DTV delayed

[Nate Nagel]

I'm torn on Billy Mays. He's shrill and obnoxious, yes, but he's also got a fairly thick Pittsburgh accent, which makes me nostalgic.

nate

[Don Klipstein]

I consider that a great plan!

On the analog channel starting after the original deadline until 1 second after the extension of the deadline, broadcast a screen with advice to convert to DTV, with the best advice that can be fit into nearly enough all analog TV screens!

Give those screwing around a deserved well-kicked boot in the kiester!

I have been using a DTV "converter box" since last July or late June or so!

- Don Klipstein ( [e-mail])

[David Nebenzahl]

On 1/27/2009 1:58 PM N8N spake thus:

They can't do that legally, unless they want to forfeit their license. I'm sure the FCC would have a word or two to say about that if they did.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 1/27/2009 5:02 PM Don Klipstein spake thus:

Seems to me designing such a filter ought to be easy in Billy Mays' case: just look for about a 10 db increase in the human-voice band. The guy's a shouter!

[David Nebenzahl]

On 1/27/2009 6:45 AM [e-mail] spake thus:

Where? What?

Not challenging you, just that this seems like a major impropriety if it's true--the Obama administration doing something that clearly favors one competitor over another. What are your specific complaints about that article?

[dpb]

AFAICT, that's still the drop dead date until something is actually enacted to change it. The wording even from what I heard on the extension isn't absolute...

OK, here's the best I can seem to find quickly w/o going to find the actual legislative text (and it's none too good :( ). There's a wriggle room but this doesn't say what the reasons for the transition before June would be...

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[Neill Massello]

You can cite a source that says the extension bill *requires* continued analog broadcasting until 12 June?

[Harry K]

Wouldn't work for me as he infests some of the science and history channels that I watch.

Harry K

[Red]

On Jan 27, 8:01=A0pm, David Nebenzahl

Not so. We had one local CBS station that quit broadcasting analog Dec.1st and are now entirely digital.

They said prior to shutting down the analog signal that they expected to reach 90% of the OTA homes. Now they are saying they are going to reduce power in Feb. and expect to reach 85% of the homes. (Just the opposite of what people are saying about stations increasing power after the changeover.)

Red

[Robert Neville]

What are you talking about?

"The Senate bill allows stations to make the switch before June if they get approval from the Federal Communications Commission. Public safety organizations in those markets would get immediate access to the old TV airwaves."

[David Nebenzahl]

On 1/27/2009 8:52 PM Robert Neville spake thus:

Key words: "*if they get approval* from the [FCC]".

[Kurt Ullman]

The law as passed the Senate gave stations the opportunity to close down analog if they wanted to. Also for those getting ready to use the freqencies to use them as soon as they were vacated. Congress is relying on the Bcasters not wanting to piss off their viewers to bail the Congress out.

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

I have a DTV tuner and have been getting 6 channels in near-perfect quality (better than the 3 with 1 watchable on analog) for more than 2 years.

And how about switching transmitters (if necessary to use the full-power one for DTV)?

[Jon Danniken]

Cobble up a old junk box and run Speech to Text (STT) software analyzing the TV output. When, "HI, BILLY MAYS HERE" is detected, mute sound for 30 or 60 seconds.

Jon

[Van Chocstraw]

These retards will never be ready.

[hallerb]

thats the issue nationwide many are PERMANETELY LOSING THE STATIONS THEY HAVE WATCHED FOR A LIFETIME.

NO ONE APPEARS TO CARE ABOUT THAT.

THOSE STATIONS ARE IMPORTANT FOR DISASTERS, BOTH NATURAL AND MAN MADE.

THE TURN OFF OF ANALOG SHOULDNT OCCUR IN OUR LIFETIME IF THE SERVICE IS REDUCED.

some sort of local interference makes my watching most local digital channels impossible. 90% signal strength drops to the 30%s and blacks out the channels on a regular basis.

[George]

Huh?

[Sanity]

. As my mother used to say...if you just take care of your

Between the government and private industry they have spent a fortune in the past year advertising this changeover. Personally, I resent spending taxpayer money for this advertising. Saying this, the majority of Americans involved in this changeover responded and purchased their converter boxes. But because a small group of people chose to ignore the ads or were too lazy to do anything about it, why should the taxpayers and TV stations be burdened with extra cost to advertise it again for another 6 months? Do you think this same group of 'ignorers' will get the boxes in the next 6 months? Hell no. They'll wait till someone comes to their house, installs it for them at no cost to them but at significant cost to taxpayers.

[HeyBub]

If "NO ONE" cares, then there's not a problem. Duh!

Not important. Both AM and FM radio stations are not affected. The proposal does not affect the internet, newspapers, word-of-mouth, local sirens, and other disaster advisory systems. If we relied entirely on TV to avoid disasters, America would never have elected a Republican.

Why? I know I felt the same way when CBS "turned off" the original Startrek series back in the '60's, but I got over it.

Then get the interference problem fixed. Anything that interferes with commercial radio or TV signals is illegal and the FCC will skin the interferee.

[dpb]

...

I rarely (if ever :) ) agree w/ Haller, but he's right on this aspect.

You, Bub, obviously don't live in tornado alley where local live radar and storm tracking is a significant function of _LOCAL_ (as not 200+ miles away) translators. It is indeed, a primary function of these stations and a quite important one.

Granted radio has its place but it doesn't have Doppler radar...

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