Problems With The Digital Transition In The United States

1. Analog Televisions

The digital transition wasn't created a couple of years ago. It's been scheduled for over a decade. Yet, manufacturers still produced analog televisions as late as 2006.

When I started writing for About.com in late-2004 I couldn't believe how many analog products were being made. These items would be virtually useless after the transition unless there was a digital-to-analog converter connected to them.

Back then the transition was scheduled for 2006 - changed to the 2009 date after the FCC realized that the nation wasn't ready. Stores are now required to put a sticker on analog TVs letting people know about the transition. That would've been nice to do a few years ago before people spent their hard-earned money on an analog TV.

2. Aspect Ratio

The problem is that high definition video has a 16:9 aspect ratio. All other TV programming is 4:3, which is the square-like image that we’ve watched most of our lives.

The problem is that HDTVs are 16:9, so a 4:3 image will either have black bars on the sides of the screen or the image will stretch to fill the entire screen. Black bars on the side of a screen is one thing but getting used to a distorted image is difficult, especially when you expect your digital TV to display a better image than your analog TV.

Luckily, some manufacturers are producing TVs, like Pioneer's PRO-950HD, that are more than capable in displaying a stretched image without making it look distorted.

3. Consumer Information

Ask anyone on the street about the digital transition and I bet you'll get a wide array of answers. It would probably resemble a "Jay Walking" segment on The Tonight Show.

The bottom line is that many organizations involved with the digital transition waited until the eleventh hour to let people know about the transition. Sure, information has always been available but when the federal government waits until last year to publish a DTV Web site...

The same holds true for manufacturers, service providers, the media and retailers. We've all waited until the last second to put this on the front page and our story isn't consistent. Granted, this is a complex issue but if cultural change needs years to develop then what were we waiting for?

4. Evolving Technology

Buying into a technology before its been refined can be risky. People like me that rushed to buy a HDTV before 2005 probably know what I mean. Want to trade in your 2004 model for a 2008 one? I do.

The realism is that manufacturers are doing an excellent job in merging technology to create new products. They make stuff smaller, faster and cheaper. It reminds me of how quickly features change on personal computers.

It’s a problem because when technology changes then so do parameters. It seems that every year manufacturers improve on what used to be stare-of-the-art with features you never would’ve conceived a few years ago.

You could compare it to buying an analog TV the year before the remote control was invented. Bummer, huh?

5. Analog Signals Not Picked Up By Digital Converter Boxes

The problem is that many of the digital converter boxes offered by the NTIA's coupon program do not receive analog signals. This is an issue because low-power or Class A stations will continue in analog after February 17, 2009.

For example, if you live in a city that has a low-power station and you use a digital converter box that doesn't pickup analog then you will lose access to that signal unless you disconnect the box and plug the antenna going directly into the TV.

While this may not affect the majority of people, the industry must do a better job in making new devices backwards compatible. To me, it’s as if the industry is bypassing these stations forgetting that this is the only type of programming some people can watch.

6. Financial Burden of Consumers

What if the government said that in 10 years we would eliminate gas-fueled cars? You need to buy a new car or convert your engine, pay more for this new fuel and it won't solve the climate crisis? How would you feel about that?

The reality is that there wasn't a need to convert to digital. TV isn't a necessity.

It won't solve our climate crisis, feed the hungry or cure disease. Digital TV won't cure the countless hours of bad analog programming.

But, it does stimulate sales. People like you and me are buying new televisions to replace ones that work pretty good already.

For that a lot of industries should thank the U.S. government while broadcast stations, production companies and the common person absorb the expense of the conversion.