All TVs to include digital tuners by March 2007
November 3rd, 2005The FCC decided today that all television receivers will include digital tuners. Previously announced tuner mandates would have exempted sets with screens under 13 inches.
This is good news for viewers who rely on portable TVs during emergencies, right? Well, maaybe.
Before you take cover in the basement with that little digital TV, you might want to make sure you can hook it up to a rooftop antenna. (You’ll want to test reception before the storm hits, of course!) Your old analog Watchman may work with a simple built-in antenna, but that’s no guarantee that a digital TV will. And not all tuners are created equal. We’ll wait and see whether small sets can include a high-calibre tuner for a small price.
The FCC also moved the tuner mandate ahead by four months, to March 1, 2007.
• Link: Broadcasting & Cable
tom walsh says:
November 9th, 2005 at 9:36 am
I don’t understand. I *thought* that with the shift to digital broadcast, all of the old portables would need a new tuner to be able to receive the signal and display the image. Is that not true?
I understood that upon the 2009 digital cutover, all of my analog receivers would be useless without a new ‘converter box’. Is that wrong?
tom
Steven Sande says:
November 9th, 2005 at 10:33 am
Indeed, when the transition to digital TV is complete, existing analog TVs will need a set-top converter box to continue receiving over-the-air broadcasts.
The FCC ruling will require digital tuners in new TVs. (A great many TVs sold today are still analog-only!)