Analog networks hold on for a few more years in US
A few days ago I wrote about the analog shut down and how it would affect cell phone and cable users. This week there have been some developments to the story. The switch from analog to digital, while beneficial over all, seems to be hitting some snags and set backs that are causing delays.
For one thing, it seems that in spite of repeated news items about the shut down over the past months, many of the public hasn’t heard of this major change from analog to digital. My first thought was that if you missed this pending change you must be living under a rock, but then realized that we are talking about a segment of the population who still cling to their beloved rabbit ears, so they may not be interested in following news about cutting edge technology, even if it affects them.
Meanwhile the UK has completed the first official flip of the off switch, turning off BBC2, their analog BBC station, this New Year’s Eve. According to one web site:
“The long-anticipated switchover to purely digital TV began last night in Britain. Although digital broadcasts have been available for a while in most parts of the UK, they have been running alongside the old analogue frequencies. Last night, in the small hours, the analogue signal for BBC2 was switched off forever in the town of Whitehaven in Cumbria. Analog signals are expected to have been switched off over the whole of the UK by 2012. Meanwhile in the states Best Buy has stopped selling analog televisions. ‘Best Buy is the first consumer-electronics retailer to report an exit from the analog-TV business. More than 60 million U.S. households currently rely on an antennas or analog cable, and cable operators are required to guarantee their customers will receive broadcast channels until February 2012.’”
Not only did the FCC vote to give the American consumer a reprieve until 2012, during which time they can still bend those rabbit ears and nurse that decrepit television through a little longer, they also introduced a TV converter box coupon program. This means that it won’t cost the average television watcher as much as they though to make the long-needed switch from analog to digital television. You can see the coupon, find out how to make the switch, and follow the countdown timer at this DTV web site.
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