Here we are, just two weeks and one day away from the now-set-in-stone (we presume) digital TV transition date of June 12th.
And as we get closer, the timing gets clearer.
Read our full item, with significant updates about the digital transition in the Cleveland market, on our Ohio Digital TV blog...
Thursday, May 28, 2009
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5 comments:
that's if all the TV stations have got all of their digital equipment up and running.
Which brings to mind what may be a dumb question -- since all full-power stations have been broadcasting digital signals for years now, what exactly COULD go wrong on June 12 when analog goes away?
Other than those stations which are flashing from one dial position to another, won't it just be "business as usual" for everyone else -- with the added bonus of reduced power consumption with the end of analog?
Sure, broadcasters need to be ready for phone calls from those who are still unprepared for DTV; other than that (and the physical moves involve new towers or new permanent digital transmitters), WHAT is the looming trainwreck some seem to be anticipating on June 12?
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what exactly COULD go wrong on June 12 when analog goes away?
Other than those stations which are flashing from one dial position to another, won't it just be "business as usual" for everyone else
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For some viewers (like me who lives some distance from the antenna farms in an arbor intense area), we are sitting in a 'hope and pray' situation that full power from the digital transmitters will eliminate the current intermittent or no signal issues we deal with.
For example, I can not receive the digital signal for Channel 5 but my analog signal is crystal clear.
Who knows if I will be able to view ABC programing on June 13th without becoming a customer of Time Warner.
With my frustrations with the current situation, I can not imagine what things will be like for far less technological, elderly residents in my neighborhood.
The only "trainwreck" that stations are worried about are the viewers without cable or satellite, that are not able to receive the digital signal after the switch is made. In this economic climate, every viewer counts.
My "dumb" question was not the one that Wayne and lexbuy answered. Regardless of when analog is shut off during the day of June 12th, the digital signals that have been sent out for years will continue as before. I'm simply asking what exactly could go WRONG with their ongoing digital signals that hasn't already been anticipated? The presence of broadcast engineers at any particular time of day, ready to deal with "problems" after analog dies, implies something unexpected happening. If people are receiving digital NOW, this shouldn't change after analog ends. And again, other than the few stations flashing to a different dial spot, what exactly could go wrong technically that isn't ALREADY wrong? If you can't get digital now, it will only get better with better tower positioning and higher power, as Wayne points out.
This isn't exactly the unanticipated problems I was asking about -- all this is to be expected. But I join in the hope that MY digital reception only improves on June 12 and after; several Dayton stations whose analog signals I get now are very poor with digital.
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