Why I secretly hoped the digital transition date would change
February 17th. February 17th. February 17th. Do you feel like that date has been drilled inside your head by now? Well, guess what? You'd better get used to a new one. Here, I'll get the ball rolling for you.
June 12th. June 12th. June 12th.
If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about I'm referring to the date that the U.S. will transition from analog to digital television. If you still don't know what I'm talking about, please call me immediately. We need to talk.
So it seems the combination of the coupon programming running out of funds and the high number of Americans that are still unprepared for the transition are the result of the push for the new date. Incidentally, as of the writing of this blog post, the digital transition date is technically still February 17th but it is imminent that it will change to June 12th as soon as President Obama signs the bill, which he has stated he will do.
My dirty little secret
Now that we got that out of the way, can I let you in on a secret? I am thrilled that the date is changing. No, not because it gives people more time to get their coupons and digital converter boxes. And not because I'm excited to write about the digital transition for another four months. The truth is it's because I am scheduled to be on vacation on February 17th!
I won't bore you with the circumstances that led up to this conflict but it is what it is. And now I am sleeping better at night knowing I don't have to blog from my hotel or answer telephone questions from the beach. And most importantly, I'll be available on June 12th and the days after to assist anyone that is having issues with the digital transition.
Selfish? Of course it is. That's why it is [was] my dirty little secret.
4 comments for this blog post so far...
February 10, 2009 at 10:22 am
Dorothy Dotson
The delay won’t really matter that much in some instances. I got my coupon, got my converter box (no CBS) and even bought a new digital TV (still no CBS). I’ve been working on this project for months and it doesn’t change the fact that to get CBS in New Whiteland I’m going to have to put in an outdoor antenna! I’ve tried several and expensive indoor antennas, but still no Ch. 8. I contacted WISH and they said as much. I had heard there might be a power boost at cutover, but that will not be the case.
“Dorothy,
The rumor about stations increasing their power following the transition is generally not true. There are a few stations across the nation that may do so. However, none of the Indianapolis stations will be significantly increasing their power at this time
Whiteland is just far enough south, about 25 miles, that an outdoor antenna may be necessary to pick up the digital VHF WISH-DT transmission.
Regards,
-Mike”
There are going to be lots of upset people facing this type of problem whenever the cut off date is.
I now have to find an antenna and someone to install it---no easy task in a world where cable killed that profession. And, no, I don’t want cable! Right now I have two TVs---still watching Ch. 8 on my analog TV for now. On June 12th, the CBS network will disappear from my life if I can’t come up with an outdoor antenna. Maybe it wouldn’t matter so much if I didn’t watch CBS at least 90% of the time.
February 10, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Patric Welch
@Dorothy: I know a guy that I used to install an antenna in my house. He is really good and very personable. I’ve recommended him to several other people and always receive glowing comments about his work.
His name is Jim Daniel and his company is Attic Antenna. The phone # is (317) 781-0149. Tell him that Patric Welch from Noobie referred you and you should get a discount. Good luck!
February 11, 2009 at 9:35 am
asudduth
Clearly this isn’t a scenario that I had thought about. My general thought was that There have been so many commercials, announcements, etc that if someone wasn’t ready they must have ignored all of these informational bits. I thought these people would never be ready regardless of the date.
So, let me apologize to everyone for my thoughts! I am sure there are some people in the category that I described, however I may have mis-judged tremendously by the testimony of Dorothy.
That really is too bad that not everyone who can get an analog signal can get a digital signal. I do understand the pain though, as I was getting analog TV through $13/month cable, but all my digital was from an indoor antenna. 6 (ABC/WRTV) and 13 (NBC/WTHR) were almost always perfect, however to watch 8 (CBS/WISH) it would take me sometimes 30-40 minutes to adjust the antenna to get it. I’ve recently switched to a paid service (AT&T;Uverse) and am thankful not to be fiddling with the antenna, but the quality isn’t quite as good as an antenna signal and it will be costing me more than my previously setup.
In summary, this really changes my opinion. I want the transition to be done with, so its in our past and we don’t see the commercials any more, however is it really fair to tell people to watch TV you must do this, but you might lose channels unless you go to great trouble/expense of installing an antenna you never needed before… that does complicate things.
Thanks for opening my eyes
February 11, 2009 at 9:45 am
Patric Welch
@asudduth: Great discussion going on here. That’s what I love about blogs. You never know how someone else’s comment can alter the way you see things. Thanks for sharing your views :)
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