Incoming President Requests DTV Cutover Delay

Sat Jan 10 18:28:11 CST 2009

Terry,
Maybe I am confused.
But isnt there also going to be some spectrum re-capture of some TV channels for other RF uses?

Can youu clarify what VHF channels are being refarmed for other uses?  Or is it UHF< or what?

thanks

Bob, WB4APR

---- Original message ----
>Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2009 02:17:54 -0500
>From: "WB4JFI" <wb4jfi at knology.net>  
>Subject: RE: Incoming President Requests DTV Cutover Delay  
>To: "Alex Fraser" <beatnic at comcast.net>,"Tacos" <tacos at amrad.org>
>
>   HD and SD signals should be received equally good
>   (or equally poor) over DTV.  They are both just
>   payload bits to the DTV transmission/reception
>   chain.  If the RF gets there and the bits are
>   decoded at all, it is doubtful that the demux/MPEG
>   II part will fail more or less on one or the other. 
>   There has been several proposals to improve the ATSC
>   performace, especially and SD channel, but they
>   relied on special encoding and/or more
>   error-correction.  None of which is built into
>   existing receiver hardware.   I don't know about any
>   more, but it used to be that PBS sent HD at night,
>   and several SD "channels" during the day.   Remember
>   my theory as you buy your set: if you watch a lot of
>   "heads" (people) shows, you probably need a slightly
>   larger set than the old one. The old 4x3 set is
>   squarer, and a peson's face is more vertical, so the
>   16x9 will look a little smaller on the exact same
>   size set.  If, however, you watch a lot of sports or
>   movies, you will probably be OK, as they all tend to
>   be shot more horizontally.   My vote would be with
>   your wife.  You will be hard-pessed to "see the
>   dots" anyway.  Even on older SD singals.  Most new
>   TVs have line doubles, or quadruplers, or whatever,
>   to reduce the artifacts.  If you still have room on
>   either side of the set, it's not big enough!!  
>   Actually, there is a formula for how close to sit to
>   the set, depending on screen size.  I'tt try to find
>   it.  Maybe George can chime in.   Good luck. Terry  
>    -----Original Message-----
>   From: tacos-bounces+wb4jfi=amrad.org at amrad.org
>   [mailto:tacos-bounces+wb4jfi=amrad.org at amrad.org]On
>   Behalf Of Alex Fraser
>   Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2009 1:00 AM
>   To: Tacos
>   Subject: Re: Incoming President Requests DTV Cutover
>   Delay
>
>         That's astounding.  Do you get so many
>     stations because of your location?  Baltimore +
>     DC? Do you use a beam antenna? If so do you rotate
>     it?  I live considerably south of DC in
>     Woodbridge.  I'd love to get PBS from MPT and
>     WETA.  Anyone have any reception experience with
>     this general area? Do MPT and WETA both transmit
>     in HD?  Do HD signals carry as well over distance
>     as standard definition DTV?
>
>         I had to look up the HDMA connectors and was
>     pleased to see that they are DVI compatible and
>     converters are available for computer monitors. 
>     The catch is that the monitors must have speakers
>     and circuitry so you can hear the sound.  Has any
>     one made a break out box and device to pull off
>     the digital audio and pump it through a decoding
>     device?  Will it go into a digital input on a
>     computer sound card?
>
>       My wife and I are of two schools on getting new
>     TVs.  We both want one as we watch TV separately. 
>     I figure you could get a smaller higher quality
>     set and sit closer as it is higher def and
>     wouldn't look fuzzy.  She thinks in terms or
>     across the room viewing.  She is thinking
>     furniture.  She didn't like my idea of cutting a
>     slot in the coffee table for a pop up screen.  BTW
>     I like the disappearing screen idea, could you
>     post plans?
>
>         I wonder if anyone has used a Computer DV
>     card?  What brand and how is reception?  I have
>     used analog Hauppaug cards for years with cable
>     and love it. 
>
>     Bob Bruninga wrote:
>
> If a TV station switches over to DTV
> and nobody gets a free converter
> box will anybody watch?
>
> Well, I held off for 20 years.  Till last week we had only rabbit ears on a 13" TV in the closet that we only brought out once every 4 years to watch the olympics.  With kids, we just decided to raise them with no TV in the house except the 13" hooked to a VCR for the occasional movie.
>
> But on sale last week, I went and got a big TV. and wow am I impressed with off-air DTV.  WIth just a 6 dBi gain UHF antenna, I am getting 50+ stations in unbelievable DTV quality, and not paying a cent.
>
> But I agree, its 48 channls of worthless garbage, thank heavens for PBS.  Kids are gone, now, so I'mm ready for some relaxing TV.  But not quite yet...
>
> Wife insists that the big TV disappear when not in use.  THis is beacuse the only place to put it is in the middle of our big bay window!  So I am cutting a hole in the bottom of the bay, where the TV can disappear down into the lean-to roof attic of the first floor below the window.  This and 60 lbs worth of springs and mechanism to make it easy to pull up and down.
>
> Nothing is ever easy..
>
> Bob, WB4aPR
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>
>
>
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