IEEE: The day analog TV dies...

[Joe Bento]

Skywave propogation does not treat digital too kindly, as WOR in New 
York found out a while back.  Despite this fact, the FCC seems rather 
dense in the matter that the medium wave band is indeed influenced by 
the ionosphere, and that a local station may be affected by another 
thousands of miles away.  The bits and bytes are therefore confused, and 
even the analogue backup (still broadcast) gets drowned out in a mess of 
digital hash.  In the FCC's infinite wisdom, I believe that medium wave 
broadcasters have been authorized to broadcast 24/7 now. 

To make matters even more interesting, the USA is using Ibquity, whilst 
Canada is using DRM (as are American shortwave broadcasts).  We go and 
blow another chance to develop a world-wide standard for broadcasting, 
and have to go our own way.  Can't even take a portable radio to Canada 
now and expect it to work. 

But this topic was about TV...  A local broadcaster threw the digital 
switch the other night for 30 seconds.  As long as my TV remains 
connected to the cable box, I'm OK.  We lived with NTSC for 60 years.  
Now we have Digital ATSC ( always the same color?? ).  What happens when 
Moore's Law takes affect and we have new and improved digital 18 months 
down the road?  Does anyone honestly expect a TV today to now work 
another 10 years from now?  The standard congress decided on is probably 
already technologically obsolete.  Dammit, I want a bailout!

Joe, N6DGY



Philip Miller Tate wrote:
> Hey Frank, why not do what AMRAD does best? Ignore the rubbish on TV,  
> and spend an evening listening to the radio. Digital radio. No, hang  
> on, analogue radio. No, there's nothing on analogue, so it had better  
> be digital. But the best DX is analogue... Umm...
>
> Computer games are fun, too.
>
> Phil M1GWZ
>
>
>
>
>
> On 5 Dec 2008, at 02:28, Frank Gentges wrote:
>
>   
>> Should AMRAD have some sort of special event on Feb 17 to mark its
>> passing?  I assume they will pull the big switch all across the  
>> country
>> on midnight, Feb 16.
>>
>> Perhaps we should set our VCRs to record the cutoff as seen at that  
>> time.
>>
>> Or how about a commemorative gathering at some sports bar where  
>> they use
>> off the air signals on their large screen TVs.  We could all get some
>> sort of appropriate adult beverage to toast each other as the signal
>> disappears.
>>
>> Perhaps a gathering on the AMRAD repeater to reminisce while the  
>> signal
>> fades to black.
>>
>> Frank K0BRA
>>
>>     
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