Scoreboard: DTV Transition 2, Doom & Gloom 0
July 15, 2009 |
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By Jim Barry, CEA’s Digital Answer Man
Chores done, I’m sitting in the den late on a weekend afternoon multi-tasking– watching The Sox (NESN cable), on a high-def 42-inch plasma and golf (CBS off-air) on an old 20-inch analog with a converter box. Reception is great on both.
It strikes me that it’s exactly a month since the analog cutoff, the changeover that surprised many observers with its ease and relatively few problems. The biggest technology switch in history went off with barely a ripple. Sure there were glitches and there are even some folks still experiencing reception problems, but by and large the transition to digital didn’t cause much more of a problem than a serious summer storm or winter blizzard.
As a matter of fact, there were essentially two transitions since about a third of broadcasters chose to shut off analog on the original February date, so as not to spend money delivering two signals for an extra four months. There weren’t an inordinate number of problems then either.
For those of us who have been working on the DTV transition for two decades or so, this came as no surprise. But for those who preached doom and gloom, and for those who said the transition would bring disaster, or those who’ve told me and others over the years that HDTV would never catch on, or at best be a niche product (and you know who you are), sorry, the digital TV age is here and it’s here to stay. And, high-definition is the preferred way to watch sports, movies and prime-time programs.
So since I have a cold drink in my hand, here’s a toast to the FCC, the TV set makers and broadcast networks, CEA and NAB and the other trade associations, the local broadcasters and retailers and everyone else who worked hard to make the digital TV transition a success. Welcome to the DTV era.
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