We haven't touched broadcast TV for over a decade at least. On Wed, Dec 30, 2009 at 6:46 PM, Robert Carroll <[email protected]>wrote:
> Speaking personally, it does not matter to me if TV broadcasting is ended. > With the switch from analog to digital, I am able to receive only two local > digital broadcasts despite having a very large VHF-UHF antenna mounted 10 > feet above the roof of my 2-story house. I dwell in Vienna, VA, which is on > the Capital Beltway only 10 miles from the transmission towers. Prior to > the switch, I could receive at least 14 TV broadcasts. Effectively, TV > broadcasting is ended for me and I must rely on cable for TV viewing. > > I don't know how important TV broadcasting is in smaller cities or in rural > areas. Perhaps it is more important there. > > > > [email protected] wrote: > >> Broadcast television is likely to undergo yet another major change >> similar to what was seen as it transitioned from analog to digital >> about a year ago. Cellular providers are arguing for yet even more >> bandwidth, and this time they want TV broadcasters to give up spectrum >> yet again. Cellular providers argue that digital TV transmissions are >> preventing them from using adjacent frequencies that could be made >> available for mobile data devices, commonly referred to as cell >> phones. AT&T, Sprint, et al, say that TV broadcasts from single >> locations upon tall towers radiate spurious signals that can mess with >> cellular transmissions on nearby frequencies. They want TV >> broadcasters to switch to low power antennas that are scattered >> throughout the coverage area of the various TV stations. The FCC >> earlier had given tacit approval to such a scheme, but because of >> serious technical difficulties associated with such a plan, along with >> much higher cost, such a plan was, for the most part, not employed >> when TV switched from analog to digital. However, cellular providers >> now have their undies in a knit because they are finding they they are >> promising much more than they can actually deliver with the situation >> as it currently stands. >> >> If broadcast TV is forced to undergo yet another transition, this >> time it could have quite an impact upon that industry. Viewers have >> been through this once already, and will probably react unfavorably is >> they have to go through it yet again. Multiple transmission sites >> will create a lot of problems for both the stations as well as >> viewers. Signals that arrive at a TV receiving antenna from multiple >> directions, which would be the case in most scenarios where a number >> of separate transmitters are being used, will cause multipath >> interference, resulting in "ghosting" of images, echo effects, even >> loss of signal when out-of-phase signals collide. In many markets, >> dependent in great part upon the lay of the land, the expected quality >> of digital broadcast can be severely eroded, and there will not be >> much that can be done about it. Broadcasters can make some signal >> adjustments at the various broadcasting antenna sites that they would >> be using, but those adjustments would basically be of a "one size fits >> all" type that could fix problems for some viewers while leaving >> others still dealing with a mess. >> >> An awful lot of consumers have sunk a lot of money into new digital >> televisions, and they want and expect to get the quality images that >> they have paid to be able to receive. Many viewers re going to be >> plenty upset if this change comes to pass, and cable and satellite TV >> companies are already salivating and licking their lips in >> anticipation. >> >> Steve >> >> >> >> > > > ************************************************************************* > ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** > ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** > ************************************************************************* > ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
