the 916-person trial in tiny Claudville, Virginia kicked off last year, Spectrum Bridge just launched its first large-scale "Smart City" network in Wilmington, North Carolina. If you'll recall, white spaces are the bits of spectrum in between TV frequencies, and a whole host of heavy hitters including Microsoft and Google pushed the FCC to open them up for data usage after years of lobbying and comically failed tests. Wilmington was selected for the big trial since it was the first community to switch completely to DTV broadcasting, and the city's using the new network for a variety of infrastructure tasks, including traffic camera monitoring, free WiFi in city parks, and remote wetlands monitoring stations. There's also more to come, including medical uses and more broadband for schools as time goes on. We're assuming NAB is totally SulkyFace5000 right now, but we've got to hand it to the White Spaces Coalition -- after all that talk, they've finally gotten up and running in a larger community. Anyone in Wilmington care to chime in and tell us how it's working?
Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: November 22, 2008
Verizon's not slacking off as the run-up to the holiday season continues -- probably because folks are apt to have all sorts of free TV watching time here in the next month or so -- so we'll get right down to the releases. Up first are the towns of Middleton, Massachusetts, and the corporately-stacked Wilmington, Delaware, which have just granted the company a video license. Next, we head to the Pacific Northwest to see that Camas, Washington and Gresham, Oregon have agreed to do the same. Finally, we're told that Philadelphia-area residents are being treated to 30 new channels (17 of which are in high-def). That's it for this week -- we'll see you back again in seven days for (hopefully) even more.Read - Philadelphia channelsRead - Washington expansionRead - Massachusetts expansionRead - Oregon expansionRead - Delaware expansion
TWC gets official with HD expansion in the Carolinas
Hot on the heels of TWC's Greensboro expansion announcement comes some official word from the carrier itself on how it'll be handling new HD rollouts in the Carolinas at large. For starters, many Raleigh-area customers received an e-mail proclaiming that 20 new high-def stations would be coming soon, though it mistakenly claims ESPN2 HD as a newcomer. At any rate, the director of digital communication at Time Warner Cable chimed in to clear things up, noting that the company is "rolling out up to 20 HD channels over the next several months, depending on the division." From the looks of things, Raleigh and Charlotte will be getting just about everything TWC has, while Greensboro, NC and Columbia, SC will receive smaller allotments. Curiously enough, the Wilmington area wasn't mentioned at all, but here's hoping they'll be on the same wave as Raleigh. For the full report from Jeff Simmermon, jump on past the break. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]
Wilmington, NC kills analog dead as broadcasters go all-digital
Wilmington, NC had the pleasure of being the nation's first DTV transition test market, and now it has officially become the first market in the nation to flip the kill switch on analog. As of noon ET today, the Wilmington area entered the digital frontier, and initial reports suggest that things are going fairly swimmingly. Granted, "a few" viewers were still "struggling" to see the signal (read: not at all prepared for the change), but at least the world didn't completely implode or anything. Not like we can really avoid that scenario come Wednesday, but hey, an extra 24 or so hours to live it up ain't half bad.
Wilmington, NC plans one minute analog TV shutoff next week
In an effort to reduce the ZOMG surely to be experienced by whatever percentage of Wilmington, NC residents are unprepared for their early entry into a digital television-only world September 8, the city will perform a one minute Las Vegas-style "soft test" August 19 at 7:30 p.m., prompting customers with analog to upgrade their equipment to receive digital broadcasts. Readers have already reported seeing ads mentioning the upcoming early analog-shutoff, and it looks like the regions main broadcasters (WWAY, WECT, WILM and WSFX) appear to be doing all they can to get the word out, so everybody tell a friend, okay?
Wilmington, NC to become first test market for 2009 analog shutoff
Although a Las Vegas station just wrapped a simple analog shutoff drill, the FCC is planning to use Wilmington, North Carolina as the official test bed for the 2009 digital TV transition. Starting on September 8th, all four of the major networks in the greater Wilmington area (around 400,000 residents) will turn off their analog signals and broadcast digital only. As expected, a flurry of advertising will go down beforehand to get residents prepared, but given that they'll be out on the beaches all summer, who knows how many folks will actually pay attention. Interestingly, this trial is just as much about testing to see how many folks get prepared as it is about the technological changes, but broadcasters may still use the trial to move their antennas based on the need for coverage. So yeah, if the world implodes on September 8th, you'll know something went awry on the coast of NC.[Image courtesy of usdol, thanks Robert]
TWC adds Caller ID on TV in Eastern North Carolina
While Microsoft and the gang are out wondering if folks really want Caller ID on their TV screens, Time Warner Cable is out delivering. Effective immediately, select customers in Eastern North Carolina (from Wilmington to Raleigh) can now see who's calling 'em right on their television screen, but of course, one must be subscribed to digital cable and digital phone to receive the free service. More specifically, Caller ID on TV logs the last ten incoming calls (including the caller's name, number, date, call time and whether he / she enjoys long walks on the beach) and can be turned off if you so choose. The offering is being made as part of a $50 million upgrade in the region, and by this summer, every TWC subscriber in the East Carolina footprint will have access. Personally, we're interested to see what else is bound to come from such a substantial cash investment (more HD, please?). [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]
