Over The Air Television (HDTV and LPTV)

Do you mean TV antenna instead of CABLE TV when you say "over the air"?

I'm still using an antenna. Had cable about 30 years ago for a few years. Found the variety wasn't that great and all we watched were the local broadcasters anyway.

And yes, I'm getting a better picture than folks using a digital cable box paying up to $50/month.

There are a few new channels (about 40 total) and 2 LPTV ANALOG stations.

Before the analog to digital switch I was very displeased with the general quality of "free" tv. At the same time there were occasional good programs, but tv news had degenerated to a level of accusation and name calling, so when the "digital box" was offered, I ignored it. And, as a reader of Television World Magazine, I knew that there was more to it than a box. In most cases a roof-top antenna would become a necessity, and I concluded that only an idiot would pay to receive junk.

Once a week I check out 4 movies from the public library, and I watch Hulu for the occasional show, period.

I have used my analog tv to scan the dial and there are still LPTV stations broadcasting in analog, but nothing worth the bother.

My internet cable provider keeps reminding me that if I agree to cable tv the rate will drop, but they always ignore telling me the drop would be for a limited time. In any case, I've seen cable tv, and it is NOT worth the cost.

Yup, my questions are about TV that comes
from the VHF and UHF spectrum, which is
transmitted to an antenna on your roof, or
in your house, or whatever. In other words,
over-the-air channels 2 though 69.

Here, I get 7 local HDTV transmitters from 7 TV
stations. These stations used to be analog on
channels 3, 18, 20, 24, 30, 40, and 61.
Try as I might, I can't remember all of the channels
they are on now, since they converted to HD. I
do know that here in the immediate Hartford, CT
area, nobody is on VHF anymore. There are also
quite a few LPTVs on here. Local RF channels 38,
48, 50, and 51 are active. Sometime back, I was
able to see some LPTVs from nearby Springfield, MA.
One channel of interest was Springfield LPTV CBS 67, which
repeated the old channel 3 CBS in Hartford. As of
a year or so ago, that was still on the air. I'll have to
check to see if it is still there. I don't see how it could be.

I had thought that the FCC was going to relocate everything
above channel RF channel 45 to lower spectrum. Of course,
nobody wants to relocate. (Especially to VHF.) It costs money,
and the VHF channels
(RF 2-13) do not work very well for HDTV for a lot of reasons.

I had also thought that (eventually)
the FCC agenda was to take most
(or all) of the UHF TV spectrum away and give it to the new
digital technology.

I'm wondering what you guys think and what you
know about this.

Best Wishes,
Bruce, MICRO1690/1700

P.S. Sorry for the messed up right
margin, I am too tired to fix it. Besides,
it's fun to think about this stuff. I guess
I'd better turn in.

The plan was to maintain the upper VHF channels and all of the UHF channels for HD digital transmission. All lower VHF channels (2-6) have been closed and auctioned off to mobile services and other things.

The reasons are that 8VSB works better at the higher frequencies. It is also meant to minimize skip propagation from the lower frequencies. Digital television transmissions utilize the same bandwidth as the old analog counterpart (6 Mhz). However digital transmission uses about 1/2 the total ERP power than the analog system. Overall it is a better method for sending pictures and video with multi-channel sound.

Just a side note regarding the lower VHF spectrum (2-6) that got auctioned off. I believe that the FCC should have allocated that band to expand the FM broadcast band. The FM broadcast band is so bleeping crowded its ridiculous, especially the lower end of the band (88-92).

Since there is no more channel 6 analog television and reason to protect it (channel 6 television audio is 87.5 Mhz), the change over to digital television and relocating all those stations to the other bands would have given a golden opportunity to expand the FM broadcast band and open up opportunity, perhaps even a different form of the LPFM instead of its current specialty interest only setup.

Personally I do not pay any attention to tv, cable or terrestrial...except maybe to catch the weather casts. With the web, you can watch any television based programs from anywhere in the world these days via online subscription services.

Digital or analog....it doesnt matter....its the content that has not improved at all in my opinion.

RFB