Commentary: Goodbye, my old friend – Analog TV

The switch over from analog to digital TV signals on June 12, 2009 marks a definite end to the familiar, decades-old way television programs arrive into millions of American homes.
[ stock photo courtesy of: Kenn Kiser ]

June 12, 2009. The day analog television died. We all knew this day was coming, but that doesn't lessen the pain. Allow me to offer a eulogy for my dear old friend.

Given that I'm a Gen-Xer and a native son of New York City (media capital of the world), it's no surprise that TV was a big part of my life growing up. I spent a lot of time (maybe too much) in front of that glowing screen. Ask me my favorite happy childhood memories and I can immediately list: The Sesame Street gang teaching me my A-B-Cs (PBS, Channel 13); watching School House Rock on ABC Saturday mornings. (Who knew that catchy ad-like jingles could teach you stuff and be fun? "Conjunction Junction, what's your function? Hooking up words and phrases and clauses..."); and watching movies at 4:30 weekday afternoons instead of doing homework. (Thanks, WABC Channel 7—especially for the many “Godzilla” weeks!)

Maybe I had a sheltered childhood, but over-the-air TV opened up a wonderful world of entertainment (and learning)—all for free... using just a simple antenna. It captivated millions of others, including the nearly 106 million Americans who watched the finale of M*A*S*H, the more than 90 million who discovered first-hand, who shot "J.R." on Dallas, and the nearly 53 million who watched Friends go for that one last cup of coffee at "Central Perk." Truly free TV was indeed powerful in its day.

But analog TV technology gave us many moments of grief along with the joy. Those snowy, ghost-filled video images... the poor sound... the limited number of channels... In fact, the successor to the old and now-dead dog could breathe new life into free, over-the-air TV. Just look at some of DTV's cable-like enhancements: crystal-clear, colorful video—and in high-definition, if you have an HDTV; improved stereo audio—multi-channel surround sound (again, for HDTV); and more channels—up to four additional "sub-channels" per broadcaster for alternate programming. How can I not like sub-channels 7-2 and 4-2 which focus exclusively on local weather and news 24/7?

All that now-available electronic "space" can be used for other things—better communications for emergency first responders or more wireless Web connections, for examples. What's more, the government auction of those electronic remnants of analog TV could generate billions of dollars for the U.S.

Still, the passing of analog TV technology has had some unexpected consequences for me and millions of others.

For example:

• My VCRs, digital video recorders (DVRs), and DVD recorders are all useless without a DTV converter box—one with a VCR timer feature so I'm not limited to recording only one digital channel when I'm not around.
• Though I've gained some channels, I've lost others. My HDTV and DTV boxes can't find WCBS even though its transmitters are located on the Empire State Building alongside those of the other major networks that I can view with no problem.
• During periods of heavy rain or other atmospheric conditions, even the stations I do receive might "drop out." In other words, I can no longer depend on over-the-air broadcasts.

I and countless other Americans will undoubtedly find ways to cope—whether by subscribing to pay-TV services or turning to other substitutes such as streaming videos and TV shows from the Net or even (gasp!) stop watching TV altogether! But for now, I choose to honor and remember analog TV for all it has done—and done well—for so many years of my life. —Paul Eng

P.S. What do you think? Share your grief or glee in the comments section. But please remember: We are a "family-friendly" site, so keep it clean, respectful, and on-topic!

Comments

[JP]

OUTER LIMITS (parody)
There is nothing wrong with your television set.(or is there?)
Do not attempt to adjust the picture.
DTV is controlling transmission.
Forget the horizontal. Forget the vertical.
DTV will control all that you see and hear.
DTV can change the focus to soft pixilation,
or sharpen it to MORE pixilation!
Forget about turning on the TV and receiving free programing!
You are about to engage in a new adventure.
You are about to experience the awful misery of DTV.

My apologies to the "OUTER LIMITS" analog TV show.

JP

[Mike Reilly]

Everett,
Thank you for all the valuable information. Alas, I agree that I am going to have to reluctantly move forward. There are bargains to be found out there and I'm pretty god at finding them. Might as well start scheming [planning] now!

T'care and enjoy the summer.

Mike

[everett whitney]

TO: Mike R. - "Have an extremely-top Drawer set up..!"

No choice actually - however - as by another 10-12 months or even much sooner {depends upon each TV Market for actual timing} , they WILL have shut you down to essentially those same Channels as one would get via an outside antenna, period!

