Digital TV switch

[Topaz]

Clements says there won't be any delay switching to digital in August of 2011 and part of the reason is the government stands to make billions from it. There's about 900,000 who watch TV by antenna and after the switch 40,000 may not have TV, unless they go to satellite. I know when the US switched it cost $40 for the converter but there's no news about that in Canada as yet. Isn't there going to be a problem also with the TV, themselves, if you don't have a fairly new set? http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/static/business/article1526507.html

[M.Dancer]

The 900,000 who watch TV by antenna still can, although they will need a new antennae...

I don't understand why someone who doesn't have satellite now, would need to in the future.

[AngusThermopyle]

I haven't kept up on this subject at all for years now. If my memory serves me well when it was first being discussed there was talk of digital conversion devices being required for analog sets, in other words all older CRT sets. Honestly I can't say if that will still be necessary however I think it would.

At the time it was speculated that these conversion units would cost on the order of $400.00 or so. However given the nature of electronics and the trend of greater technology at lower prices I imagine the cost of these devices would be much lower now.

By the way, why is this in Federal Politics rather than Technology?

Edited April 8, 2010 by AngusThermopyle

[M.Dancer]

At the time it was speculated that these conversion units would cost on the order of $400.00 or so.

A fellow I know has a digital ariel...he says you can get them for 40 bucks.

[Dave_ON]

By the way, why is this in Federal Politics rather than Technology?

Best guess? Federal Politics is the first forum in the list. Many posts get dumped here that shouldn't be.

[Wild Bill]

Best guess? Federal Politics is the first forum in the list. Many posts get dumped here that shouldn't be.

Actually Dave, Topaz probably thought that it was a federal issue, in that the Tories were going to cause "incredible financial hardship by taking TV away from nearly a million people"!

She has a history of jumping on such issues without fully understanding them. It's obvious she just doesn't like Tories.

For the record, anyone using a dish or cable will not even notice the change. The satellite and cable providers are doing the conversions within their system. To the user's TV there will be no change.

The ONLY people with a problem will be those with old-fashioned rabbit ears or rooftop antennae! The newer TV's have a tuner capable of handling the new type of signal. Older TV's can just buy an outboard "box", similar to the cable box we used to use years ago. They have been on sale for over a year now in various electronics stores for $99 Cdn. The Americans had a government rebate program that would kick money back, which is where that $40 cost for a box number came from. I haven't heard if Canada will have a similar program.

Me, I couldn't care less! I have very few shows I like anymore. I've gotten to the point where I don't care about the quality of the delivery vehicle, whether it's HD or 3D or BlueRay or whatever. It's the CONTENT that's important! You can print a book on cheap or expensive paper but if the story sucks who cares?

Since Reality TV became the rage I spend less and less time watching TV. If it wasn't for the rest of the family I would cancel my cable.

It's just SOOO BORING!

[Topaz]

Actually Dave, Topaz probably thought that it was a federal issue, in that the Tories were going to cause "incredible financial hardship by taking TV away from nearly a million people"!

She has a history of jumping on such issues without fully understanding them. It's obvious she just doesn't like Tories.

For the record, anyone using a dish or cable will not even notice the change. The satellite and cable providers are doing the conversions within their system. To the user's TV there will be no change.

The ONLY people with a problem will be those with old-fashioned rabbit ears or rooftop antennae! The newer TV's have a tuner capable of handling the new type of signal. Older TV's can just buy an outboard "box", similar to the cable box we used to use years ago. They have been on sale for over a year now in various electronics stores for $99 Cdn. The Americans had a government rebate program that would kick money back, which is where that $40 cost for a box number came from. I haven't heard if Canada will have a similar program.

Me, I couldn't care less! I have very few shows I like anymore. I've gotten to the point where I don't care about the quality of the delivery vehicle, whether it's HD or 3D or BlueRay or whatever. It's the CONTENT that's important! You can print a book on cheap or expensive paper but if the story sucks who cares?

