22% of analog owners have no plans for digital switchover
The February 2009 analog shutoff is going to affect everyone with a TV, so the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) polled owners of analog TVs to get a big picture view of the situation. The results broke down pretty evenly: 22% said they would subscribe to cable or satellite; 33% plan on using the government-issued check to buy a converter box; and 23% plan to purchase a new digital set. That leaves the 22% of Americans who plan on doing nothing, thus resigning themselves to quitting broadcast programming cold turkey. By CEA estimates, that works out to 4.5 - 6 million TVs that will go all dark; and they're concerned that "...a big segment of the population will not be ready." Watch out for the coming blitz of those PSAs and repetition of the message across other media to the tune of 300 "impressions" per person.
Filed under: Industry, Regulatory, Displays, Set-top boxes, OTA
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kettch @ Nov 14th 2007 11:48PM
Those 22% will see the PSA's on TV, will hear them on radio, will see ads and articles in newspapers and magazines and will do nothing. However, when their TV goes dark, they will be angry because they "weren't given any warning".
mike @ Nov 15th 2007 12:32AM
How can people still even have analog tvs? Screw buying a converter box, you need a new tv. These people who will be left in the dark wont be complaining tho. Cause everyone uses an automated operator now and when they phone in to have their complaints heard, they will realize they cant speak with anyone cause their still using their roatery telephones and dont have a touch tone phone :p
Raydeen @ Nov 15th 2007 12:38AM
I'm floored at how many people really have no idea what is going to happen with the switch over. I was told I was a liar when trying to explain the analog cut off to a woman last month. Lots of people have no idea what is coming.
iamdigitalman @ Nov 15th 2007 12:44AM
we have an old 30" CRT RCA that is older than me (made sometime in the mid 70's and still has a excellent picture and sound, just needs a new remote), we plan on hooking it to our satellite box. We also have 2 13" TVs (one of them has a montgomery wards tag on the back and a mfg date of 1990). They all work, so we plan on getting some converter boxen.
Hey, if it aint broke, why fix it? and unless you want to personally buy me a new digital TV, I will be keeping the ones I have, thankyouverymuch.
I hate our disposable society.
Aaron P @ Nov 15th 2007 12:52AM
It sounds like your idea of excellent picture and sound is far worse than average. I wouldn't consider any CTR's picture quality excellent. I'm sure that would be the majority opinion here at Engadget HD. I would have to question whether you have actually every seen HD video with remarks like that.
itguy07 @ Nov 15th 2007 10:06AM
Then you're an idiot. CRT's are _THE_ gold standard in such things as:
1) Color reproduction. It's no secret most TV shows, graphics artists, etc use CRT's for proofing as they have the best color reproduction. LCD and Plasma are getting close, but not there yet.
2) Resolutions. Unlike Plasma/LCD CRT's support lots of resolutions natively.
3) Lifecycle. CRT's don't easily burn in or suffer image retention issues like plasmas. They don't dim like LCD's. They don't have dead pixels.
The only downside of CRT's is that they are huge and heavy.
Now I'm not a CRT fanboi - I love my LCD's and Plasma TV on the wall. But CRT's pictures can look every bit as good and in many cases better than a Plasma/LCD.
Yankees368 @ Nov 15th 2007 1:00AM
They really are forgetting about the millions of TVs out there at places of business that will never get a converter because they have been there since the early 90s. I used to do valet parking, and several of the locations i worked at had old TVs with bunny rabit antennas and will never work again. Im sure there are millions of these TVs, and they will all go dark forever.
FreeRange @ Nov 15th 2007 1:02AM
iamdigitalman-
I agree with you. For what it's worth, I have an HDTV but it has an analog tuner. I feel like anyone who has a plan in place isn't thinking long-term. We have CES `08 and `09 to introduce new receivers and we've got every content provider planning their deals to grab all of the cable customers who will "not be ready." Why is anyone jumping to vote for what they'll be doing in a year when tech shifts by the month? To Kettch's point, there will be PSAs all over the place, and they'll all end with something along the lines of, "So sign up for (provider's name) before February so you don't have to miss a single program."
Stormprobe @ Nov 15th 2007 7:42AM
I know a young lady who never watches TV. She just doesn't like it.
Paul Fernandez @ Nov 15th 2007 8:03AM
Steven,
FYI, in your first sentence, it's "affect," not "effect." As a verb, "effect" means to bring about change.
