Digital TV transition: 12 hours in, how are things going?
by Richard Lawler 
posted Jun 12th 2009 at 1:35PM
Engadget's lead-up coverage:
T-minus one year till the US analog shutoff: are you ready?
The original DTV transition: what could've been
President Obama signs DTV delay bill into law
Digital TV transition spoof video is both informative and hilarious
Wilmington, NC kills analog dead as broadcasters go all-digital
FCC Info:
Station list with transition dates plus pre & post cutover channel numbers
DTV Reception Maps
What You Need to Know
National DTV transition coverage (send new ones to tips or leave in comments):
Read - WIS completes 'The Big Switch' to Digital TV
Read - Smooth digital TV transition is expected
Read - ACA: Members Ready for DTV Switch
Read - Analog TV to sign off starting at noon (Chicago)
Read - Twin Cities public TV bids the analog area adieu
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Lkr @ Jun 12th 2009 1:47PM
The world hasn't ended yet?
Shadowguitar @ Jun 12th 2009 4:53PM
I was going to say that, but you were too quick! But yeah, no obvious angry mobs in northern Virginia, so I guess there's no problems here.
Randall Lind @ Jun 12th 2009 1:52PM
I have cable and HD but most of the local channels seem to has just turn off analog at 1pm.
stevedee4 @ Jun 12th 2009 1:53PM
Here in Boston all but one of the stations (WSBK is snow) are still broadcasting in analog. All the major networks are broadcasting regular programming in analog except for WBZ (CBS), which is broadcasting DTV info on the analog channel. What time is the deadline for switching the analog feeds off?
FNG @ Jun 12th 2009 2:08PM
11:59PM today is when they have to be off. This article should not have been posted until tomorrow.
Roger @ Jun 12th 2009 2:32PM
FNG...this article was posted today as it should have been. Many local stations began shutting off their analog signals early this morning and into the afternoon.
FNG @ Jun 12th 2009 2:42PM
yes, many have... and once the DEADLINE has passed, we can start counting how many hours in we are...
Michael @ Jun 12th 2009 3:40PM
I agree with FNG the deadline is 11:59PM and 59 seconds if you want to be picky so any stations that have cut off the analogue today are actually still early. This article should be posted tomorrow
Roger @ Jun 12th 2009 4:39PM
Well, he is an idiot and apparently has company.
The process begins today and ends at the deadline. The story was posted today...exactly as it should have been.
squiggleslash @ Jun 12th 2009 5:31PM
Sorry Roger, but you're wrong and FNG is right. The process didn't start today, it started several months ago. In my area, the CW affiliate switched to digital, relocating onto its old analog frequency several weeks ago, and CBS switched off analog (and is on its final frequency) three days ago.
The process ends at midnight. That's the final switch off. Some stations are switching off before that, but the process has been ongoing for months now. And until midnight, we will not know what the final map looks like, because we're not going to see all the full power transmissions occurring until then.
Trevor @ Jun 12th 2009 11:11PM
Not all stations are going to full power immediately. Some have waivers into August.
green-integration.com @ Jun 12th 2009 5:12PM
I have done many installations recently for these people who took advantage of the free converter.
Let me tell you that I have never seen so many disturbing living situations. I couldn't help but think of Silence of the Lambs in most places as I tried not to breath too deeply worried that I would become ill from being there. Sure enough, I have some mystery illness right now.
Calendars from 1984 still hanging on the wall???
-Disturbed and ill.
Isaac @ Jun 12th 2009 2:30PM
"Calendars from 1984 still hanging on the wall???"
Maybe they're really big fans of George Orwell...
Truckondo @ Jun 13th 2009 12:34AM
I have been installing these the past week as well. Some of these people haven't dusted or vacuumed in 20 years.
Jason Chapa @ Jun 12th 2009 2:37PM
Won't someone please think of the children?!?
HDTV FrEAk @ Jun 12th 2009 8:52PM
I Love It lol
JPWhite @ Jun 12th 2009 4:04PM
CBS and PBS went black for everyone in Nashville receiving broadcast TV. OTA DTV prepared folks (such as myelf) had to rescan. Other channels unaffected as of yet, will be interesting to see if more switch throughout the day.
Rescanning is easy to do if you know how. But if you don't know how, it's next to impossible. Spent 15 minutes on the phone talking a widow through the procedure for rescanning a Magnavox converter so she could receive CBS and PBS. How many will simply think those stations just went away or their boxes are broken and return them?
