Brace Yourself For Tonight's DTV Transition
Analog television broadcasts end tonight at 11:59 PM. Are you ready? Are you tired of hearing about this yet? If you've put off buying a digital converter box, or you want to use the transition as an excuse to buy a shiny new TV, Consumer Reports is here to show you how to choose the awesomest model you can find.
If you need a converter box, the converter buying guide shows you what to look for, and they've tested and rated many common models. I tried to find links to purchase some of the recommended models online, but, as Consumer Reports also notes, many are out of stock.
Consumer Reports subscribers can check out ratings and recommended models of new TVs, and for everyone else, here's a handy educational film we can use to learn more about what to look for in a modern TV. (Handy if, like me, you haven't shopped for TVs since the mid-'90s.) Because the sales staff probably aren't going to help all that much.
Digital TV Transition Hub [Consumer Reports]
TVs and TV Ratings [Consumer Reports]
Post a comment
Comments:
FINALLY!! I need to make the decision if I need an outdoor antenna for my LCD tv, which gets crappy digital reception right now (while my older tv with the external digital converter gets awesome reception), but I wanted to wait to see if maybe the official switch would make a difference.
Analog television stops at 11:59 pm tonight; custom Facebook URLs are available at 12:01 am tonight. Coincidence? I think not.
Clearly Facebook is conspiring with the FCC. I can't say how or why, but I'm on a mission to find out.
About damn time.
People sure had plenty of time to sort this out for themselves. If they aren't prepared, they only have themselves to blame.
I get more channels now than I did over analog and with analog the reception was snowy on some stations. I get over 20 channels and don't have to pay for cable!
If you want an over the air DVR you can get the Dish Network DVR for $250. It converts and records two shows at the same time. No monthly fees like TIVO.
@Michael Belisle: But wait, there's more. Who delayed the transition? And who uses Facebook?
Answer:
This is real wrath of God type stuff.
@nakedscience: Yeah, that's where I am right now. But I live in an apartment building, so I don't know if they'd allow an external one.
I have no remorse for these people who complain "I didn't know" You aren't ready for it? Too bad. You've only had FOUR FRIGGIN YEARS to get ready for it.
@nakedscience: I bought one of these beasts: [www.antennasdirect.com] and just put it in the attic, a much easier install job. I get beautiful reception from the city I live 15 miles from and the other city I live 20 miles from. I only paid $80, might've been an older model. Plus I have to buy an amplifier thing to get the signal all the way to the basement and back up to the living room. But hell, $14 a month for the very basic basic cable, I saved $ after less than a year of use. And I get a much clearer picture.
Being the only guy in my family with any tech knowledge, I've already received three calls this morning from relatives, demanding to know "WHY WON'T MY TV WORK ANYMORE?! WHAT'S GOING ON?! I'M GETTING THESE MESSAGES THAT I HAVE TO BUY SOME KIND OF CONVERTER!" And of course once I explain what's going on, they rant about how it's all a government scam and blah blah blah.
I'd bet there are probably millions of other people across America going through the same thing today.
They estimate that over 2 million families will be without TV starting today. This could be one of the best things to ever happen to this country.
Non-event for anyone with an IQ over 60.
@takes_so_little: I sell converter boxes at work and we ran out a while back. People still come in moaning that we don't have any for them to buy.
@takes_so_little: Don't forget random outages from your wonderful cable company that you won't have to worry about.
@nakedscience: probablly not. While the analog signal will be shut off, in most cases, its going to take a couple weeks for the old analog transmitter to be taken down and replaced with the more powerful digital one on top of the tower. Don't fret at first. If after a month you don't see a difference, that'll be your sign.
"Analog television broadcasts stop tonight at 11:59 PM."
One minute later, Facebook servers crash with everyone trying to reserve their new user name.
Truly an apocalyptic night.
@frank64: I'm curious about those 20 channels. Aside from the five free broadcast networks and PBS, what other channels do you get?
I guess all of my local stations got a different memo because they turned off their analog signals at 12 midnight last night except 1 that did so at 8 am this morning (to avoid their staff getting inundated with calls until after the news - they said).
I have cable, a converter box for my non-digital tv and a new TV with the digial tuner built in, so I am set for tonight.
What I do wonder about is when the cable companies (Comcast) will stop broadcasting analog signals now that the OTA channels have stopped? We have lost two channels (Cartoon Network and G4) when Comcast converted them to all digital. I am not interested in getting a digital box for my other TV's that are scattered throughout the house (kitchen, basement) and don't want to lose service on them.
Anyone know when this may happen?
@No_Moleste: I anticipate rioting. I pitty the weekend staff at the local TV stations who will be getting the phonecalls wondering why their television is not working. I wonder how much overtime the FCC staff will be putting in this weekend?
@nakedscience: After analog is shut off (and the nightlight period is over), broadcasters will have authorization to crank up the output power on the digital signals. Whether they actually will or not remains to be seen, but considering how ungracefully digital TV signals degrade with distance I sure hope they boost it by a lot.
@Michael Belisle: 2 minutes isn't quite enough to cook an egg, but that's ok because I like them runny and salmonella-y anyway.
We are going to have a rooftop party and watch civilization crumble around us !!!! (of course that is where the best reception is).
Once it changes we will let no refugees onto our digital rooftop! We are stocked with beer and Munchos and have numerous 13" B&W TV's to hurl down at the analog masses! 1001101001100101000101010010101!!!!!!!
I'm really eager to see what happens after tonight. The TV industry finally admitted last February that millions of over-the-air customers would not be able to pick up a DTV signal due to "digital drop off".
