Zenith (LG) DTT900 CECB - Page 11

Originally Posted by inky blacks

Hey I like that! Where can I get one? IB

Originally Posted by Broadcasting & Cable

... Martin was praised by Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) for the progress of the 700-megahertz spectrum auction, which raised almost $20 billion, but he was grilled by Markey about a study that suggested that there would be coverage gaps between current analog signals and DTV signals that could leave viewers without channels they had historically received.

Martin said FCC engineers found flaws in the study. He asserted that viewers in the FCC-designated coverage areas today would receive the same signals in digital. He conceded that up to 5% in areas beyond that might lose some channels, although those were not channels they were technically supposed to be getting anyway.

Barry Goodstadt, senior vice president at Centris, says Martin's was an incorrect reading of its study. "In fact, we assumed that consumers had a small or medium-sized omnidirectional antenna," he added. "In point of fact, 75%-83% of consumers have indoor, set-top antennas; about 10% have omnidirectional antennas; and about 10% have directional antennas. Thus our findings actually suggest that consumers will receive better coverage than might actually be the case. ...

Originally Posted by The Capital Times

"Secret shoppers" have found that national TV retailers have been providing misleading or inaccurate information to consumers regarding the coming transition to digital TV, a consumer advocacy group announced today.

A total of 132 stores were visited in cities in 10 states, including Madison, said the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group (WISPIRG), one of the PIRGs that conducted the survey. In Wisconsin and seven other states, the stores surveyed were Best Buy, Circuit City, RadioShack, Target and Wal-Mart. Local retailers such as American TV and Main Appliance were not included, said Bruce Speight, public interest advocate for WISPIRG.

The surveys were done last fall, except for in Texas and Virginia, where they were done in January.

The findings in the report released today included that sales clerks provided inaccurate information about the Feb. 17, 2009, transition date, about the converters that will be needed for analog TVs without cable or satellite connections, and about the government's coupon program for the converter boxes. ...

Originally Posted by Scooper

... Walmart ... at least the associate knew what I was asking about and where he thinks they will be going in the store.

Originally Posted by Scooper

Any word on analog passthrough for the DTT900 ?

Originally Posted by SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

... "I think the American public has close to zero awareness of what's coming," Bob Pittman, a co-founder of MTV and member of private investment firm Pilot Group, told an audience at the television industry's recent NATPE convention in Las Vegas. "I think they're going to be hopping mad at the government when (it) turns off the TV." ...

Adding to the concern, a study by market research firm Centris has found that gaps in digital broadcast signals could leave 5.9 million TV sets unable to receive as many channels as they did before the transition -- and that's with the converter box. The study suggests that to maintain reception, many viewers would have to buy new outdoor antennas.

A major complicating factor in spreading the word about the transition is that the over-the-air viewers who will be most affected also are the hardest to reach. In particular, LG's Taylor says, the industry is concerned about five "underserved communities": the elderly, the underprivileged, minorities, rural Americans and people with disabilities. According to NAB, 31% of Latino households get their television over the air, compared with 15% of the general public. The number jumps to 41% for households speaking primarily Spanish.

While advertisers might fret less about the loss of lower-income TV viewers, Amina Fazlullah, a Public Interest Research Group staff attorney, worries that consumers forced into stores by the transition might be easy prey for unscrupulous or misinformed salesmen. ...

Originally Posted by holl_ands

No one puts any credence in the Centris study:
http://www.tvtechnology.com/pages/s.0015/t.11299.html

Biggest problem is Centris used antennaweb.org to determine coverage....GIGO....
http://www.centris.com/pages/viewnew...ID=34&SiteID=9

Unfortunately, antennaweb.org greatly underestimates which stations you can
receive, as has been discussed many, many, many times in the ANTENNA thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...81623&page=223
Indeed, it is frequently recommended to enter an antenna height 100-200 feet
in excess of actual height to find the stations you will ACTUALLY receive....