The DTV Countdown

At the writing of this Blog, there less than 500 days before we pull the power plug on our analog transmitter. Frankly we(broadcasters) will be happy when that day comes. We have been running two TV transmitters(Digital and Analog) for some time. The power bills have been painful.

So with the clock ticking the big question is, are you ready?

Do you know how one of the biggest changes in television ever will effect you?  Ok, so it is 494 some days away, yes you do have some time but you may want to think about jumping in to the digital stream soon why?  Simply to take advantage of the additional FREE TV channels. In the digital world of television broadcasters are able to do what is called multi-casting. Basically that means we can provide multiple signals over one broadcast stream. So now you can take advantage of many more choices in over-the-air broadcasts and yes, it's still FREE!  I was looking at my cable bill last week and if I cut the cord right now I would save almost $600.00 per year. That is more than enough to pay for a digital TV receiver, antenna or over two years I could buy a new HDTV. Ok, maybe you are not ready to do this but it is food for thought.

We developed this blog because the digital/analog conversation can make your head spin. I don't think the Federal Government has done a very good job so far of helping consumers with this transition. Yes they will be giving you $80 to buy a Digital TV converter box. What, you did not hear about that? It's true. We will be discussing that program and many other topics up for discussion. In addition we think this will be a great forum for you to ask your DTV questions. We may not have all the answers but I bet we can find someone who does.

Jim Lawrence
QNI Broadcast Group