DTV Presentation To Be Held At GVT Expo 2008
If you are involved in the audio visual electronic industry, an avid Home Theater enthusiast, or even a fan of entertainment electronics in general, you will not want to miss the Government Video Technology Expo 2008. This year the expo will be held December 2-4 at The Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. There will be a very detailed exhibit from the the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History as well as over 200 other displays. The Smithsonian will be featuring one of its’ newest and technological advanced achievements; The AV intensive Sant Ocean Hall a modern museum experience. This awe inspiring exhibit hall in the museum was a joint effort between the Smithsonian and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Project manager Elizabeth Musteen will be giving a detailed look into how this amazing technology works.
In additional to these national audio visual related exhibits, the Federal Communication Commission will also be making a presentation on DTV. FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein will be speaking about the upcoming analog to digital transition that will change the way we watch television. He will be reiterating the benefits of this major transition. The upcoming deadline for purchasing your converter boxes and digital antennas is less than 100 days away, only six weeks after Christmas on February 17, 2009. The FCC has been on a National Tour to inform consumers of the upcoming DTV conversion.
-Written by acwriter
Ref: Wallstreet Journal Market Watch Article
List of Most Unprepared cities for DTV Transition in U.S.
As reported by WAPT.com, Neilsen Media Ratings released a list of the most unprepared cities for the transition to digital television on February 17th, 2009. The list is organized by rank in accordance to percentage of households not ready.
Least prepared cities:
1. Houston – 15.8 percent
2. Dallas / Ft. Worth – 14.3 percent
3. Tulsa, Okla. – 14.1 percent
4. Salt Lake City, Utah – 13.4 percent
5. Milwaukee, Wis. – 13.3 percent
6. Albuquerque, N.M. – 12.7 percent
7. Minneapolis / St. Paul, Minn. – 12 percent
8. Austin, Texas – 11.6 percent
9. Los Angeles – 11.6 percent
10. Memphis, Tenn. – 11.6 percent
Why are we “Upgrading” to DTV?
Why upgrade to DTV? Why fix something that isn’t broke?
We’ve have been told that the analog air waves after the transition to digital television will be used for public safety usage and advance wireless services. The need to free up air signals for emergency public service communication usage is completely understandable. We all want our fire, police and ambulance services to be able to communicate to each other quickly. But, that isn’t the only reason for the conversion to DTV.
How does free wi-fi service or the ability to surf the internet at lower prices sound? At the current time, pricing for unlimited mobile internet run between $45 - $60 a month depending on the carrier and service. After the FCC begins auctioning off the old analog air space, consumers should begin to receive benefits from Wirless Carriers that offer services using the old television sigal airwaves. While lower priced internet access is a very possible scenario, another convenience is in the works.
Some stations have already shut off their analog signals in order for Qualcomm to expedite the rollout of MediaFLO, a multichannel mobile TV product. Apparently, part of the reason we are giving up free analog television is so that those who can afford it will be able to watch television shows on their cell phones. Both ATT Wireless with 61 million and Verizon Wireless with 57 million customers have contracted with Qualcomm’s MediaFLO USA to provide Mobile TV. While this may be a desired convenience for many, there are even more consumers that will not require mobile TV, but would just be happy with their old standby regular television shows.
Millions of households and their televisions will no longer be able to receive signals after the conversion. Some consumers insist on waiting out the transition to see if it just blows over. Begin learning today about DTV to make sure your television will continue to receive over-the-air signals after the digital transition on February 17th, 2009.
-written by acwriter
Ref: http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6417216.html
DTV Transition Top Priority For Obama Administration
The Government Accounting Office, National Telecommunications Information Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission all agree that the upcoming Analog Transition will have to be a top priority for President Elect Barack Obama and his administration. The new president will barely have time to be sworn into office before the realization of the DTV conversion will be at his doorstep on February 17, 2009. The National Association of Broadcasters chief of operations David Rehr sent President Elect Obama a letter reiterating cooperation needed for a smooth transition.
John Podesta the co-chairman of the Obama Transition team has been quoted saying “that the administration is aware that the DTV transition will be an early challenge and we need to be ready and prepared for that”. With Bill Kennard the Former FCC Chairman, being appointed as Obama’s communications advisor, citizens should not be concerned that the upcoming transition will not be an immediate concern of the upcoming administration.
Many stations have already begun shutting down their analog signals in preparation for the February deadline. The FCC has given permission for some stations to convert over to digital due to colder climates. However, November 21, 2008 any station may shut off their analog signal completely. They may do so only after giving adequate notice to the consumers in the affected areas. Hopefully, with many stations already converting over to digital broadcasting from analog only broadcast signals, the new administration will not have a communications disaster on their hands when they walk into the doors of the White House.
written by acwriter
ref: http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6613776.html
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6612391.html?rssid=211
More Training and Advertising Needed For DTV Transition
The early DTV Conversion Test in Wilmington, North Carolina this past September which required consumers in that area to convert their analog televisions earlier than the scheduled dtv transition, proved to be successful, but also showed where some areas of improvement could be made.
As a result, Time Warner Cable and the Federal Communications Commission have determined that more training and advertising is needed for the upcoming transition to digital television on February 17, 2009. Following the testing in Wilmington, their offices were flooded with calls from consumers who were not ready despite heavy advertising. Insight Communications will be hitting mailboxes heavily of consumers with information regarding the transitions, thanks to demographics provided by CTAM and Prism.