Forget about the 2.8 million totally unprepared, think about the countless millions that are wondering why they lost some channels. If they do know why they lost them many are incapable of fixing the problem.
mugatu @ Jun 12th 2009 2:54PM
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria
JDS @ Jun 12th 2009 3:04PM
who you gonna call?
mugatu @ Jun 12th 2009 3:08PM
... but seriously,
2:07 PM CST
NBC good.
CBS good.
ABC good.
FOX good.
CW good.
PBS ... zero signal strength. That's nice. Hopefully they are in transition.
TRT @ Jun 12th 2009 3:31PM
How much are the fines for stations that broadcast in analog after the deadline? I hope the FCC took their phones off the hook!
Randall Lind @ Jun 12th 2009 3:36PM
Local Fox channel at noon had a TV set on for the whole hour the at 12:59 they hit the digital button and announce the DTV revolution as started.
Joe Siegler @ Jun 12th 2009 4:00PM
I submit that if you're reading this page, you've been ready since before it was announced. People who were unaware don't read websites like this. Or probably any websites at all.
mugatu @ Jun 12th 2009 5:18PM
I submit that no one cares what you submit and that the people reading this are interested in the transition no matter how they read about it. Thanks for the submission though.
IseWise @ Jun 12th 2009 4:15PM
I had to manually delete a channel out of the atscchannels.xml file on my VMC, then add it back in through the "Add DTV Channel" function in MC. Its because my local NBC affiliate switched from UHF to VHF and MC was pulling down the wrong info.
I have to admit I was a little perturbed, but its all good now.
lucyfan62 @ Jun 12th 2009 4:40PM
I did the re-scan and actually lost a couple of local digital channels I used to get. Hopefully they'll be back. Also, DirecTV had no local HD channels on the air. Only a message that said they were fine tuning the locals. Shouldn't they have been ready for this like the rest of us??
Michael Harrison @ Jun 12th 2009 4:44PM
Here in the Baltimore/DC, OTA DT is fine except for 7 (DC ABC), 9 (DC CBS), 11(Balt NBC) and 13 (Balt ABC) whose DT signals have gone dark. I rescanned my hdtvs this afternoon and lost the signals. The digital signals were available this morning.
mugatu @ Jun 12th 2009 4:51PM
So its fine except for all the major networks? That seems un-fine.
stevedee4 @ Jun 12th 2009 4:59PM
Those stations may be switching frequencies (ie if they were channel 7 analog and 44 digital, they may chose to move their digital to 7 after the shut-off.) If this is the case then they should be on within a few hours.
HighDef Edition @ Jun 12th 2009 5:23PM
5PM June 12th 2009 - Fort Lauderdale FL 33317
2 PBS - Week Signal
4 CBS - Week Signal
6 NBC - Week Signal
7 FOX - Good Signal
10 ABC - Excellent Signal
39 CW - Good Signal
Plus many more pbs & spanish channels
Mark C. @ Jun 12th 2009 6:33PM
It would seem that Time Warner Cable is rebroadcasting the digital signal as an analog signal for it's basic cable tier of channels.
KJ4GR @ Jun 12th 2009 7:05PM
I guess its time to go buy a converter box!
David @ Jun 12th 2009 9:43PM
WOFL in Orlando had a fun bit of coverage of their engineer actually pulling the BNC cable from the analog input. It was sort of fun.
Randall Lind @ Jun 12th 2009 11:25PM
I only watch HD so I don't care but channels 2-99 which was standard def all are still there so I guess it's ok.
Chris @ Jun 13th 2009 12:11AM
Our local cable company (Brighthouse) used the transition as an excuse to ditch their burden of the local PBS station (which by the had has been digitally ready since last November).
__smooth__ @ Jun 13th 2009 12:17AM
What I want to know, if anyone can tell me, is what are they going to do with the waves now. What "new services" are being pondered here?
Thanks to anyone that helps out.
Gary @ Jun 13th 2009 9:51AM
http://www.engadget.com/search/?q=700+mhz&invocationType=wl-gadget&searchsubmit=
Garst @ Jun 13th 2009 8:48AM
TVs, boxes, and my monitor are fine. But my computer can't find ABC or CBS in Chicago. It's pissing me off! Not the CBS part; I don't watch CBS. But come on ABC, I don't want to watch "Pushing Daisies" when you say I have to watch "Pushing Daisies!"
I guess there's a problem with a few other channels, but the only one that I know came in before is a spanish station that I never watch. They speak too fast for me to keep up what little I understand.
David @ Jun 13th 2009 10:57AM
Its June 13th, so why do i still have analog channels?? I have comcast in central jersey.
FNG @ Jun 13th 2009 11:21AM
You're kidding right? Please tell me you know what ATSC is and how your cable works...
stevedee4 @ Jun 13th 2009 11:49AM
As the millions of commercials about the DTV transition stated, people with cable and satellite are not affected by the transition.
