cutover
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Number of folks unready for DTV transition falls to 4 million
Just days ago, we heard that the DTV voucher waitlist was completely gone, and now that those have started to flow again, the amount of Americans still unready for the switchover sits at 4.1 million. Compared to right around two months ago, that's definitely a marked improvement from 6.5 million still in the dark, and we fully anticipate that number to continually shrink as we inch closer to June 12th. Of course, there's going to come a time when the figure simply won't fall any lower, as a sliver of those still not ready will, frankly, remain that way. More power to 'em we say -- just keep the booze and bullets locked up and everything will be okay.
Another 158 analog TV stations flip to digital only
Another one (hundred and fifty-eight) bites the dust, as they say. With the newly established June 12th cutover date looming, another 158 TV stations across America have decided that enough is enough. In a new list that was sent over the FCC this week, we're told that another swath of stations intend to shut off their analog signals prior to the mandatory June 12th cutover date. For what it's worth, the majority of the 158 are in smaller markets and don't broadcast any of the four major commercial networks, but we wouldn't be shocked to hear of more of this as more and more stations grow tired of waiting around.
DTV coupons begin flowing once more, waitlist should vanish in 3 weeks
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]
How well is the DTV switch going? Depends who you ask
A day into what could have been the all digital broadcasting future, it's hard to tell how the switch is going over. So far the National Association of Broadcasters came out with a statement indicating "encouraging" results, with only a few hundred calls logged in several markets that made the switch to all digital and easy over the phone fixes for most issues. At the same time the AP found confusion caused by print ads scheduled prior to the delay containing out of date information and visited a Rhode Island information center with phones ringing off the hook from callers trying to figure out where their analog TV went. Until things blow over we're not leaving the fortified and cable / satellite / FiOS connected Engadget bunker (you didn't think we were letting that CES trailer go just yet, did you?) until things blow over, let us know how the partially analog TV free world looks where you are.Read - NAB Statement on Feb. 17 Markets Switching to Digital TVRead - 25% of analog TV signals cut off
The original DTV transition: what could've been
Exactly one year ago today, we sat as prepared as ever to embrace the forthcoming world of digital TV. After February 17th, no longer would Americans have to suffer through yet another poor analog broadcast, and no longer would we have to wait for all that spectrum to be freed up for much more spectacular things. With just a year to go, we laid out a simple six-step program that would help confused TV watchers ensure that they would be ready on the seventeenth day of February, the year two-thousand and nine. Fast forward to this very moment, and confusion about the cutover is still rampant. In fact, the cutover hasn't even happened. Well, it sort of has. Ahh... see what we mean? Come along after the break, it gets crazier.
President Obama signs DTV delay bill into law
No way Obama was going to veto this after driving it all the way through Congress, but technically, the digital TV delay wasn't actually official until now. Late today, America's President signed his name onto the bill which will delay the digital TV transition from February 17th to June 12th, though a provision allows stations to switch over beforehand should they choose. In fact, hundreds of stations still plan to kill analog later this month, as they've been planning towards that date for years now. Honestly, we can't figure out what the purpose of this is. Unless there's more cash for the currently dry voucher program tucked away somewhere in that mind-bogglingly large "stimulus package," delaying the pain won't solve a thing. Though it will confuse the hell out of people, so there's that.
491 stations still shutting off analog TV next week
Though the prez still hasn't signed off on the delay, the FCC has already compiled a list of 190 TV stations going / gone all digital prior to February 17, plus 491 more that will go ahead with the shutoff as previously scheduled. The four major networks promised their stations will stay on analog until the new June 12 deadline, however that guarantee only extends to the 100 or so they own. If that's not confusing enough, the FCC could still influence broadcasters to keep analog signals going whether they want to or not based on "the public interest," for example if it's necessary to keep at least some stations on in any given market. As it stands, the linked PDFs below will reveal which, if any, of your local broadcasters are switching on Tuesday; hopefully you've followed our advice so far and continue to avoid any predatory schemes.Read - Appendix A (List of all stations ending analog service before or on February 17)Read - Appendix B (List of all full power TV stations, with the 681 stations ending service on or before February 17 indicated in bold)
Zip Express charges small fortune for DTV rescue service
We've long since known that professional installation services were, at least in large part, another form of highway robbery, but this is just absurd. Zip Express is looking to prey on the confused, unsuspecting geriatric set by promising to completely save one's TV from death and destruction by taking care of all of their DTV cutover needs. The price? Just $199, which includes a presumably well dressed individual connecting two wires on a $50 DTV converter box and promptly leaving. Oh, and for another Benjamin, you can get an undisclosed (but likely low-end) Logitech Harmony universal remote "installed and programmed." Shameful, yet clever. But mostly just shameful.
Poll: Do you agree with the DTV transition delay?
We've already expressed our feelings on the matter, but now we're tossing the question out for you readers to debate: are you kosher with the DTV transition delay? Even if it ends up costing taxpayers millions more dollars? We've heard very convincing arguments from both sides of the table, and while we'd prefer you all put partisanship aside and debate the matter based on principle alone, we aren't holding our breath. So, should we delay this thing in order to get more people prepared? Or should things have continued as planned in order to teach lollygaggers a lesson? %Poll-26020%
Stations can still yank analog plug this month, though many won't
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 cutoverRead - Broadcaster intent
Senate okays another digital TV transition delay
Just to make sure that the digital TV transition gets delayed, the US Senate has approved another measure to postpone the transition date until June 12 and sent it on its way to the House of Representatives. If the House's mere indication that the delay would go through didn't dash our hopes of analog-free airwaves next month, the quick-fire nature of this second bill certainly did. Essentially the same as the first proposal, this version with minor edits cleared the Senate unanimously. With the House in recess until next week, we'll have to wait for any movement, but it's looking like we'll be stuck with analog for a while longer. Hopefully, this whole mess will be resolved, because the longer it goes on, the more people will become confused, and maybe join the 22-percent of Americans who are planning to give up on TV altogether.
