AT&T Tech Support 360TV rabbit ears to go digital for the elderly
The digital age is about to invade your elderly parents' or grandparents' living room. But do they know it?
The pending changes to free over-the-air TV for analog TV owners has gotten the attention on the Hill. The Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing Wednesday morning to discuss the topic.
Come February 2009, seniors who have analog TV sets and rely on rabbit ears to capture free TV programming off the airwaves face a huge problem--no picture.
That's when TV broadcasters will be required to halt analog broadcasting and, instead, transmit their content in digital form. For seniors who subscribe to cable, satellite or multichannel video programming services, their TV service will remain uninterrupted, even if they have an analog TV set.
But for those who don't--no TV, unless they purchase a digital-to-analog converter box.
The converter boxes are anticipated to cost anywhere from $50 to $70 and are expected to hit the shelves at consumer electronics stores in early 2008. To help offset the cost of the boxes, the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will begin offering Converter Box Coupons beginning January 1, 2008.
The $40-coupon can be applied toward the cost of the converter box, but will not cover installation fees, said Todd Sedmak, an NTIA spokesman. Consumers who need the coupons will be entitled to two per household.
An estimated 31 million U.S. households are believed to have an analog TV that relies on free over-the-air programming. Of this group, the Association of Public TV Stations estimates that 24 percent, or approximately 7.5 million viewers, are 65 years old or older.
Some of the concerns raised during the hearing included whether correct information was going to be provided to seniors, or their caregivers, by retailers selling the boxes.
Amina Fazlullah, a media reform advocate and staff attorney for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, expressed dismay that incorrect information about the converter boxes and the coupon program is being disseminated to seniors who enter the stores.
"We need to make sure retailers are providing accurate information. They're either offering boxes that are not relevant or trying to upsell (a more expensive device) to the consumer," Fazlullah said.
Dawn Kawamoto covers enterprise security and financial news relating to technology for CNET News. E-mail Dawn.
awareness... and I suppose one could generalize that more
elderly people might not be up on DTV technology.... the
problem is much bigger than this. I've experimented a good
amount with DTV, and also have lived in a number of areas
around the USA (and now outside it). The problem is that MUCH
better reception is needed for DTV. Many people who now watch
a slightly 'snowy' analog picture will find they have a blank
screen even with a DTV receiver box. I currently live in a urban
area where I can get analog stations, but can't get even 1 DTV
station consistently (and can't install an internal antenna). I'm
guessing that MANY people are not going to be able to get a
reasonable number of DTV signals, even if they have the proper
type of TV or box. -Steve
live in an apartment. DTV has a number of reception issues that
analog people can 'live with' and still at least see a picture.
analog signals to display properly, and when we finally upgraded
to digital, we actually get more stations than we did before. And
all those that were unwatchable before, are now being picked up
crystal clear.
Now, we do have an external antenna to pick up the signal (it
replaced the old external analog antenna). For those who live in
houses and can put up antennae, they will probably have a much
better experience.
For those in apartments, they'll have to subscribe to something
if they can't get a signal.
The bigger issue is all the scammers who will try to convince the elderly who have cable they need new TVs or converter boxes.
The 31 million household number seems high. There are about 110 million households in the U.S. I don't think 28% of the population relies solely on OTA broadcasts. 52% of households have broadband internet. Do many houses have second or third sets which rely on OTA? Yes.
The comment on DTV broadcasts needing better reception is accurate. You generally need directional antennas for DTV. The antenna I used for OTA DTV did a fair job on some DTV broadcasts 30 miles away but was able to pick up analog broadcasts from about 90 miles away.
It would seem apartments could put antennas on their roof with an amplified distribution system.
But the days of being able to use a portable TV with rabbit ears in a brick building and pick up many stations are probably over.
Is it going to be all the millions? Or is it just those using antenna/rabbit ears/etc.? Will people who have non-digital cable also get hit? What about people with analog televisions, but a digital cable box? Does their television continue to work?
Expecting that a population who are unable to set the clock on their vcr - or for that matter, unable to plug in their vcr - will some how be able to handle this situation is unrealistic...