VS Dude @ Jun 13th 2009 9:19PM
@David - you're probably confusing "HD" content with "Digial (DTV)" content.
Deez Nutz @ Jun 13th 2009 12:20PM
My 20 year old TV stopped working on Friday and is still broken. You all seem really knowledgable, any idea what the problem is?
corey smith @ Jun 13th 2009 12:59PM
everyone said the switch wasnt going to affect cable/satellite customers. but just for fun, i rescanned on the 2 tvs i watch basic cable on and most of my SD cable channels have switched to their own digital channel- with a noticeable hike in PQ (i.e. CNN was ch 37, now its 75.7?)! i thought cable providers didnt have to make any switches of any kind!?
Zeroth Ander @ Jun 13th 2009 6:28PM
Alright-- What happened?
For months I've been enjoying my digital converter box and new HDTV antenna-- the neat little program guide, nineteen channels (a nice surprise!), with signal strengths of 88 to 95. Then came Friday, June 12. I have now rescanned multiple times... And can only access eleven channels, with signal strengths that never get out of the sixties!!!
Somebody tell me. What happened?
FarmerBob @ Jun 13th 2009 9:41PM
All our primaries in Denver have switched over. Ch 4 analog has stayed up with transition information. Channels have been moving at their leisure for months now. BUT, when I rescanned today, 11 Analog channels are still up and running. They are either Hispanic or Religious stations. I saw a question above about fines for broadcasting in analog. I don't think there will be for all. Over the past couple of years here strange broadcasting things have been happening. Like Telemundo broadcasting on ch 33 and the FCC saying that they didn't know and didn't care. I used 33 for one of my in-house channels until TM started bcasting and created interference, that's how I found them.
I personally feel that there was a whole lot that was not said that should have been that would have made this so much more logical and easier for all. Like actual channel frequencies (my in-house system was blanking out stations that were on or near my frequencies) I blamed the stations for not doing something. I discovered the actual freq's through features on my HDTV's, adjusted my system and now I have no conflicts. Telling us that the stations were not fully powered so when we were aiming antennas we would expect low gain numbers and not blame the manufacturers for faulty gear. Although I got a nice free upgrade from AntennasDirect since they didn't know either, and still didn't when they did a tent event at a local mall months after my interaction with them. Or telling us that certain station are going back to their VHF frequencies that standard UHF or the new "HD", no such thing, antennas won't cover 2-13. Leaving out ch 9 & 7 in Denver. By the way AD antennas are 7-69.
I have been talking to station engineers for months now trying to iron out problems, and they are admitting that the information that I'm seeking was not indigenous to me alone and would help many in transitioning. But they still never said a word publicly in their "public service" commercials that really said nothing. This whole thing could have been handled so much better.
So until we're a couple months in to this, I fear anything can happen. And probably will.
gdfg @ Jun 14th 2009 12:59AM
If you are using the internet, there is a good chance that you don't have rabbit ears. (well except me).
MLong128ir @ Jun 14th 2009 5:31PM
Transition went okay for me, I have a cheap set of rabbit ears, before I got a fuzzy but watchable ABC and a hardly watchable CBS2. Now I only get ABC but in crystal clear HD with a few sporadic dips in signal as well was LiveWell network and the weather broadcast thing they have. Will probably go get a better antenna to see if I can pick up our FOX station.
Anybody else living in Santa Clarita Valley having better luck?
jake @ Jun 15th 2009 12:33PM
i live in queens NYC (astoria). since jun 12th i have been having trouble with ABC Channel 7, Channel 13, and Channel 50 from NJ. they were all working fine before, but now i can't get a signal or i get a weak one which is just like getting none at all. it could just be the weather lately. i live near the RFK (triboro) bridge and the hell's gate bridge, so between the rain wind and the bridges, that might be the problem. i experienced weak signals before during bad weather, but that was only channel 13. last night i couldn't watch the NBA finals at all. no signal what so ever. today i have it again along with 13, not NJ 50, but the signal strength keeps fluctuating. everything else is fine.
Dan @ Jun 25th 2009 12:42AM
Is anyone else pissed at the switch. Why go Digital without going High Definition. I understand some channels have both Digital regular definition and HD' but most don't. We all went out and paid for Wide screen TV's which are not in the most part used. Now the HD movies and Blu-Ray movies don't even use the 16/9 ratio the TV's come in further screwing the American people. THANK YOU Washington, just couldn't leave anything alone without screwing it up and keeping your streak alive for messing up anything your involved in.
3 new TV's $4800.00 + waisted and all for nothing. THEY'RE ALL LIARS.