Kim Cannon of Time Warner said “You can’t over communicate the message of the digital television transition”. In addition to television advertising, local events and other avenues of advertising; Cannon recommends utilizing fairs and festivals to reach consumers that may not be aware of the upcoming conversion. She also mentions that during a mystery call campaign to consumers, that customer service representatives were under trained for the questions they would be receiving. Cannon recommends better training for CSR in order to better educate consumers regarding any questions they may have.
Both Insight Communications and Time Warner Cable are using this opportunity in advertising about the Digital Conversion to offer an alternative to consumers. Instead of purchasing a converter box for each television, consumers are being asked to consider subscribing to a service at a discounted rate. These aren’t the only companies offering discounted packages to new customers. Many cable and satellite providers are offering great deals to consumers, as opposed to installing digital antennas and converter boxes. Taking the easy way out, consumers may not realize just how much a subscription is going to cost them over the long run compared to getting a new box with the government coupon program being offered. Many consumers feel they don’t have a choice, as they don’t have anyone to help them set up the converter box or digital antenna.
-Written by acwriter
Reference: http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6612892.html
Cable Companies are Accused of Deceptive Business Practices
As America is preparing for the transition from analog to digital television in February 2009, Comcast is reporting record sales for their digital cable subscriptions. Many consumers are choosing to subscribe to digital cable, rather than converting their analog TVs by buying a new converter box. This new influx of orders has earnings up 38 percent for the nation’s leading cable provider. The controversy surrounding this very popular cable company is that Comcast may be taking advantage of the conversion to increase their revenue.
Comcast Cable and other cable companies are currently under investigation by the Consumers Union and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation as well as the Federal Communication Commission. These government agencies are checking into alligations of deceptive business practices to benefit from the transition to digital television. As reported by NPR, the Consumers Union describes these deceptive practices as:
Cable operators appear to be leveraging content to strong-arm confused consumers into paying much more every month for cable programming they have previously received at no extra fee.
We’re hearing from many consumers that cable companies are taking away some channels, requiring them to rent more expensive set top boxes.”
These actions are actually defeating the purpose of switching over to cable in order to not have to deal with buying converter boxes and digital antennas.
Of concern is the very real possibility with rising costs and an unstable job market that consumers may come to a time when they can’t afford a cable television subscription. If they do not choose to buy these boxes now with the government coupons currently available, it could cost them a lot more in the future to watch television. Current cable customers may eventually find themselves in the dark, along with a good part of the nation’s lower income class who cannot currently afford cable or to buy the new boxes and digital antennas.
Written by acwriter
Ref: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96311177
Toxic Concerns Overshadow Digital Transition
Many environmentalist groups such as Greenpeace and the Electronics TakeBack Coalition are advocating ways of informing the public of safe recycling options. These groups are concerned about the impending increase of electronic waste that will occur after the analog to digital transition is completed. A very large percentage of Americans who will not be able to use their older televisions after the conversion will just throw them away without realizing the consequences.
The Environmental Protection Agency, the Government Accountability Office and the House Foreign Affairs Committee are investigating reports of companies exporting discarded electronics to other countries such as China and India. Rather than just overfilling our landfills with unwanted electronics, companies are sending them overseas to be dismantled and discarded. These countries as well as our own, in disposing of old electronics run the danger of environmental toxic poisoning. Once these televisions are dismantled, toxic chemicals such as lead, mercury and cadmium can leak into the ground and water.
Manufacturers are being encouraged thru a campaign called Take Back My TV to offer alternatives to just dumping your old television sets. This campaign has put together a video to educate the public on the hazards of just dumping your sets and offering them an alternative. You can see the video on this site http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/10/dtv-transition.html. Hopefully, this video as well as other educational venues will help cut down on unnecessary environmental poisoning.
Written by acwriter
Ref: www.blog.wired.com & www.washingtonpost.com
CEA And Whiskey Falls Team up for a YouTube DTV Contest
In an attempt to help U.S. consumers ease into the transition from analog to digital television, The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has teamed up with Whiskey Falls to promote a special DTV contest on YouTube. Country music band Whiskey Falls created a new video, “We are America”, which explains contest details. The idea for this contest is to help your family and friends with the transition. Knowing that just the very word contest automatically peaks a lot of interest, this could get very interesting. If you or someone you know is still watching older televisions with just rabbit ears or an outside antenna, you will have to have a converter box in order to continue watching your programs.
The grand prize being offered is a home entertainment center including a flat screen high-definition TV, an HD Blu-ray disc player and a surround sound audio system. To determine a winner, starting December 1, 2008, the public will start voting on their favorite videos. The grand prize winning entry will be announced on December 10, 2008.
Entries are asked to be informative, creative, and original in content, and should not exceed a three minute maximum time limit. These videos are meant to explain the necessity of going ahead and getting a dtv box now, and to make sure everything is working properly. Consumers may actually relate better to their peers explaining the digital transition, compared to some of the short commercial spots which have been advertised during primtime informing consumers on how to convert their televisions. For more information on this contest and to submit entries go to http://www.youtube.com/dtvtransition. This promises to be a rather interesting and catchy contest!
written by acwriter
