US Senate passes bill to delay digital TV switch

On Jan 31, 1:41*pm, "Daniel W. Rouse Jr."
wrote:
....

That's why I don't necessarily use a broad brush to paint everyone that is
waiting on OTA DTV as lazy or idiots. The technology still has issues with
only a few weeks left to go until analog gets shut off (delays
notwithstanding), and the technology still doesn't just work the way NTSC
OTA analog reception has shown itself to just work.

Further discussion is welcome.
....
I certainly never refer to everyone who is still waiting on OTA DTV
as lazy or idiots. However, the very fact that reception might be
problematic, particularly if it is difficult to mount a proper
antenna, should encourage people to start trying *long* before the
analog cut-off.

Dan (Woj...)

On Jan 31, 5:10*pm, Nyssa wrote:
Daniel W. Rouse Jr. wrote:





(Top posted because replying to some Google Groups posts doesn't insert the
usual '' characters in the reply...)

The converter box is often not enough since that only gets the digital
tuner/receiver part of the OTA DTV reception system.

If they use their converter box with their existing indoor antenna, then it
becomes a literal gamble as to whether successful reception will be received
at all, and if it will also be received on all of the channels they
previously received with analog OTA reception. This may also require
purchasing and testing several different indoor antennas (all of which now
claim they receive HDTV signals over the air for marketing purposes).
Depending on a store's return policy, they may get stuck with antennas that
didn't work for OTA DTV even though it still works well for analog OTA
reception.

In my own case...

* In one room--a TERK TV-5 antenna that worked well for analog reception
also works well enough for OTA DTV reception, just by turning down the
amplification level. In fact, I even managed to find a set it once and
receive all channels antenna position and there are very minimal dynamic
multipath issues in that room with the antenna remaining in that one
position. I once thought this antenna was unsuitable for OTA DTV reception,
but now I find that in a room that is not significantly affected by dynamic
multipath, this antenna will certainly work well enough.

* In another room--the TERK TV-5 just wouldn't work well enough to receive
OTA DTV, even though it worked very well to receive the highest quality
analog picture possible. The signal would initially lock, and then I would
get dynamic multipath issues within minutes. I ended up testing several
different amplified and unamplified antennas, to eventually find that the
best results were obtained using...

1. A TERK TV-1 unamplified rabbit ears only antenna, along with
2. A generic branded 25 dB signal amplifier with FM trap that I had
purchased at a Fry's electronics store.

Even with that configuration, I had to figure out the correct length of the
antenna dipoles (approximately 16 inches and with only the thickest/fattest
antenna elements extended) and also the angle/separation of the antenna
dipoles (approximatly 18.5 inches between the two tips of the antenna
dipoles). Dynamic multipath issues still do tend to occur in that room more
than they do in the other room, but I can work around them by adjusting the
antenna a bit, or else changing to another channel that is not currently
being affected by dynamic multipath.

All that said, most people won't want to spend that much effort to try to
get OTA DTV to work, if they are one of the ones that have OTA DTV reception
problems. They might not also understand that an external signal amplifier
may also work where an antenna's built in amplifier may fail. So if the
converter box alone does not get them successful OTA DTV reception, then
they will either be forced to put up an outdoor antenna (if they can, and
many apartment or condo residents cannot), or deal with reduced and
problematic channel reception, or else declare that they cannot receive OTA
DTV in their specific area/room configuration and maybe subscribe to cable
TV or satellite TV.

That's why I don't necessarily use a broad brush to paint everyone that is
waiting on OTA DTV as lazy or idiots. The technology still has issues with
only a few weeks left to go until analog gets shut off (delays
notwithstanding), and the technology still doesn't just work the way NTSC
OTA analog reception has shown itself to just work.

Further discussion is welcome.

Thank you! That's just about the position I'm
in wrt OTA DTV.

I've bought and installed boxes, new amplified
indoor antennas, and even bought a combo VCR/DVD
with tuners and still cannot get in most digital
stations at all and the two I do get are not
reliable (as in freeze ups, dropouts of audio,
or simply there one day and not the next).

I am not lazy (well, not to extremes) and
certainly not an idiot especially on technical
topics. I've done what I can financially and
physically (this pear-shaped over 50 is NOT
crawling up on any rooftops to twiddle with
installing or tweaking an antenna). Perhaps
when (or if) my finances allow, eventually I
will try alternative indoor amplifiers and
antennas. It won't be within the next two
weeks, in any case.

Unless there is a major uptick in the planned
power levels of the stations in the two markets
I'm stuck in the middle of, I'll simply learn
to live without TV except for on tapes or DVDs.
I've gone without TV before, I can survive it
again if I have to. It just burns me up that
this whole situation was thrust upon the public
by mandate instead of letting market forces
make their own choices in their own good time.

