# DTV switchover on 02/17/09



## mhayes70 (Mar 21, 2006)

This was on our local NBC news last night about the switchover to HD/Digital TV on 02/17/09. They had a nice news story about what you got to have and what you need to get. Here is a link to there page where you answer a couple of questions and it will tell you what you need by 02/17/09 in order to get digital TV.

http://www.ksdk.com/life/programming/dtv/

With all the talk about HD and the fees/cost for getting it lately I thought this might be of some help for some people.

Here is a link to the story. I think it is very informative. 
http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=137139


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## FTA Michael (Jul 21, 2002)

I don't like to pick nits, but it's really a *digital* switchover. Some of that digital programming will not be HD.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Actually that's a message we need to send as much as possible. Do not expect that everything you receive post 2/17/09 to be sterling HD, just digital.


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## Tower Guy (Jul 27, 2005)

FTA Michael said:


> I don't like to pick nits, but it's really a *digital* switchover. Some of that digital programming will not be HD.


As Mrs. Simpson, my high school math teacher, would say in logic class:

All analog is SD.
All HD is digital.
Digital may be SD or HD.


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## mhayes70 (Mar 21, 2006)

FTA Michael said:


> I don't like to pick nits, but it's really a *digital* switchover. Some of that digital programming will not be HD.


That's fine. I got Earl to change the title for me.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

To get more info than you can shake a stick out, check out this site -

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/index.php

There's info on reception issues for areas, cable, displays, etc. One of the hotest forum for discussion on the DTV transition is http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=25

knock yourself out...


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## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

Tower Guy said:


> As Mrs. Simpson, my high school math teacher, would say in logic class:
> 
> All analog is SD.
> All HD is digital.
> Digital may be SD or HD.


Not exactly. The definition of SD is 480i *digital*, although some folks try to apply it to analog as well. You will also see 480p digital referred to as being SD, but the industry accepted term is now ED (Enhanced Definition)
http://www.dtv.gov/glossary.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_television#Formats_and_bandwidth


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## Tower Guy (Jul 27, 2005)

Cholly said:


> Not exactly. The definition of SD is 480i *digital*, although some folks try to apply it to analog as well. You will also see 480p digital referred to as being SD, but the industry accepted term is now ED (Enhanced Definition)
> http://www.dtv.gov/glossary.html
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_television#Formats_and_bandwidth


Are you trying to over complicate the issue?


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

I think that in the vernacular, SD == 480i analog, also known as NTSC. It may not be the most accurate but a retronym (look it up) needs to exist for this sort of thing, and SD works.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

That's how most of us view it - SD = 480i, doesn't matter whether the transmission is NTSC or ATSC.


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## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

scooper said:


> That's how most of us view it - SD = 480i, doesn't matter whether the transmission is NTSC or ATSC.


Until digital TV came along, analog TV's were simply known as TV's. Now that all TV's 13 inches and larger must have digital tuners, the distinctions SD, ED and HD apply to all TV's having ATSC tuners. The fact that they also have NTSC tuners gets people over the hump for the time between now and Feb. 2009. It also will in all probability allow them to use cable boxes that have ch. 3/4 RF outputs.

Just because you call a giraffe a horse, that doesn't make it a horse. :lol:


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

Cholly said:


> Until digital TV came along, analog TV's were simply known as TV's. Now that all TV's 13 inches and larger must have digital tuners, the distinctions SD, ED and HD apply to all TV's having ATSC tuners. The fact that they also have NTSC tuners gets people over the hump for the time between now and Feb. 2009. It also will in all probability allow them to use cable boxes that have ch. 3/4 RF outputs.
> 
> Just because you call a giraffe a horse, that doesn't make it a horse. :lol:


BTW,
ALL TVs and all receiving equipment shipped into the US and interstate have been required to have ATSC tuners since April. Not just over 13". 

Happy Holidays!
Tom


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## Tower Guy (Jul 27, 2005)

Both horses and giraffes are mammals.

Analog is never HD.
All HD is digital.
Digital may be SD or HD.

My cable system uses 504 X 480 sampling for some channels. Is that SD?


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

Here I thought horses and giraffes were quadrupeds.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

:backtotop please


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

Tower Guy said:


> Both horses and giraffes are mammals.
> 
> Analog is never HD.
> All HD is digital.
> ...


I love the useage of syllogism and enthymemes, but I know that there is analog HD, and all HD is not digital entirely, and analog can be SD and HD. To clarify though for this audience, ATSC has a standard that FCC is imposing on USA because spread spectrum television systems are less intrusive and use less power than non-spread spectrum systems, which are considered to be digital based on their spread spectrum properties and how they are interpreted from their over the air analog RF to digital 1's and 0's.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

I would say that if you use "SD" to mean any presentation of the former NTSC standard, then yes 504x480 is SD.


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