The DTV Countdown: Continuing Coverage of the DTV Transition
Engineers Forecast Smooth Sailing for Analog Shutoff
Engineering chiefs from major stations groups were busy Thursday reviewing their plans for what will be an even-busier Friday, as a digital TV conversion that began some 13 years ago comes to a conclusion when local stations permanently cease their analog operations by midnight today, June 12.
Anxiety Low on Eve of Analog Shutoff
While the NAB has reported that 1.75 million households are unprepared for Friday's analog shutoff, broadcasters largely feel they-and their viewers-are in tip-top shape on the eve of the long-awaited DTV switch. After extensive public awareness campaigns and soft tests, station executives say they're as ready as they're ever going to be.
FCC On-Call 24/7 for DTV Transition
William Lake, the FCC's DTV transition coordinator, said Thursday that the FCC was committed to working over the weekend and over the coming weeks with broadcasters to help them deal with "any technical issues that may arise."
FCC List of DTV Delays Continues to Shrink
Scratch at least one station, and maybe a half-dozen more, from the list of those the FCC said last week it didn't expect to start up a digital signal on June 12, when all analog broadcasts must end.
Nielsen: 70.5% of Households "Unready" in November Acquired Converter BoxesThe Nielsen Co. reports that almost 70.5% of households that were defined as "unready" for the digital transition back in November acquired a digital-to-analog converter box. That should help keep a fair number of viewers glued to the broadcast TV stations.
MULTIMEDIA
B&C TechTalk: Analog TV's Last Day
In this week's edition of B&C TechTalk, senior editor Glen Dickson talks about the historic DTV conversion, which comes to a conclusion when local stations permanently cease their analog operations by 11:59 Friday night.
Copps Talks DTV Readiness
FCC Acting Chairman Michael Copps discusses the importance of DTV readiness at a press conference June 10 at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood, Calif.
DTV Transition 101 -- Hooking Up a DTV Converter Box
A step-by-step demonstration of how to hook up a digital-to-analog converter box with John Taylor of LG Electronics.
BLOGS
BC/DC: Help, My Analog Signal Has Fallen and Can't Get Up!The FCC and National Telecommunications & Information Administration Thursday provided a laundry list of efforts they have undertaken, and will continue to undertake, to try and make the DTV transition as smooth as possible, and prepare as many analog-only viewers as they can-particularly among at-risk populations like the elderly, low income and minorities.
Station to Station: Local Station Bosses Seem Confident About D(TV) Day
I've spoken to a gaggle of station execs today, and they really don't seem to be sweating tomorrow's historic shift to digital-only TV all that much. One station receptionist I spoke to while trying to reach the GM an hour ago expressed extreme gratitude that I was not an irate older woman responding to the station's decision to shut off analog today.
BC/DC: New DTV Hard Date: July 24, 2011?
No, Congress and the Obama administration aren't at it again. July 24, 2011, is when Japan is slated to make its move to digital.
MORE NEWS
NAB: 1.75 Million Unready for DTV Transition"DTV is free, its better and it has arrived." With that, Paul Karpowicz, the newly elected chairman of the National Association of Broadcasters TV Board, signaled broadcasters' readiness to finally pull the plug on analog for good.
FCC Preps Transition Eve Alert
In an alert it will send out Thursday, one day before the June 12 hard date for switching to digital TV, the FCC says both it and the National Telecommunications & Information Administration are now focused on the DTV at-risk populations.
Barton & Stearns: Show Us The DTV MoneyThe ranking members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee are asking the FCC to explain how they have been spending the stimulus money they got for DTV outreach, and how they have been overseeing that spending.
Markey Says Push For Digital Standard Was Game-Changer
Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), former Chairman of the House Telecommunications (now Communications) Subcommittee, reminded folks Thursday of his 20-year association with the digital transition in an e-mail statement, saying his push for a digital standard in the late 1980's was a "key moment" for the transition.
