[opendtv] DTV Transition Fallout Continues
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:49:46 -0400
I don't believe this "double rescanning" nonsense for one second. If the
signal doesn't get noticed in the first rescan, it is most likely
because the signal was marginal. In these conditions, all rescanning
will do is perhaps pick up one new station and drop two it had seen on
the last rescan.
This HAS to be a case of "keep the unwashed masses busy with useless
tasks, so they give us time to figure out the real solutions."
And then they talk about using white spaces. Sure gives you confidence
in their assessment of white space viability, eh?
Bert
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http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/82646
DTV Transition Fallout Continues
06.19.2009.
While the June 12 transition to full power digital-only television
transmission was initially viewed as successful by various government
and private sector organizations, some of the fallout that's trickled
down since then indicates not all is sweetness and light.
While the reprieve from the February 2009 shutoff date did help both
off-air viewers and broadcasters better prepare for the inevitable,
there are still reports of spotty or no reception of network and
independent signals, especially in some of the major markets. That list
includes New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston and Los Angeles.
Several stations in these and smaller DMAs transitioned back to their
original VHF (mostly high-band) frequencies and this seems to be where a
lot of the difficulty lies. It's reported that with the FCC's authorized
DTV power levels in some large cities, VHF signals just don't have the
punch to penetrate into the thickly clustered high rise buildings and
reach set-top antennas. The FCC is working with broadcasters on a case
by case basis to try and achieve a solution to the coverage loss.
Also, as most of the VHF DTV broadcasting is confined to high-band
channels, many viewers haven't figured out that they need to reel in
their max-extended rabbit ears to favor the shorter wavelengths.
Bill Hayes, director of engineering and technology for Iowa Public
Television, reports that in Des Moines and Iowa City, public television
broadcasting reverted back to V channels with mixed results.
"People with indoor antennas are not getting us, or any of the VHF's,
anymore," he said. "People with outdoor antennas are telling us how much
better the VHF is than the UHF was."
He added that "some interesting discoveries" have been made too in
connection with the rescanning of DTV sets and converter boxes.
(The FCC issued a statement on June 15 that in some cases a "double
rescanning" may be required to make DTV tuners wake up and nail the new
channels. This involves doing a rescan without an antenna connected,
powering the DTV or STB down for a while, and then doing a new scan with
the antenna connected.)
Another factor in the reception loss may stem from a misunderstanding by
some consumers and dealers alike that DTV transmissions would only be
done on UHF channels. This resulted in the sale and installation by
well-intentioned individuals of new antennas that are inadequate to
receive even high-band VHF signals. This seems to be especially true in
the Los Angeles area.
A total of 975 television broadcasters wrapped up analog transmissions
on June 12, impacting an estimated 15 million off-air households. The
National Association of Broadcasters reported that 317,450 calls for
help were received by a national call center on that day.
The FCC initially reported that there was no widespread disruption of
television service following the shutdown of hundreds of analog
transmitters. The commission said that most of the problems fielded by
its call center could be resolved by assisting viewers with tuner
rescanning procedures. However, even the commission admitted that
getting everything back on an even keel will not be that easy.
"I am pleased with the way our FCC team responded to the technical
challenges that arose throughout the course of the day," said Michael
Copps, acting FCC Chairman. "But our job is far from over. This
transition is not a one-day affair. We will continue to work with every
consumer who needs assistance in making this important and necessary
transition."
On another front, the analog shutdown wrapped up operations for some 35
full power stations that for one reason or other did not to come back up
in digital. Seventeen of these were Equity Media properties. That
company had had previously declared bankruptcy and put stations on the
auction block. Other telecasters that went dark are reported to be
having technical difficulties on switching over to digital and may be
coming back to life in the months ahead. These operations carried Fox
and other network programming, but off-air viewers in affected markets
may not suffer a loss as the net feeds could be carried on ancillary
channels of other stations that did make successful transitions.
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