The simulated analog shutoff carried out across 12 stations in Orlando, Florida came off with nary a hitch this past week. For the benefit of viewers, the stations broadcast a 10-second long pass/fail message for analog and digital viewers, respectively. The two Cox stations in the group, WFTV and WRDQ, reported that only 501 viewers called in to register their outrage at the brief interruption. Fully 146 of those calls came from analog Comcast customers who are fed a retransmitted OTA analog broadcast of WFTV. The second most popular group of complaints, 123 callers, were legitimate, though -- older TVs that pick up OTA-only. All said, it's a pretty good sign that the world will still be turning come February 18th.

Let's get this straight. A Best Buy survey suggesting that the public isn't acting early on the imminent digital TV transition. From the same big box retailer accused of pushing ignorant citizens into buying unnecessary wares in order to maintain a signal post-2009. Righhht. For whatever it is (or isn't) worth, a recent survey from said retailer has found that 88-percent of respondents were "aware of the digital broadcast transition, but were still confused about why [it] was happening and what really needed to be done to prepare." It also found that nearly half (45-percent) of those who hadn't already picked up a new TV or a DTV converter box were going to "wait until after the digital deadline to take action," which is really so typical of our society, isn't it? Go ahead government, spend those advertising dollars good -- the public at large still won't do anything until their hands are forced.

[Image courtesy of StarBulletin]

While the US government manages to place a totally ridiculous three month expiration date on a coupon that doesn't have to be used until February of 2009, the Japanese government is actually showing some signs of intelligence. Reportedly, around 1.07 million households on welfare will be receiving a digital TV tuner gratis sometime before the July 2011 switchover. The initiative will set the government back at least ¥5 billion ($46 million), but that figure could increase quickly if the retail prices of said boxes end up higher than expected. There's no word given on whether or not the general public will receive any kind of subsidy, but here's a tip: don't throw an expiration date on there just for kicks and giggles.

[Via JapanProbe]

By now, we're sure you've heard just how much the US government is allocating for the 2009 analog shutoff ($1.5 billion), not to mention the boatloads of cash that has been / will be spent on advertising. A new report, however, is explaining that the impending switchover could be costly to more than just the feds. Cable companies, broadcasters and consumers all have legitimate complaints, and each of the groups will be sharing some of the associated costs. Many argue that broadcasters are actually benefiting from the change, as they essentially garner free spectrum to use for channel expansion. Of course, these very broadcasters assert that it's costing them millions to procure equipment necessary to comply with the mandate, and cable companies are shouting in a similar tone. In the end, the article suggests that all of this may really be "much ado about nothing," and while we can't help but agree (with reservations), we're just hoping that all this unoccupied spectrum will lead to a universal boost in HD programming.

Given yesterday's post about the use (or non-use, as it were) of government-issued digital TV vouchers, we began to wonder if our own readers were having difficulties tracking a box down before their coupons expired. We already asked if you were aiming to get one, and if you stated yes, has finding one been a lesson in futility / simplicity? Let us know below!

Okay, it's not that alarming, now is it? How often do you (or wait, let's use your neighbor in this example) let mailer coupons sit around, collect dust and expire? Yeah, exactly. According to a recent writeup over at WDEF-TV, around half of the 840,000 government-issued digital TV coupons have already expired before they were used, and interestingly enough, Congress may not be placing all of the blame on procrastination. It's said that many folks are still having a tough time tracking a converter box down, and judging by Ben's runaround a few months back, we guess we can sympathize. For those with recently expired vouchers, you may want to keep them around a few weeks longer -- if this proves to be too widespread, The Man may actually extend their useful life to enable more citizens to get discounts.

We expected some potential issues concerning the analog TV shutoff next year, but even we (and apparently the Commerce Department) could not have predicted they'd run low on stamps necessary to send out $40 discount coupons for digital television converters. Apparently nearly 60% of the coupons sent out expired before they were actually used -- maybe people are waiting to see which digital converter to buy -- resulting in n unexpected number of new mailings. Funds from the unused coupons goes back to the program and will still be available for more requests, however the budgeted administrative funds to actually mail the things is limited, and may need to be expanded. According to Reuters, the NTIA should have a clearer picture after July 1, but this could cause some issues for those still waiting to request the discount.

Sure enough, as soon as Wilmington, N.C. announced its early switchover plans, eleven stations in the Orlando, FL area have announced that they will be simulating analog doomsday throughout the summer. Participating stations include WESH, WKMG, WFTV, WCEU, WKCF, WMFE, WVEN, WRDQ, WOTF, WTGL and WBCC. A set of three tests is planned, beginning with one on June 25 just before 8pm. Much like the drill that played out in Las Vegas, the tests will get lots of promotion on the local stations. These analog shutoff drills seem to be a growing trend, and we're happy about that; no matter how enticing the carrot or menacing the stick, nothing gets response like actually being struck by the stick. Certainly, there will be folks who ignore or entirely miss these drills, but at least for now we're putting a hold on our plans for a nationwide fleet of EngadgetHD vans stocked with converter boxes.

