Incoming President Requests DTV Cutover Delay

Sat Jan 10 20:15:11 CST 2009

The spectrum that is being auctioned off is the highest UHF channels, above
channel 51.  Technically, channels 2-51 will still be used for over-the-air
DTV operations after Feb 2009.  There has been some discussion about
eventually freeing up channels 2-6, but who would want those low-VHF
frequencies?  And, technically, there are not enough channels left in larger
markets, such as the Boston/NY/NJ/PA/MD/DC corridor, to provide one for each
current TV station.

Very few low-VHF stations (channels 2-6) will go back to those channels
after the transition, for many reasons.  Skip, man-made noise, and poor
coverage, all mess up low-VHF channels.  A very few ARE going back to their
low-VHF channels, mostly due the the high-cost of running a UHF station in
small markets.  In DC, channels 4 and 5 will stay on their UHF channels
(4=48 & 5=35(I think)).

Most stations with highband VHF (7-13) analog channels will return to those
channels around the country.  The cost of running a high-VHF transmitter is
MUCH less than a UHF transmitter, and the VHF signal generally fills in
better than a UHF one.  Channels 7 & 9 in DC, and probably 11 & 13 in
Baltimore fit this model.

Stations already on UHF assignments (channel 20, 22, 26, etc) made their
decisions based on a lot of parameters.

Note that these post-transition channel assigments were requested by the
stations, and approved by the FCC back in 2004-2006,  or so.  I was still
working at the time, and involved in this process for both Gannett stations
and the rest of the country.

I would hope that some of the DTV transition web sites make clear what
stations in each market are doing.  But, this transition has been cast in
stone for better than three years now.  A LOT was done to make sure
interference was kept to a minimum, hence the going back-and-forth between
stations requesting channels, and the FCC granting those requests.

Does that help?
Terry

> -----Original Message-----
> From: tacos-bounces+wb4jfi=amrad.org at amrad.org
> [mailto:tacos-bounces+wb4jfi=amrad.org at amrad.org]On Behalf Of Bob
> Bruninga
> Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2009 7:28 PM
> To: WB4JFI; Alex Fraser; Tacos
> Subject: RE: Incoming President Requests DTV Cutover Delay
>
>
> 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
> > _______________________________________________
> > Tacos mailing list
> > Tacos at amrad.org
> > http://www.amrad.org/mailman/listinfo/tacos
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> >    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\-----++++*0*++++-----//////////////////
> >        No electrons were harmed in the creation of this message
> >          --------------------------------------------------------
> >  ~~~********************Alex Fraser********************~~~
> >          --------------------------------------------------------
> > [[[[[[~~^^^#___=>>>```/\/\**O**/\/\```<<<=___#^^^~~]]]]]]
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