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What is the DTV Transition?

Updated 10:46 AM EDT, Thu, Feb 5, 2009

TV set with test bars

Are you ready for the big digital conversion?

 

The switch from analog to digital broadcast television is called the digital TV (DTV) transition.

Back in 1996, the U.S. Congress allowed each broadcast TV station to distribute programming using a digital broadcast channel in addition to their existing analog channels.

Currently broadcast stations in all U.S. markets use both analog and digital signals to broadcast their programs.

Congress has mandated that all stations must stop broadcasting in analog and switch entirely to a digital broadcast. The final date of dual broadcasting will be June 12, 2009. After that full-power television stations will broadcast using only their digital signal.

Comments (40)

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  • Liz Sunday, Jun 28 at 12:26 PM FLAG COMMENT Steve, thank you for sharing about ABC and CBS in Chicago. I have spent two hours trying to figure out why I don't get them. However, before the mandatory digital switch, I received both of those station digitally (in addition to other stations that I suddenly no longer receive). Any idea why their digital signals worked before and not now? Also, I totally agree with you about underestimating the number of people who don't hav ... MORE >
  • scott Wednesday, Jun 24 at 7:41 AM FLAG COMMENT I'm north of Philadelphia (about 25 miles) I can get ABC (6) great and channel 12 but cannot get channel 10 or channel 29. Why?? I thought the transmissions came fro the same area.
  • qingqing Friday, Jun 19 at 8:00 PM FLAG COMMENT I'm in Las Vegas. I had a convert box with antenna, I got abc cbs fox and pbs all good but no signal for nbc.
  • bob Friday, Jun 19 at 1:22 PM FLAG COMMENT I almost got killed trying to attach a outdoor amplified flat panel uhf/hdtv digital antenna to a pole on my roof the other day. A "knowledgeable person" had assured me that this would provide me with all the channels that I had received in the past. He was absolutely wrong, since I no longer receive ABC or PBS . This is very sad because PBS used to be one of my favorite channels.
  • Steve ONeill Tuesday, Jun 16 at 1:54 AM FLAG COMMENT In Chicago nobody gets ABC or CBS. Both of these Stations did not do any Testing prior to the Conversion to Digital TV. These Stations were not aware that most people in the Chicago Area had cancelled thair Cable TV due to the high costs of the Recession. They thought that only a few dopes were still watching TV thru rabbit ears. I, like many other bloggers on this forum no longer Watch very much TV anymore. The same thing ... MORE >

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