Although a Las Vegas station just wrapped a simple analog shutoff drill, the FCC is planning to use Wilmington, North Carolina as the official test bed for the 2009 digital TV transition. Starting on September 8th, all four of the major networks in the greater Wilmington area (around 400,000 residents) will turn off their analog signals and broadcast digital only. As expected, a flurry of advertising will go down beforehand to get residents prepared, but given that they'll be out on the beaches all summer, who knows how many folks will actually pay attention. Interestingly, this trial is just as much about testing to see how many folks get prepared as it is about the technological changes, but broadcasters may still use the trial to move their antennas based on the need for coverage. So yeah, if the world implodes on September 8th, you'll know something went awry on the coast of NC.

[Image courtesy of usdol, thanks Robert]

The idea of testing and/or "rolling" the digital transition across select US markets makes sense -- such a large change is sure to come with its share of hiccups. One Las Vegas station actually simulated the analog shutoff last week, though, and it came off pretty smoothly. During its newscasts, NBC affiliate KVBC put up a simulated "static snow" image with a graphic overlay instructing confused viewers to call the DTV transition phone number for info. How many calls did the KVBC front desk receive? One. Kudos to KVBC for pulling this little test -- as we all know, the real implications of the analog cutoff won't dawn on many people until they actually lose reception. This is a "news you can use" feature we'd like to see catch on around the rest of the country!

With the 2008 Olympic Games right around the corner, Intel is tag-teaming it with Legend Silicon in order to promote HDTV viewing on portable devices -- laptops, most notably. The pair has seemingly convinced Lenovo, HP, ASUS, Sony, Samsung and Toshiba (among others) to offer up their machines with a DTTB USB dongle in the coming days, enabling Chinese citizens to watch HD on-the-go right out of the box. If you couldn't surmise, DTTB is yet another Chinese broadcast standard, and while we wouldn't bet the farm on it, the nation's government is hoping to offer up multiple high-def programs via DTTB by 2010. Who would've guessed -- the Olympics catapulting HD programming in China?

Here's a nice wrinkle -- issues associated with the digital switchover on Feb. 17, 2009 may taint the Nielsen "sweeps" ratings for that month. Depending on which reports you believe, the switch to all-digital signals will either be a small bump or an apocalyptical cliff. But one thing's for sure -- lots of money rides on those sweeps numbers, and Nielsen cannot break its role as an impartial observer and give its "families" any special help in making the transition. For its part, Nielsen has no plans to change operations for February 2009, which we think is the best approach. Despite ethnographic discrepancies in homes with unready TVs, there's still time and lots of PSAs in the works. Looking into our notoriously murky crystal ball, we see lots of panicked consumers buying (sans coupon) DTV converter boxes during the third week of February and a week or two of skewed data.


[Image courtesy Scott Hanselman's ComputerZen]

Britain began its own digital switchover months ago, but now it seems that there may be some grousing in the UK about the post-analog world. There are some serious concerns about the takeoff of HDTV in Europe, and a recent report concludes that HD-DTT (digital terrestrial television) penetration could be limited to 7-percent by the time the analog shutoff completes in 2012. But now the UK, acting as a bellwether for Europe, is considering plans to hand back up to 12 frequencies initially headed to the auction block. The good news: this plan would produce up to 40 HD-DTT channels for all to enjoy. The bad news: this would require broadcasters to modify their transmission equipment beyond initial plans for the digital transition, which in many cases has already moved into implementation. That sounds expensive, and if European broadcasters are anything like US ones, expense was the major hurdle in getting onboard with the analog shutoff to begin with. We really admire the goal of getting OTA HD across Europe, but we don't think this will fly -- at least not without some serious turbulence.

There's no other way to say it, DivX is on a roll in 2008 (that small Stage6 stumble is already a fading memory). If support from Blu-ray players and videogame consoles wasn't enough, DivX Certification has snaked its long arm directly into HDTVs, with "over 80 models" from HP and LG slapping on a sticker indicating users can simply plug a USB drive in and play their entirely-legitimately-owned content. Expect that number to grow, since DivX is also working with AMD, Chips and Media, Broadcom and Trident to include support in other chipsets powering digital TVs near you. Now how about we see some of that content?

In an approach that seems awfully familiar to many cable subscribers here in the US, Belgian cable provider Coditel has put its HD offerings into DTV baskets. Ah yes, the beauty of not-so á la carte tiers. Monthly prices seem fairly comparable to what we see as well: the starter package with five HD channels comes in at €14, adding in National Geographic HD and HD1 moves the price northward to €20 and for €7 you can get Disney Cinemagic HD. Add in the rental fee on the PVR cable box, and you get the picture -- this is no Freeview! From the reports we've seen, Europe is experiencing some problems with take-off. Is this a case of untapped market opportunity or a lack of a market? Overseas readers, let us know!