[opendtv] DTV Transition Lingers On

"{ ... ] there are still 2.1 million U.S. households which aren't equipped to 
receive DTV signals off-air. This number represents about 1.8 percent of the 
non-cable/satellite viewing audience."

Huh?

If 2.1M households represents only 1.8 percent of OTA households, as they 
claim, then that must mean that there are 2.1 / 0.018 = 117M OTA households in 
the US. Which is about every single TV household in the country.

More likely, 2.1M households are 1.8 percent of TV households. And maybe 14 
percent of OTA households.

Also, this piece continues (IMO) to obfuscate what is really a simple problem. 
Scanning will not work if the new signal is not received. And if the power 
level was set way too low, that new signal won't be received.

The only reason anyone has to "scan 10 times or more before they get our 
signal," as I was told by the not-so-savvy call center person at WJLA on the 
12th, it isn't because the darned box is just being ornery. Much more likely, 
it's because the box is hardly ever seeing the signal. How disingenuous of them 
not to have told us that their signal was in fact sub-par, when in the days 
since then it has been improved quite a lot.

Bert

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http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/83092

DTV Transition Lingers On
06.26.2009.

Although the digital television broadcasting transition was officially supposed 
to have been completed by the stroke of midnight on June 12, it seems, 
unofficially, that closure has not really been achieved quite yet.

Two forces seem to be at work in preventing the last of the dominoes from 
falling.

One of these remains the lack of preparedness by those depending on off-air 
signals for television reception.

Despite all of the pre-transition publicity, and even a reprieve from the 
original February cutover date, the Neilsen organization estimates that as of 
June 21 there are still 2.1 million U.S. households which aren't equipped to 
receive DTV signals off-air. This number represents about 1.8 percent of the 
non-cable/satellite viewing audience. Neilsen did report though that the 2.1 
million figure represents a 400,000 household improvement since June 12.

Neilsen reported that nearly 200,000 off-air homes in the Los Angeles area 
still aren't digital-ready, and almost 110,000 households in the Dallas-Ft. 
Worth market haven't made the switch. The organization singled out the 
Providence, R.I.-New Bedford, MASS. DMA as being most prepared, with a scant 
0.24 percent of off-air households (or 1,494) there going televisionless since 
the transition.

The really big problem, though, is affecting the more than 20 million off-air 
viewers who did take steps to prepare for television's new face, well ahead of 
the analog shutoff.

While these homes are receiving some television service, not all of the 
familiar sitcoms, dramas, and even local newscasts came back after "D-Day.".

Widespread loss of signals from major network affiliates are still reported in 
some top markets─New York, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Houston, Los 
Angeles and Baltimore lead that list.

In these DMAs, several stations reverted back to their long-established VHF 
spectrum slots, after having transmitted digitally on UHF frequencies for a 
number of years. A major issue has been the rescanning of converter boxes and 
DTV tuners to recognize these new DTV channels. Some viewers haven't quite 
gotten the knack of doing this, while others, who have tried in good faith, 
have been thwarted by units that just don't want to get in the program and 
reprogram themselves. (The FCC recently issued a set of instructions that 
include a "double rescan" procedure that helps in come cases.) Another problem 
appears to be lack of adequate antennas for the rather fragile 8-VSB signal. 
What played well enough to make a watchable picture in analog days doesn't 
always allow DTV signals to make it up the cliff side.

It's reported that some consumers were misinformed by well-meaning, but equally 
unformed salespersons that digital television broadcasting would only take 
place on UHF channels, and sold UHF-only antenna products. Also the concept of 
tuning rabbit ears to favor high-band V channels, along with critical antenna 
orientation, seems to be beyond the capability of some longtime off-air viewers.

Another really big problem is the lack of DTV signal strength on VHF channels 
in some cities. The FCC's authorized ERPs may have been capped at an 
unrealistically low level in some cases, due to early indications that digital 
television didn't really need that much power to cover a given area. 
Exacerbating this problem is the rather close post-transition spacing of some 
popular VHF channels─Ch. 7 seems to have been very popular when it came to 
selecting real estate after June 12. Now it's assigned to cities located much 
closer together than in the analog days. This close spacing makes it difficult 
to boost power without causing intolerable interference.

However, loss of coverage from the relocation to V channels is not always the 
case. In the New York area, good VHF digital reception is reported to the east 
of the city on Long Island, but UHF DTV signals don't seem to be fairing as 
well in terms of reaching Island residents. The situation is reversed north of 
New York City in Westchester County, with U signals making it through the 
forests of high rise apartments, but Vs aren't viewable.

The Commission is working with DTV broadcasters on a station-by-station basis 
to try and resolve lack of coverage issues. WPVI-TV in Philadelphia (which 
emerged on June 13th as a low-band V), has already been issued an STA to try 
and restore coverage to former levels.

In Boston, another broadcaster has been granted an STA to continue to operate 
on both VHF and UHF frequencies until a permanent solution can be achieved.

In addition to upping power where possible, other broadcasters are considering 
implementing circular polarization. However, this means new or modified 
antennas and additional transmitting equipment. But this may not be a solution 
for all, as transmitter plant modifications are fairly large expenditures and 
difficult to budget for in the depressed economy that the country is now 
experiencing.
 
 
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