DTV Converters In Short Supply

Ponca City, We Love You writes with a New York Times story saying there could be a shortage of DTV converter boxes in addition to the problem with coupons. "At the current rate of coupon redemption, 115,000 per day, plus sales without coupons, that means the current stock of converters could be sold out by the end of this month. So what would have happened if the whole digital transition worked the way it was supposed to? Many of those 3.7 million people would be marching into their local Radio Shack and Best Buy stores trying to buy converter boxes next weekend right before the scheduled cutoff on Feb. 17. And if the electronics association's numbers are right, the boxes would have sold out." Good thing the extended cut-off date was approved.

Comments

Scalpers are stifled

[nickruiz]

Too bad for you if you were a scalper planning on making some quick bucks. I bet we would've seen DTV converters selling like Wiis on eBay with 150%+ markups.

Re:DTV Shopping list

[The Dobber]

The majority of which are hooked up to cable networks.

whatever

[Anonymous Coward]

My local best buy has over 200 converter boxes and the supply is not getting any smaller. People are buying better tv's instead of getting the boxes.

Re:Good thing?

[TheSHAD0W]

Yup yup. I think the analog stations should shut down their broadcasts, perhaps starting at an hour at a time, then perhaps a whole day, putting up a message about digital converters instead of their regularly scheduled show. Not only would this alert otherwise oblivious people, but it would specifically target only those who need converters.

My DTV converter doesn't work very well

[HangingChad]

I got my coupons and converters already, for the two TV's that aren't on satellite. They don't work very well. We lose two of our local stations that look fine in analog, but apparently not enough digital signal to show up in the converter box scan. They'll show up on the digital TV downstairs but not on the DTV converters.

So far I'm not impressed.

Re:My DTV converter doesn't work very well

[Anonymous Coward]

FYI some stations aren't yet transmitting their digital signal at full power, or at their desired frequency, because the analog bandwidth has not been freed up yet.

E.g. in NYC, I can only get the (crappy) analog signal of WNET, since their digital signal is currently very low power. I heard that after the transition, they will be dropping analog (obviously) and upping the power of their digital signal.

-T

Re:Good thing?

[dbcad7]

Since the extension is not a requirement, many stations will shut down analog anyway. Now it might not be all of them.. but all it takes is one network that has something that people will miss, and the procrastinators will get off their butts.. For example, in my area, the ABC station stopped their analog early.. damned if I didn't hit the store the next day to get a box. Main reason was because Lost was about to start up the new episodes, and of course I needed it anyway.

Like everyone else, I knew a lonnng time ago I needed it.. and I even got coupons.. but then I let them expire.. my bad.. so I ended up footing the bill myself.. but it's done.. and mainly because of the early shutdown by ABC. I am pretty sure that well over 90 percent of the people that need the boxes will have them way before June, and that was entirely too long of an extension.. people would get what they need, or adapt by buying cable or Satellite if there was a box shortage.

Convert Coupons = China Subsidy

[fluffy99]

First, the coupons were not handled well. I submitted for two online, never got them in the mail, and now it won't let me apply for them again as they expired. Lots of other folks around me said the same thing. Second, these mass-produced crappy converter boxes should not cost $40. They're all made in China and would normally retail for around $9 each. So the bribe money that the Govt is giving its citizens to convert is simply flowing out the door to China. Yeah, the govt is making a profit by selling the spectrum but its also money down the toilet by buying low quality converters from China. Figure 250 million converters at $30 profit each is about 7.5 billion. BTW, most folks don't realize those converter boxes are not going to give you any better quality or hi-def. In fact they're more likely to give you worse reception or just none at all. Personally, I don't plan to convert as there is nothing worth watching on the TV anyway. I do netflix, get my news online, and can't stand the soap-operaish series on TV.

Re:Convert Coupons = China Subsidy

[evilviper]

Second, these mass-produced crappy converter boxes should not cost $40. They're all made in China and would normally retail for around $9 each.

How could anybody in their right mind believe such patent nonsense?

The digital converter boxes have to be low noise to tune and capture 6MHz of bandwidth, demodulate the 8VSB coding, perform lots of the error detection and correction, demux the channels and indvidual audio/video/text streams, then decode the 19Mbps (1920x1080@30i resolution) MPEG-2 video stream, downscale to 720x480, and output to Composite and RF outputs.

It's absolutely amazing anyone has been able to make a device that could do so for $50. When is the last time you saw a DVD player for $9, let alone one that could effectively recieve a faint RF signal, and decode an extremely high bitrate, high definition video? It's an absolutely idiotic assertion.

BTW, most folks don't realize those converter boxes are not going to give you any better quality or hi-def. In fact they're more likely to give you worse reception or just none at all.

No. In absolutely every case I've seen, and the overwhelming majority of countless others I've heard of, you will get VASTLY better quality through a digital converter box than analog. I know in my area, the one unwatchably staticy analog station was replaced by a dozen crystal-clear digital stations, with just a few, quite minor drop-outs.

As I've said before, the digital stations I DO receive happen to be all the ones that will be keeping their current transmitter and channel assignment, while all the ones I'm still unable to receive are the ones that will be switching to their original VHF-high transmitters. All this delaying of the switchover is pushing by my own reception of almost half of my local channels, and making it more likely that I will have to resort to buying a more expensive antenna rather than waiting.

Personally, I don't plan to convert

Yes, we all needed to know that. Because your personal entertainment preferences have a real impact on the rest of us...

as there is nothing worth watching on the TV anyway. I do netflix, get my news online, and can't stand the soap-operaish series on TV.

Exactly. NOVA, Frontline, American Experience, Secrets of the Dead, Nature, History Detectives, 60 Minutes, etc. These are all TERRIBLE shows, that you would best be completely unable to ever watch.

Re:DTV Shopping list

[siriuskase]

Did you know that more people have cats than dogs? I have a cat, but she doesn't watch TV. She prefers NPR. She's listening to the MET at the moment.

If you must moderate, please moderate as irrelevent, not something bad, because I'm sure someone will find this interesting.