Steven Kim @ Nov 15th 2007 11:44AM
Egads... I know that one, and it's one of my pet peeves. Thanks for the catch, Paul!
LL @ Nov 15th 2007 8:04AM
We don't own (or want) a TV ... so it doesn't affect us. However, we do have a HD front projection system and HD-DVD player to enjoy content that we approve of and that is appropriate for our family.
Jared @ Nov 15th 2007 9:19AM
Good for you LL! I don't own a TV either, only a laptop, and download 1-2 TV shows a week. I'm amazed how much time I have for other things.
Iscariote @ Nov 15th 2007 8:48AM
Who cares? These people obviously don't buy things so advertisers can't be that upset, and it doesn't bother me if people stop watching TV. Where's the issue?
Ron @ Nov 15th 2007 9:01AM
Peeps freaking out like water is being eliminated in 2009 heheh...
bigglare @ Nov 15th 2007 9:29AM
FOOLS ALL OF THEM.
They hold on to their "Unbroken" analog tvs while they watch fuzzy programming on two of the 7 local channels they can actually see. This is of course after they drive home from work in their "Unbroken" '72 camaro that still runs so why replace it. Meanwhile their non-energy star rated TV and their 70s gas guzzler burning 5 gallons a mile is either directly or indirectly contributing to the death of our society to the great demon spawn of western culture, Global Warming. I bet they have their Gore/Leiberman 2000 stickers on their car. Maybe a Carter Mondale still too. A few Environmentalist stickers telling people to switch to uber expensive Compact Fluorescent light bulbs when incadescents work just fine. (Gee Where did that come from. hee hee)
Get with the program people. Thats not March of the Polar Bears in Snowstorms youre watching. Thats lack of signal, and more like lack of clue.
JeffDM @ Nov 15th 2007 3:38PM
I think most people that drive classic cars don't drive them often, they are "garage queens". That being, restored and then stored to keep them nice, driven only to car shows and for special events.
The people with a 20" CRT are probably consuming less power than those with 42" plasmas.
zoran cucuz @ Nov 15th 2007 9:30AM
I am replying to Iamdigitalman. First of all, refusing to switch not just to digital but to HD is like some people in the 50's that said they'll never buy a color tv. My question is this: have you ever seen an HD program? It is the future. And if you want to get technical, it's easier on your eyes. Touch your analog TV screen and you'll be shocked by the emitting energy. Touch an lcd screen and it is smooth. Also, the 120hz refresh rate TVs (I know it's too much of a technical word) will save your eyes. They are as smooth as milk. Analog TVs flicker like crazy. When you look around in real life, does it flicker like crazy, no. Plus the size, 20" vs 50". If it was up to me, all analog TVs would be trashed today. Anyway, go to your local Best Buy and watch your favorite movie on Blu-ray or HD-DVD on a 50" LCD and then reply to my post.
Thanks
JVirg6 @ Nov 15th 2007 9:56AM
I have a 40" Samsung LCD with an HD DVD hooked up to it and 5.1 channel surround sound in my living room and a 20" CRT standard Def (with Digital Tuner) hung on the wall. A 32" Westinghouse LCD in my bedroom and a 20" CRT hung on the wall. As well as a 50" CRT projection in a guest bedroom, and a 27" CRT HDTV in another guest Bedroom.
Which TV's do I watch the most? The 20" ones. Standard Def programming looks better on it and there is no point in turning all that stuff on to watch the news or Judge Judy or I love Lucy. I will grant you the HDTV is nice but we are getting a bit carried away with it. CRT TV's have a lot of life left, as there are years and years of standard definition shows out there I still love.
And if my 20 TVs broke tomorrow I would replace them with 20 CRTs. Although by the time they break, admittedly such TVs will no longer be available.
Plus with all this HDTV, my house becomes the local neighborhood hangout on Sunday.
ItGuy @ Nov 15th 2007 10:11AM
"Touch your analog TV screen and you'll be shocked by the emitting energy."
Touch a plasma and get a suntan from the IR and UV that it puts out.
And we won't discuss the mercury in the LCD's lamps. Unless it's one of the very new LED backlit ones.
Big Sam @ Nov 15th 2007 12:46PM
I think 22% is low. Right now I bet its much higher than that.
h4ldol @ Nov 15th 2007 2:42PM
Considering that Joe 6-packs make up 90% of the population (the rest being the top 1% and the bottom 9%), 22% really is pretty good. Color me impressed.