Since Reality TV became the rage I spend less and less time watching TV. If it wasn't for the rest of the family I would cancel my cable.

It's just SOOO BORING!

Topaz reply is... I don't like THIS Tory party with very good reasons and I put it in the Federal topic because Clements is the Federal minister of Industry and he was the one that made the comment, it could probably go to either forum. I do feel for those on fixed income who may find some hardship on this but I also know its just part of the future in the tech industry, some will win and some will lose.

[Mr.Canada]

All those 32" LCD's we keep seeing on sale every week are the ones which don't have the digital tuner in them. As many have said if you have cable or satellite it doesn't matter anyhow.

[bush_cheney2004]

All those 32" LCD's we keep seeing on sale every week are the ones which don't have the digital tuner in them. As many have said if you have cable or satellite it doesn't matter anyhow.

Huh? Why would someone market a new 32" LCD television receiver without the standard NTSC and digital ATSC/QAM tuner? This is illegal in the United States....maybe Canada gets 'em?

Most 32" LCDs that you see on the cheap are 720P and 60Hz scan rates....and people think they need full 1080p because of advertising. But a 32" format is small enough to be fine at 720p for most people watching content that is normally not full blown HD (e.g Blu Ray).

[Mr.Canada]

Huh? Why would someone market a new 32" LCD television receiver without the standard NTSC and digital ATSC/QAM tuner? This is illegal in the United States....maybe Canada gets 'em?

Most 32" LCDs that you see on the cheap are 720P and 60Hz scan rates....and people think they need full 1080p because of advertising. But a 32" format is small enough to be fine at 720p for most people watching content that is normally not full blown HD (e.g Blu Ray).

I did some looking into it and that is what I found. Their were often two models the exactly the same except for one had the tuner and one did not. The one which is on sale without the tuner was cheaper then the one with it.

I've checked a ton of them in the past. The most recent one I did was just before the gold medal hockey game they had the 32" LCD Sony Bravia - 720p at Superstore for $399 and sure enough it was without the tuner. I couldn't even find the exact model except with the tuner in Canada.

Yeah, I'm sure they're trying to sell them off before the change comes. These are international companies we're talking about here, the have to national allegiances except to their own bottom lines so let's not kid ourselves and pretend they're some noble entity here.

Yeah the game is bit different up here in Canada. We cannot have a law against something which doesn't exist yet hehehe. I'm sure something will be passed along those same lines though, it makes sense. But who knows some things seem to ass backward up here. We regulate everything but once in a while they don't when they perhaps should.

[bush_cheney2004]

I did some looking into it and that is what I found. Their were often two models the exactly the same except for one had the tuner and one did not. The one which is on sale without the tuner was cheaper then the one with it.

That would make them an "HD Ready" television (NTSC is the original American broadcast standard). Without a tuner at all would make it just a monitor.

I've checked a ton of them in the past. The most recent one I did was just before the gold medal hockey game they had the 32" LCD Sony Bravia - 720p at Superstore for $399 and sure enough it was without the tuner. I couldn't even find the exact model except with the tuner in Canada.

Interesting...time to so more slumming for Canadian product variants.

Yeah, I'm sure they're trying to sell them off before the change comes. These are international companies we're talking about here, the have to national allegiances except to their own bottom lines so let's not kid ourselves and pretend they're some noble entity here.

Not at all....if they have product in the supply chain and it is legal to sell in Canada, they will do so. I would buy such a product at a deeper discount for use as a monitor.

Yeah the game is bit different up here in Canada. We cannot have a law against something which doesn't exist yet hehehe. I'm sure something will be passed along those same lines though, it makes sense. But who knows some things seem to ass backward up here. We regulate everything but once in a while they don't when they perhaps should.

Well, not all US broadcasts have gone digital, especially for smaller markets, repeaters, and UHF.

[Oleg Bach]

SHORT WAVE..THEY STILL GOT SHORT WAVE RIGHT? Please tell me I am not getting old..