High Def question

[Gentle Ben]

Had a discussion today with a freind, he seems to think that we will be able to veiw regular TV over cable companiesvirtually forever, that the new high def standard will be in conjunction with the broadcasts we are now getting.
I disagree, told him my understanding was in a given tme the regular broadcasts will end & all will be high def, and in order to use todays conventional TVs, you would need to buy a converter, again he disagreed, based on "do you know how many TVs re out there that belong to people like You & I that will be obsolete"?
Im looking for a CRTC artice or someting that I can forward to him,with the specifics. any one got any help here?
Thanks
GB

 

[my2cents]

VHF going...maybe

In the USA there was a push to eliminate the VHF bandwidth used by TV stations and have them convert to digital signals. The american government wanted to sell off the VHF bandwidths. That is one reason for the push in the states, however there have been delays.
Essentially in Canada we are taking a wait an see approach without the CRTC mandating it.
So in fact the push is to eliminate VHF signals and make it digital signals in the U.S.A. However you do also get standard def in a digital signal and yes High def is digital also. FYI currently with an ATSC tuner you can already pickup the standard def and high def signals over the air for free by using a UHF antenna better than cable.
So it is more the fact that analog signals are being pushed out in the states while digitial signals are being phased in. Don't expect this too soon.

 

[xarir]

It hasn't actually been mandated yet, but technology and time will connive to make it so. In theory, you can receive a black & white TV broadcast on your current TV, except of course no one broadcasts in black & white. In time, no one will broadcast in analogue either. This will take some time, but it will probably come in our lifetime.

To my knowledge, the CRTC never mandated touch-tone telephones. Your rotary dial phone will in fact still work on the existing phone network, but just try and get an analogue phone now. No one mandated the death of vinyl records, but in reality, how easy is it to buy a record now? When was the last time you recorded something onto a cassette tape? How many people still buy CRT monitors for their computers? Anyone bought a dot matrix printer recently? Or a typewriter?

And on and on and so forth ... Basically I don't think this is something that will have to be mandated. It'll just happen on it's own.

 

[Gentle Ben]

Thanks guys! I guess I will ahve to admit to being wrong,,, God I hate when I have to do that!

 

[tboy]

I know somebody who works in the electronics recycling industry in the US and their business is booming because many states had passed the law that said all broadcasts were to be digital by x date. Just because it is digital doesn't mean it will necessarily be HD.

As stated, yes it is true that many sets out there aren't HD but look at how many CRT tv's are still on the market? They are few and far between and as for LCD's or Plasma, they are all at least ED. I can see in some not too distant future all TV's being HD or at least HD compatable.....I think you will see less and less broadcasts in 4:3 aspect ratios. I don't think any new sets aren't wide screen. I haven't looked that closely so correct me if I am wrong.

 

[l69norm]

..that we will be able to veiw regular TV over cable companiesvirtually forever, that the new high def standard will be in conjunction with the broadcasts we are now getting....

Analog US TV will stop being broadcast in the US by Feb 17, 2009
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_television_in_the_United_States
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=February+17,+2009.&btnG=Google+Search

All new US TVs must have digital tuners as of March 1, 2007
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=March+1,+2007+analog+tuners&btnG=Search

Most specialty US stations are not governed by the FCC (cable only channels like TNT, TLC, Discovery) and may continue to broadcast in analog after that deadline