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Tag: switchover

  • Hundreds of TV Stations Switch To Digital Despite Delay Bill


    An estimated 40 per cent of US TV stations plan to make the switchover to digital from 17 February.

    This is despite the recent approval of a congressional bill supporting a four-month delay of the transition from analog to digital TV signals.

    The major networks – ABC, CBS and NBC – have agreed to continue broadcasting in analog and digital.

    However, the three networks only control around 100 of the total 1800 TV stations involved in the switchover.

    The Federal Communications Commission said some 681 – or 40 per cent – have either already ended analog transmission or plan to do so after 17 February.

    By deciding to become all digital, these local stations will free up some of the 700Mhz spectrum in those markets that companies such as Qualcomm have bought the rights to use.

    The switch is intended to free up spectrum for public safety and provide better television viewing.

    The US House of Representatives last week voted to delay the mandatory change by four months – to 12 June.

    President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill into law shortly.

    But the delayed bill gave television stations, which say they’ve spent millions of dollars preparing and educating viewers of the switch-over, the option to transition to all digital on the original date.

    Supporters of the delay were concerned that 20 million mostly poor, elderly or rural households were not prepared due to a shortage of government coupons meant to defray the cost of converter boxes.

  • DTV Transition Delayed Until June


    The US House of Representatives has approved a delay in the cutoff date for analog television broadcasts. 

    The delay is to give more time to the estimated 6.5 million people unprepared for the switchover to digital broadcasts. 

    The date was pushed back four months to June 12, 2009. 

    Only last month, the House of Representatives voted against a delay. 

    With full support from President Barack Obama, the bill is likely to be signed into law fairly quickly when it reaches the White House. 

    The decision is likely to cost taxpayers, broadcasters, and the companies that paid USD $19 billion for the right to use the radio spectrum frequencies that will be freed up from the change, many millions. 

    What could prove frustrating – to say the least – to those hit with costs as a result of the delay is that commentators suggest at least 5 million people may still be unprepared even with the extension to June.

    Another area of possible problem area surrounds Congress’ decision to give stations the option of sticking to the original date 17 February date.

    So while the mandatory switchover has been moved back, some stations could individually cut off their analog signals.

    A situation could arise where half a city’s local OTA stations go all-digital mid-February, while others delay things until June.

    This will not happen with most of the major US television networks – including CBS, ABC, FOX and NBC – as they have decided to fall back to the new June date to prevent chaos.

  • France's Digital Switchover Begins


    The city of Coulommiers near Paris is the first in France to make the switchover to digital TV as part of a pilot project ahead of the full national transition.

    France Télé Numérique said 94 per cent of households in the city of 14,700 were equipped with at least one digital TV set 20 days before the switchover.

    As the figure suggests – US authorities take note – a scheme to help people update their TV equipment from old analog televisions has proved very succesful.

    The signal was cut by French minister of Culture, Christine Albanel, newly named Secretary of State for Prospective and digital economy development, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet and CSA president Michel Boyon.

    The digital switchover will continue in the other pilot cities of Kaysersberg (Alsace) and Cherbourg (Cotentin), where 200,000 people will be affected.

    The process will then roll-out through 2010 with a completion date set for 30 November,2011.

    Launched in 2005, DTT currently covers 87 per cent of the population but analog television is still a reality for 29 per cent of French households.