Digital Television

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At the FCC’s open meeting today, the Commission adopted a First Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making taking the first steps towards permitting "low power devices" to operate in the broadcast television spectrum.  Although the actual Order has yet to be released, the News Release issued today states that the Commission has concluded that fixed (not mobile) low power devices can be allowed to operate on vacant TV channels, and that the marketing of such devices can commence the day after the DTV transition, February 18, 2009.  At the same time, however, the News Release states that the NPRM will invite comment on the rules necessary to protect TV broadcasting and other services from harmful interference, and seek input on whether such devices should be permitted on a licensed or unlicensed basis.  Furthermore, the NPRM will solicit additional information necessary to determine whether personal or portable devices can operate in any of the TV channels without causing harmful interference.  Continue Reading First (Baby) Steps Towards Devices in TV White Space

The FCC today announced its agenda for its October meeting, to be held next Thursday, October 12.  Three of the items to be considered relate to television and video issues.  The FCC will be seeking comments for its annual report to Congress on the status of competition in the video industry.  At the same time, it will…

Yesterday was the day that virtually all television stations in the United States were supposed to be operating their digital facilities at substantially full power.  For years, many stations have been operating their digital stations with temporary facilities at low power while waiting for the digital television audience to grow.  Now, except for those license who have filed with the FCC a showing that financial or technical reasons justify their failure to be at full power, television stations should be reaching virtually their entire audience with a digital signal.  This is one of the mileposts in the transition of the nation’s over-the-air television industry to digital operations, a process that Congress has mandated be complete by February 2009 – less than three years from now.

On our Digital Media Conference panel the week before last, one of the topics that we discussed was whether the process would really be complete by the February 2009 deadline.  After turning on the Wimbledon women’s finals this morning, only to find that it was not being broadcast in HDTV, I really wonder if the transition can possibly be completed in less than three years.  There is a real chicken and egg issue at play.  Sports is clearly one of the big draws of digital television, as the HDTV coverage of a football or basketball is such an impressive sight that, once you get used to watching it in HDTV, you don’t want to go back to a standard definition viewing experience.  But clearly, the expense and complication of broadcasting in HDTV, and the still small audience watching in HDTV, keep many programs in standard definition formats.  Yet those of us lucky enough to be able to afford an HDTV television set remain frustrated when we encounter television programs not taking advantage of the new formats.  Here in DC only one of the local newscasts in this major market is being done in HDTV.  Little or no news or reality  programming produced by the networks is yet in HDTV.  If HDTV is not available, what will push the public rush to buy new sets to be ready for the February 2009 conversion deadline?Continue Reading HDTV – If you build it, will they come?