Analog TV truly a thing of the past today in Los Angeles
[Posted by Dave Haber on Sunday, 07/12/09 10:55 pm] [Permalink] [Full Blog] [Tweet This]I checked this morning, and they were still on. However, as of 11:00 pm this evening, exactly 30 days since all of the analog TV stations in Los Angeles ceased commercial broadcasts, the final station on the air broadcasting the N.A.B. informational message, KCBS Channel 2, is now totally off the air.
Analog TV broadcasting is now technically, as well as officially, a thing of the past, gone the way of the wax cylinder, the 78 RPM disc, and the 8-track tape. It's a sad day in the history of broadcasting and electronics.
Second to last update: The Day TV Died
[Posted by Dave Haber on Saturday, 06/27/09 11:05 am] [Permalink] [Full Blog] [Tweet This] After two weeks, the continuous loop informational announcement, in English and Spanish, supplied by the National Association of Broadcasters, is now gone from all the stations that had been broadcasting it, except for KCBS channel 2.
As of this morning, every full-power TV station that had been on the air in Los Angeles on June 12 is totally off the air, except for channel 2.
So, now we're just waiting to see how long channel 2 stays on the air, after which analog TV will be truly dead in Los Angeles.
As it happens: The Day TV Died
[Posted by Dave Haber on Friday, 06/12/09 6:10 pm] [Permalink] [Full Blog] [Tweet This] The end of analog TV has been taking place gradually all day today.
Here in Los Angeles, as of 6:00 PM, the analog transmissions of KABC channel 7, KCAL channel 9 and KCET channel 28 are totally off the air.
KCBS channel 2 and KNBC channel 4 are still on the air, but are showing continuous loops of an informational announcement, in English and Spanish, with help about the conversion. They are both showing the same program, supplied by the National Association of Broadcasters.
KTLA channel 5, KTTV channel 11 and KDOC channel 13 are currently still on the air, showing normal programming.
[Update: Posted 06/12/09 10:47 pm]
KTLA channel 5 analog just went off the air. KTLA veteran newsman Stan Chambers, who was at KTLA since they first went on the air, threw the ceremonial analog to digital switch.
Now only FOX channels 11 and 13 are left on the air in Los Angeles. They announced during the channel 11 10:00 news that both channels would be discontinuing their analog broadcasts at midnight.
[Update: Posted 06/12/09 11:05 pm]
I witnessed KTLA channel 5 power down at 10:46. Apparently, they have powered back up again. Their analog broadcast is now back on the air, showing the same N.A.B. informational broadcast as channels 2 and 4.
[Update: Posted 06/12/09 11:57 pm]
At approximately 11:56, while airing PSAs following the shows that had just completed, both KTTV channel 11 and KDOC channel 13 powered down in mid PSA.
All the commercial analog TV stations in Los Angeles are now officially off the air.
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Analog TV will be a thing of the past on Saturday
[Posted by Dave Haber on Wednesday, 06/10/09 1:28 pm] [Permalink] [Full Blog] [Tweet This] The NTSC television system was adopted by the FCC on May 2, 1941, regularly-scheduled TV programs began to appear in 1947. The TV sets in use in 1941 could still view the TV we watch today. But not for long.
Now, 68 years later, on Friday, the last major TV stations in America that are still broadcasting in analog will turn those signals off and go all digital.
The FCC has given stations freedom to decide what time of day they will be shutting down analog. Many have opted to do it in the evening.
Many stations will not be broadcasting very strong digital signals on Friday, because those signals are coming from secondary antennas. And viewers need to force converter boxes and digital TV sets to "re-scan" the airwaves to find channels that will move to new frequencies Friday.
About 100 stations will keep an analog "night light" on, informing viewers of the need to switch to digital reception.
According to the Nielsen Co., about 3.1 million U.S. homes were unprepared to receive digital signals as of late last month.
Analog TV will be dead after Friday in the United States, but old TVs will continue to work in Canada and Mexico. However, digital TV is scheduled to replace analog in Canada on August 31, 2011, and in Mexico on December 31, 2021.
(Some information thanks to the Associated Press.)
Half of America not yet ready to switch to digital
[Posted by Dave Haber on Wednesday, 06/11/08 4:26 pm] [Permalink] [Full Blog] [Tweet This] According to a new report released yesterday by the government, nearly half of TV owners in the U.S. are not ready to switch to the new digital TV broadcasts.
On February 17, 2009, full-power TV stations in the US are required to stop all analog TV broadcasts. But there are still 70 million TV sets in the US who's only connection to a signal is an analog antenna. Without a converter box, these viewers will not be able to get the new digital signals.
The new reports state that up to 50% of the TV owners in the US have not yet purchased a converter box, or a newer, digital TV.
Is it likely the majority of the 35 million TV viewers have not yet done so will get a new TV or a converter box in the next eight months? What will happen when all these people lose the ability to watch TV? What will happen to the TV stations with the loss of all those viewers?
I don't know the answer to these questions, but I think that February 17 is going to a very interesting day, a day long remembered. I don't think analog TV is going to "go quietly".
(Info thanks to ChattaBox.com.)
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