Alternatively, you may decide to "protect" that elaborate, whole house set up simply by "giving in" - - - select their
DTV Service option, with their own cable Set Top Box for each device [analogous to a federal coupon Converter only FAR, FAR better!]

Will actually cost a fortune in it's own right, however.

As this new DTV becomes more familiar to us all, it WILL also be readily apparent that to literally have / maintain several TVs within & throughout one's home IS already a dying practice! Just shear economies-of-scale will so dictate! A literal fortune to rent all those one-for-one required cable boxes!

OR - do as 99% will need to do eventually - simply BUY (1) new, top tier HDTV set, with an excellent captive cable dual tuner, hard drive HD Receiver / Recorder, thus truly joining this digital TV era! The Scientific Atlanta 8300HD S.T.B. is one such superb unit ....

Recording in 'HD' w/o local cable or satellite of all available DTV Channels is essentially beyond individuals now, particularly when using HDMI cabling!

everett

[Mike Reilly]

Yes, I will be going through nausia soon. I am of baby boomer age [61] and have gone to great lengths over many years to build, tweek and update a network of high end VCRs throughout the house. I can and often do copy 8 different channels at the same time. We have Charter expanded basic cable here and they are slowly taking away channels from us 1-2 at a time and putting them into the digital tier. We had 84 not long ago and now we have 71. The most frustrating is them taking away our on-screen channel guide [should not be legal]. So now we are driving blind as TV guide is printed so far in advance, it's reliability is non-existent. Once the whole house has to be digital, my elaborate & top-notch system will be useless, non-programable, VERY limited junk. So yup, I am a member of a very small minority. To convert this house to something of equal dependability will cost mucho bucks. Bucks I do not have. Makes me sad.
Take care all. Great talkin' to you.
Mike

[nonewtv]

what about radios with tv stations?

[everett whitney]

RE: Joseph - " Old O.T.A. Reception vs Now w/DTV .."

I couldn't agree more whole-heartedly !

The very-wide variations in Summer vs Winter due to Tree Foliage, extremes in weather including violent storms, wild temperatures swings such we have in Oklahoma or either during monsoonal rains / white-out snows ... all of these DO make O.T.A.-DTV reception a Very Tedious / Exasperating-For-Some "issue!"

Certainly, extremely-little chance of these ".. new, Special HD Amplified Indoor antennas every being technically-capable .." for 100% dependable, DTV reception w/o constant attention & "fiddling!"

everett

[Joseph horne]

Not mentioned in Paul Eng's nice elegy for analog TV is finding distant stations late at night when the atmospheric conditions were right ( cloudy, warm, and humid) . I remember getting Channel 13 from Salisbury, Maryland when I lived on Long Island, and a UHF channel in Kingston, NY using just Rabbit ears when living in Kew Gardens. I agrre that the picture and sound are better, but reception is dicey at best and I believe objections will continue to mount.

[Paul Eng]

To Julie:

Thanks for your comment.

Yes, your HDTV has a digital tuner built in that uses your existing antenna to pull in your local TV stations that are now broadcasting digitally.

But, the change-over from analog to digital broadcasts should have no DIRECT affect on your headphones.

I presented your question to our experts, and the best guess we can make is that somehow, you're experiencing some radio interference. (Quite possibly, your wireless Sennheiser headphones use some type of analog "low-frequency radio" system that uses previously unoccupied--or less-crowded--frequencies. But now with a whole host of devices, such as baby monitors, garage door openers, and cordless phones, using those frequencies...)

Our techs would suggest you check your headphones' manuals to see if there's a switch or setting that would allow you to change frequencies used by your headphones' transmitters (the part you attach to your TV's audio output) and by the headphones themselves.

Without further details about your particular model of wireless headphones (The page on Sennheiser's Web site that lists "wireless headphones" -- http://www.sennheiserusa.com/private_headphones_wireless-headphones -- has no listing for an "100" model.), that is our best hypothesis.

If your headphones' frequencies cannot be switched, you might have to buy a new set of wireless headphones unfortunately.

The good news is that most wireless headphones now use digital radio systems, some with "DSS" and/or "A2DP Bluetooth" -- two digital wireless technologies that are less prone to interference from other devices using the same or nearby frequencies.

Hope this helps!