My dad's already discovered this. One of the local stations (based 45 miles away) changed over to DTV back in February, and even though he'd purchased the convert box last September he could not get the signal. Then Dad invested in an HDTV and STILL couldn't get the signal. Another station changed over a few weeks ago, and he lost that signal too. After tonight, I expect Dad'll lose his last remaining signal.
The converter boxes have been WAY oversold to the public. The reality is, if you live more than 35 miles from the signal source, and/or are in a hilly or woody area, the boxes are useless--you're very probably not going to get any DTV signals. And antennas likely won't help you (plus they're an additional cost, into the hundreds of dollars).
What really ticks me off about this is: digital drop-off has barely been covered by the news media, and as far as I can tell the gov't hasn't address it in at all.
I predict that there's going to be a giant class-action lawsuit over this DTV switch-over.
I get Providence and Boston stations, so I get multiple channels from the networks, I also get independent stations like Boston 56 and 38. Some of the Boston channels also have sub channels: This Network, and RTN which have old movies and old TV series, mostly they appear to be from the 70's.
There a two separate PBS stations and one had 3 sub stations Kid, World, Create. Also I am not sure if they are independent or affiliated with a network but 4 stations labeled Ion, Ion Life, qubo, and a religion channel.
@allnitecp: I believe the cable companies have to continue giving local OTA stations on analog signals for the next couple years. A lot of providers have been decreasing the channels that are provided by analog signals, but they're keeping things like ABC, NBC, etc.
Our big local station (WRAL) turned it off at noon today.
Wow... I'm alarmed at the number of people on here who
1) Have no empathy whatsoever for people caught by this- guess what- there ARE people with IQs of 60, living fairly independently, who may be confused by this.
2) There was a small need for addtl bandwidth for emergency, and a political need to provide the broadcast industry yet another airwave freebie.
3) Digital TV is needlessly confusing- whoever decided to block channels by .1-.4, etc. was a bureaucrat or an idiot or both. Most Digital TVs I have played with take time to find the channel, even if pre-scanned, and channel flipping takes time- its not instant like analog or properly-working cable.
4) And not one word of the Cable providers using this as an excuse to throttle back their analog channels, making people get converter boxes or pay more for what they used to get as part of a basic package- another key lobbying group loving the $witch.
In other words, there are prefectly good reasons to be cynical/skeptical about this whole thing, have a little empathy, and stop thinking you are better than other people because you have more access to technology.
@takes_so_little: No attic. I live in an apartment. They allow satellite dishes, so they'd likely allow an outside antenna.
@jayphat: Thanks for the tip, I wasn't really sure how long it would take. I may be moving and getting a roommate, in which case he'd get cable (I don't care about cable, but he'd want it), in which case the whole thing will be moot, but we'll see how it goes.
@Applekid: This is what I'm hoping for too.
@Darklighter: Yeah, I made some LOLGhostbusters, and also some LOLSimpsons. Getting the chance to use them is few and far between, but when it presents itself... Priceless.
If you have radios that get TV audio you are SOOL as well.
I have an under counter ipod AM/FM TV tuner that I listen to Jeopardy on weeknights--I can kiss that 1/2 hour goodbye...
@nakedscience: Even still, that site has great customer service. They gave me lots of help, never tried to upsell me, and even gave me help with issues that didn't require me buying more things from them.
@jayphat: Transmitters aren't usually on top of towers, just the antenna goes up there. The transmitter is installed in a building near the tower where it's better protected from the elements and easier to service. I suspect that most of the stations that will be able to broadcast at higher power on their current digital frequency will be ready to boost power immediately, and at this point I'd expect that the stations that are switching frequencies would be ready as well, though they'll probably broadcast a "Tune us in on channel Y" message on their temporary channel as long as they're allowed to do so.
As for your digital drop off, i see no issue, i am pulling in WPBF based in Tequesta FL from Fort Lauderdale, about 70 miles away. That is one of the farthest stations. I just did a rescan today and am getting roughly 70 stations OTA. Everything in Miami, Fort Laud, WPB, and Fort Pierce.
Go outside and get your antenna off the ground, they don't work inside, they were never meant to.
Um yeah, I live more than 35 miles from the broadcast towers in Columbia, SC. It's nothing but very tall pine trees where I live and it's very hilly. I receive all of my digital just fine with a small attic antenna that cost less than $50. Sorry, I'm not buying any of your argument.
@JGKojak: No offense, but anybody who doesn't understand the transition probably should take the 5 minutes to understand it. Call it a national "TV Test". If you're not smart enough to learn a little about how the box works, you're not allowed to use the box.
@allstarecho: One unconfirmed source I have states the stations had to inform of their selection of a particular six-hour block (midnight to 6am, 6am to noon, etc.) to make the switch. The best I could find on the DTV site was this note:
@timjohnson1717: Ah yes, the anecdotal "gosh, it works for me...if it doesn't work for you, you must be stupid or something..."
Actually, I think it's a bit sad that you will no longer be able to simply convert the modulated radio signal into oscillations to vary voltage on an electron gun anymore.
I realize this is beyond most people, and I'm sure not the hobbyist type in a position to try and build my own television, but there's a natural elegance to analog that is lost with digital.
Someday analog radio will go the same way as analog TV, and the days of making a radio with your 101 Project Electronics Kit and going "Oh, I get it now" will be no more.
Do today's kids even know the whole record, pencil, needle, and paper cone trick? CD and laser pointer doesn't work.
WWMWD? (What Would Mister Wizard [RIP] Do?)
PS: Rural areas, enjoy your digital cliff!
It's about time! Enough with the delays. If a you haven't prepared yourself by now then you were never going to.