Fcc Commision On Hdtv

gadgetman

I think fcc said that annlog tv will be gone from broadcasting in the year 2007 Am I CORRECT.

mrmusicman

I think I read recently in sterophile it was 2009.

Mjr7531

We don't really know if that will happen or not, I sorta doubt it personally, there's plently of good articles regarding it, just google em' and you'll be over your head in information.

Schris22

once analog goes all HDTV's get supder dooper cheap....


I plan on getting a TV around then

Chris

fireshoes

They are still debating it in Congress. It sounds like most are thinking 2009, but some are still pushing for 07.

Gaara

Non analog and HD are not the same thing. You can have a tv with a digital cable tuner built in that is not an hd set, or have digital cable going to a analog set, plenty of people have this. Last I checked it was also over the air analog that they wanted to eliminate, and use that bandwith for other things.

How many people on the forum still use antenas for their tvs? If I am understanding this correctly this cutoff will only really affect people still using antenas for thier sets.

As for the date, every time I check it is pushed back. Last I heard the tenative date was 2009, or when over 75-85% could accept the digital signal. I think the 2009 date will come faster then the 80% acceptance rate.

Jared

PolkThug

ONLY OTA BROADCASTING! If you have cable the mandate does not affect you one iota.

Airplay355

I have digital cable. Wheres that set me on the totem pole? I don't really understand the differences.

BIZILL

mmmmmmmm.......for those still waiting.......mmmmmmmmmmm, hdtv! couldn't be without it if it's available to me! i'm a spoiled biotch! i remember awhile back that all transmissions were to be hdtv by 2006, mandated by the fcc. the one time i want the federal government to stand behind their suggestion and force it to take effect. but there are many obstacles........so we shall just have to wait.

PolkThug

BIZILL wrote:

i remember awhile back that all transmissions were to be hdtv by 2006, mandated by the fcc.

That was only over-the-air as well, and yes, I was the only human to actually read the mandate. :eek:

BIZILL

welp, in tucson arizona, we've comformed to the fcc ruling.......god bless that fact!

Toxis

the mandate is that all channels have to be digital by 2007. Analog signal stops in 2010.

mldennison

i always kinda thought it was a pipe dream for analog tv to go away anytime soon but we will see. i like the idea that the FCC is trying to force the change, even if they did not make the first date they set. i think that just the idea of the mandate hanging over the manufacturers heads has really spurred the development and deployment of hdtv and therefore was a good thing.

cfrizz

The problem as I see it, isn't manufacturers. It's people like me, who have a perfectly good analog crt tv & I'm not about to get rid of it for some new standard! Now granted I have a digital ready cable box, but there are probably lots of people who do not have cable & forcing them to buy new tv's to watch regular channels is not going to go over too well.

Dennis Gardner

cfrizz wrote:

but there are probably lots of people who do not have cable & forcing them to buy new tv's to watch regular channels is not going to go over too well.

There will be HD receivers that downconvert the signal to your standard TV.
Nothing will be obsolete, but the new downconverter will be mandatory.

Fallen Kell

HDTV's have nothing to do with the FCC decree that analog broadcast will be over in 2007. This simply means that TV's will need to use digital broadcast reception. The whole idea is to simply consolidate the airways and allow more content to be broadcast using the same spectrum. This will then allow the FCC to re-allocate some of the frequency space for other applications. Digital broadcast will allow better control of the required frequency space and clean up the actual broadcasts by removing extra noise from the signal.

This has nothing to do with HDTV or not. It will simply be a different antenna and decoder. Converters will be availible to connect a digital broadcast antenna to a cable-ready TV. This will be just like the UHF and VHF spectrum antenna's which are currently used in analog broadcast. You just need a different tuner to tune into the stations. Since these can and will be available external, this really isn't going to be a big change in terms of HDTV prices because of this rule.

Will HDTV price drop over the next 2 years? Yes. Will it be because the FCC said no more analog broadcast? No. Will it be because consumer demand goes up, causing an increase in production? Yes. Will it be because more advanced production methods are developed? Yes. Will it be because more competition in the HDTV market? Yes.

So, this isn't going to cause any price changes to happen. If you want HDTV and can afford it, go get one. Will prices continue to drop even after you purchase? Of course, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't buy one.

Schris22

No price changes?

I understand that all those other factors will cause the price decrease, of course technology advances then things get cheaper. Computers being the prime and most obvious example of how these little machines can become faster and faster and get cheaper and more affordable.

I still think this will have a impact on the TV...building on one of the reasons you listed "Consumer demand goes up".

Well everyone likes being on the cutting edge and even now HDTV purchases are growing. Whenever analog ceases, then everything will be digital, correct? You can use your current TV but you'll have to get extra equipment. Well the choices are either be forced to buy more equipment to get DOWNconverted information resulting in a wonderful digital standard/ or HDTV picture/sound to something that could be so much better by buying a "NOW(as in whenever that date will be and tack on some time for the market catchup)" cheaper HDTV compatiable TV.

If I can afford one get one... Well I would love to watch the Astros win the world series in HDTV as well as see my Houston Texans get beat every week on HDTV, but that isn't quite a neccessity for me. Sure I could afford it but I understand that the standard will be HDTV in a realitivily short time. I will be able to get more for my money in just a little bit. When things are standard things become cheaper, no?

Chris

fredv

The reception in my house is terrible, so I am paying Comcast. Will the digital broadcasting help the weak signal?

PolkThug

Anybody watch SNL in HD besides me?

mldennison

Fallen Kell wrote:

Will HDTV price drop over the next 2 years? Yes. Will it be because the FCC said no more analog broadcast? No. Will it be because consumer demand goes up, causing an increase in production? Yes. Will it be because more advanced production methods are developed? Yes. Will it be because more competition in the HDTV market? Yes.

OK, I will agree that the FCC mandate and HDTV are not exactly the same thing, what you said about digital standard definition is definately a possibility but I think that for a manufacturer to try and sell that would be really tough. They basically have to say that you have to buy a new TV with a digital decoder or an external decoder to get the same level of quality that you are getting now. It seems like a much easier sell to ask them to spend a little more money and get a HDTV picture out of the deal.

I agree that all the reasons you mentioned above will drive prices down but I also think that the FCC mandate is what prompted the TV manufacturers (a few years back) to throw more money into the development of HDTV's and therefore why we are seeing the switch at this point in time.

BIZILL

PolkThug wrote:

Anybody watch SNL in HD besides me?

yeah, dogg, and letterman finally is broadcast in full hd here in tucson.

PolkThug

BIZILL wrote:

yeah, dogg, and letterman finally is broadcast in full hd here in tucson.

Times are good.

P-Thuggy

fireshoes

Sounds like Congress is going to possibly get the digital transition legislation done on Oct 19.

bknauss

fredv wrote:

The reception in my house is terrible, so I am paying Comcast. Will the digital broadcasting help the weak signal?

Don't need to worry about signal strength if you have cable. The only downside (other than having to pay for a free broadcast) is the video quality goes down a notch.

fredv

bknauss wrote:

Don't need to worry about signal strength if you have cable. The only downside (other than having to pay for a free broadcast) is the video quality goes down a notch.

The reason for me to subscribe cable is becasue of weak signal. I am wondering the digital signal is more robust (e.g. has built-in cyclic error correction) than the RF signal. If so, maybe I can ditch the cable once for all

okiepolkie

Try this link to get a little more info on television resolution and a part of the mandate: TV resolution