Nyssa, who didn't see laws passed to force people
to choose Beta over VHS or Pepsi over Coke- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

To be pendantic, Nyssa, you aren't *quite* in the same situation as
Daniel. He apparently resides in a location where an indoor antenna
is appropriate. Since, by your own description, you live between to
markets, your location probably isn't appropriate for an indoor
antenna. Unfortunately, in a location where you indoor antenna
provides a barely watchable analog signal, you may well need a better
setup for digital. Did you ever investigate any of the smaller, non-
traditionaly shaped outdoor antennas that can be mounted indoors, on/
under decks/balconies, or in attics? I'm not much younger than you,
but putting a smaller outdoor antenn in my attic wasn't strenuous at
all. Just watch your footing. } (Better yet, take a couple of
boards with you to provide a more secure place to stand.)

Dan (Woj...)

I have a Kenwood VR6050 amp feeding my pretty crappy surround sound
speaker system. It has worked pretty well for a number of years but
my mid-life crisis is fueling a desire for new speakers.

I tend to lean to Polk products but I'm not married to them.

So if you could get a new speaker system for an average living and had
a budget around 1k what would you get?

Steve B.

The program was passed into law by the
Democratic ran senate and house and only signed by Bush. The program was
funded and thought up by democrats.

I think you're ttalking about the coupon program, if I'm not mistaken.

And as I remember, the original law deciding and requiring to shut off
analog tv permanently was also passed by a Democratic Congress.

When the Democrats had a majority in both the house and Senate.





- Show quoted text -

radioguy wrote:

I think you're ttalking about the coupon program, if I'm not mistaken.

And as I remember, the original law deciding and requiring to shut off
analog tv permanently was also passed by a Democratic Congress.

When the Democrats had a majority in both the house and Senate.

More ignorance.

The transition schedule and the coupon program were both part of the
"Digital Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005." This was done by
the 109th Congress. Republicans ruled the House and Senate of the 109th
Congress, and GWB was the President.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital...ty_Act_of_2005
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/index.html
http://www.dtv.gov/DTVAct.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/109th_Congress

On Feb 8, 3:12*pm, UCLAN wrote:
radioguy wrote:
I think you're ttalking about the coupon program, if I'm not mistaken.

And as I remember, the original law deciding and requiring to shut off
analog tv permanently was also passed by a Democratic Congress.

When the Democrats had a majority in both the house and Senate.

More ignorance.

The transition schedule and the coupon program were both part of the
"Digital Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005." This was done by
the 109th Congress. Republicans ruled the House and Senate of the 109th
Congress, and GWB was the President.

No, I remember the original law mandating analog tv to be permanrntly
shut off being passed into law way before George Bush was even
elected
president.

I remember it being passed when Clinton was president and when the
Democrats controlled both houses of Congress.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital...109th_Congress

On Feb 2, 1:08*pm, dmaster wrote:
On Jan 31, 1:41*pm, "Daniel W. Rouse wrote:

...

That's why I don't necessarily use a broad brush to paint everyone that is
waiting on OTA DTV as lazy or idiots. The technology still has issues with
only a few weeks left to go until analog gets shut off (delays
notwithstanding), and the technology still doesn't just work the way NTSC
OTA analog reception has shown itself to just work.

Further discussion is welcome.

...
I certainly never *refer to everyone who is still waiting on OTA DTV
as lazy or idiots. *However, the very fact that reception might be
problematic, particularly if it is difficult to mount a proper
antenna, should encourage people to start trying *long* before the
analog cut-off.

Why should they start trying when they were told by the digital tv
industry that they would not have to change their tv antennas at all?



Dan (Woj...)

radioguy wrote:

No, I remember the original law mandating analog tv to be permanrntly
shut off being passed into law way before George Bush was even
elected
president.

I remember it being passed when Clinton was president and when the
Democrats controlled both houses of Congress.

Well, it was first addressed in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, passed
in January of 1996, which was the 104th Congress. But, again, the
Republicans controlled both the House and the Senate of the 104th Congress.

Try again.

In article , UCLAN wrote:
radioguy wrote:

No, I remember the original law mandating analog tv to be permanrntly
shut off being passed into law way before George Bush was even
elected
president.

I remember it being passed when Clinton was president and when the
Democrats controlled both houses of Congress.

Well, it was first addressed in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, passed
in January of 1996, which was the 104th Congress. But, again, the
Republicans controlled both the House and the Senate of the 104th Congress.

Try again.
Clinton signed it.

More troubling was the DMCA!!!!

On Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:31:31 -0800, radioguy wrote:

Why should they start trying when they were told by the digital tv
industry that they would not have to change their tv antennas at all?

That assumed that they had a proper adequate antenna to start with. Many
people don't.

--
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