Paul Eng
Web Sr. Editor, Electronics

[julie]

I have a regular antenna. Since the big change, (yet I have a HD tv, which doesn't need a box). My headphone sets don't work no more. I have the Sennheiser 100 head sets (2)of them. They just won't tune into any tv channels at all. Do you have any suggestions on how to fix the problem?

[Michael Spadoni]

I'm not afraid of digital television; in fact, I have virtually successfully weathered the transition on my two Sony LCD sets (one with digital tuner, the other with a converter box--and both with a lot of antenna tweaking and road testing).
This is all a flashback to the days of color broadcasting.
In 1965 or thereabouts, my mother and father headed down to the local Sears store, pulled out their charge card, and a few days later, our home had a brand-new 23 inch Silvertone color console. What a joy that set was. My sister and I finally realized what "Walt Disney's Wonderful World Of Color" really meant! And Lucille Ball's red hair on "The Lucy Show" was truly red! But the real fun began in early 1966, when we were about the only ones on the block with color TV and some of our friends came over to watch "Batman" (twice a week). For a while, my sister and I were the most popular kids around.
Over the years, color became a given, as was the VCR, stereo broadcasting, the DVD and--finally--digital TV and HD.
And now it's time for new memories.

[tp bandit]

it's been a few days and I haven't heard of any rioting in the streets because of the switch (not yet at least)

[Paul Eng]

To Lou:

Although your comment really isn't on topic about the Digital TV transitions -- which affects the way television is delivered (broadcasted) over the air for FREE -- I've posted your comment and will answer it here.

Many cable companies, including Comcast, are ALSO turning to digital methods of delivering TV to subscribers. You can read more about how that move has caused confusion by reading:

Cable users confused about DTV transition:
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2009/05/cable-users-confused-about-dtv-.html

and

Cablevision’s misleading doomsday message
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/money/2009/05/cablevision_digital_dtv_conversion_avellar_misleading.html

But to answer you directly about why Comcast would insist you need a "heavy 16-inch" cable box (even when your new TV has a built-in "digital tuner"), it's "because Comcast can."

As you noted, without the cable box, your new TV's tuner gets almost all the same channels you would with the box, save three. I don't know what those three "missing" channels are, but my guess would be that Comcast in your area (for whatever reason) decided to "scramble" or at least digitally encode/encrypt those three networks so they're only available using the cable box, which does the actual "decryption."

We've had similar experiences with Cablevision, a cable TV service provider here in the metro New York region.

For more information, read the following posts:

Hey Cablevision, where did my channels go?
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/money/2009/05/hey-cablevision-where-did-my-channels-go.html

and

Cablevision: No more expanded analog service for new customers after 2009
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2009/05/cablevision-no-more-expanded-analog-service-for-new-customers-after-2009.html

Confused? Like I eulogized in my post above:

"Truly free TV was indeed powerful in its day."

Now? It's mostly a confused mess of different companies' various technologies -- cable? satellite? fiber-optic from the PHONE company? -- at different prices (none of them "free" BTW) for different levels of "service."

I miss my old friend.

-Paul Eng
Web Sr. Editor, Electronics

[Lou]

I finally broke down and bought a new small digital tv for the kitchen. When I asked Comcast to come and connect it up to their cable, they also insisted that I needed their big, 16" heavy converter box. I removed the box and can use the tv without it except for losing 3 channels. Why would I need the box if the tv is digital? What other information does their box collect?

[everett whitney]

Mr. Paul Eng, Web Sr. Editor, Electronics

A great article on where we all have been!

I originally lived for my first 18 years in Maine, where TV of any sort was never really a "thing" until after I had left for college. So, I didn't have the same relative exposure as you, obviously.

BUT - I did enjoy helping my Dad & Uncle in their various attempts of literally fabricating their own special, outside antennas in order to receiver Boston's Tv broadcasts ... and, they WERE successful in doing so!

It is also very poignant to me that in these times of stress and uncertainty - for time to come, as well - that many will either have considerable difficulties or No success in obtaining 100% dependable DTV reception.

The very ones needing free Tv the greatest may well be too physically-unfit to climb about within the attics and / or roofs to "D.I.Y." a new, appropriate antenna system.

For others, the apartment complex has far too much "influence" or monies to ward off the challenges by a few tenants wishing to install their own antennas, even though now allowed by law.

And, so, we stumble along into this all-new era of digital TV !!

Regards,

everett