Qualcomm could suffer from digital TV transition delay
We're honestly beginning to wonder: can Qualcomm catch a break? Between the years of fighting with Nokia and the absolutely abysmal MediaFLO adoption rate, we're seriously beginning to consider that a Qualcomm curse isn't too far from the realm of possibility. With the announcement this week that the impending digital TV transition could be pushed from late February to June 12th (though it looks as if the House has halted those plans for now), Qualcomm has begun to wail. In essence, this delay -- should it still go down -- will force the firm to continue paying fees to broadcasters in order for it to have almost immediate access to vacated analog waves as soon as the cutover takes place. The tab? COO Len Lauer says it'll be in the "tens of millions of dollars," and that's not counting lost revenue that it was surely expecting to pick up between March and June. Here's hoping one of those "breaks" finally catches up with it here.
Digital TV transition delay bill fails to pass in House
In an absolutely shocking move, the United States House of Representatives has failed to pass the digital TV transition delay bill that was all but certain to fly through just days ago. The bill needed two-thirds of the votes of the House under "special rules adopted for the vote," and reportedly, the vote was just 258 to 168 in favor of changing the date. As it stands, an estimated 6.5 million Americans are not yet prepared for the switch -- which is now back on track for February 17th -- and the money well for government-issued vouchers has ran dry. Honestly, we're elated to hear the news. The February date has been blasted from the rooftops for years now, and changing it this late in the game would wreak all kinds of havoc in the industry, not to mention instill even more confusion. Soon-to-be-vacated airwaves, we're ready for you. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Senate okays digital TV transition delay to June 12th
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]
Obama's administration supports June DTV transition postponement
Well, wouldn't you know it. It seems like West Virginia senator Jay Rockefeller has the same idea as the Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA), as he introduced legislation on Thursday that would effectively postpone the digital TV transition from its current date of February 17th to June 12th. On top of that, John Podesta -- the co-chairman of Barack Obama's transition team -- has issued a letter to Congress signifying that the president-elect supports the aforementioned proposal. The delay would supposedly give the government more time to find funding for the now 2 million-deep voucher waiting list, and we're told that House lawmakers are "considering similar legislation and may schedule a vote as soon as next week." Here's a thought -- why aren't we spending our time getting the money now and keeping the confusion to a minimum?
Additional funding on the way for the digital TV switch?
Further clouding the digital TV transition picture, House of Representatives Democrats are pursuing $650 million to get the coupon program restarted. We'll have to see what the Senate agrees to, but it appears there will be some additional money heading to the transition program's way. Does that mean things will take place as scheduled February 17? We'll just have to wait and see, .pdf link to the proposal here.[Thanks, Stephan]
HTSA recommends June 1st as new DTV transition date, no one notices
Oh, brother. Have we really come to the point where just any random agency can chime in with recommendations for the FCC and expect to be taken seriously? As the NTIA, FCC and Congress wrestle with delaying / not delaying the forthcoming digital TV transition, the Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA) has pumped out a recommendation that the FCC consider delaying the cutover until June 1, 2009. According to Richard Glikes, executive director of HTSA: "An extra three and a half months will allow more time for the government to work through issues with the coupon program and get converter boxes to the people who need them; this extra time will prevent any missteps that might occur once the analog TV transmissions are stopped." Right, because changing the date a month before the scheduled switch (February 17, 2009) is so not confusing at all. The full release is after the break.
FCC's Kevin Martin proposes alternatives for delaying DTV transition
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.
Obama's transition team urges Congress to postpone DTV cutover
With the money well all dried up and a monumental transition looming, Barack Obama's transition team is urging Congress to take a second look at letting the cutover take place as planned on February 17th. According to a letter recently sent to Capital Hill, John Podesta, co-chair of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team, stated: "With coupons unavailable, support and education insufficient, and the most vulnerable Americans exposed, I urge you to consider a change to the legislatively-mandated analog cutoff date." Quite frankly, this has the potential to be huge. When would it be rescheduled to? Would additional fundage be applied? How would broadcasters react? Obviously, we shouldn't have to wait long to see how this all pans out.[Thanks, Tommy]
Eviant introduces 4.3-, 7- and 19-inch digital televisions at CES
Can't say we've ever heard of Eviant, but it's tough to ignore a 4.3-inch television. No, we didn't mistakenly write "television" in place of "digiframe" -- the company is seriously pumping out 4.3-inch (T4) and 7-inch (T7) digital portable televisions, both of which are fully prepared to handle the looming DTV transition. Without any additional hardware, both sets can receive ATSC OTA signals, and there's also a built-in Li-ion battery and inbuilt speakers for good measure. In slightly less amazing news, it's also busting out a 19-inch (T19) digital TV with an integrated ATSC / NTSC tuner, HDMI / S-Video / VGA / composite inputs and a 1,440 x 900 native resolution. The whole trio is expected to ship this quarter for $169.99, $199.99 and $299.99 in order of mention. Read - T4 / T7 releaseRead - T19 release
