FCC orders digital TV conversion sped up
FCC orders digital TV conversion sped up: "Last update: June 9, 2005 at 7:22 PM
FCC orders digital TV conversion sped up
June 10, 2005
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- TV viewers who crave the crisp, clear pictures of digital TV got a boost Thursday when the government ordered manufacturers to include the technology in all midsize models by spring.
The Federal Communications Commission voted 4-0 to require that televisions with screens from 25 to 36 inches be digital-ready by March 1. That is four months earlier than the commission decreed in 2002.
The FCC also proposed moving the deadline for small TVs -- those 13 to 24 inches -- to the end of 2006, rather than mid-2007, as had been set. That proposal, which also applies to DVD players and other devices that can receive a TV signal, will be voted on after public comment.
Retailers and manufacturers had sought two changes: scrapping the July 1 deadline for 50 percent of new midsize TVs to have digital tuners and moving up the final compliance deadline to next March instead of July 1, 2006.
Retailers and manufacturers said this July's deadline was slowing the transition to digital because consumers were still buying more of the analog TVs, which are cheaper.
The FCC acknowledged those market concerns but refused to budge on the 50 percent deadline. Commissioners decided to use the request to speed up the transition.
The proposed 2006 deadline to have all TVs larger than 13 inches equipped with digital tuners would coincide with the target date Congress has set for ending analog transmissions.
Once analog signals end, households without a digital TV that rely on over-the-air signals would have to purchase a converter box to continue using their analog sets. Those boxes can run upward of 100.00"
FCC orders digital TV conversion sped up
June 10, 2005
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- TV viewers who crave the crisp, clear pictures of digital TV got a boost Thursday when the government ordered manufacturers to include the technology in all midsize models by spring.
The Federal Communications Commission voted 4-0 to require that televisions with screens from 25 to 36 inches be digital-ready by March 1. That is four months earlier than the commission decreed in 2002.
The FCC also proposed moving the deadline for small TVs -- those 13 to 24 inches -- to the end of 2006, rather than mid-2007, as had been set. That proposal, which also applies to DVD players and other devices that can receive a TV signal, will be voted on after public comment.
Retailers and manufacturers had sought two changes: scrapping the July 1 deadline for 50 percent of new midsize TVs to have digital tuners and moving up the final compliance deadline to next March instead of July 1, 2006.
Retailers and manufacturers said this July's deadline was slowing the transition to digital because consumers were still buying more of the analog TVs, which are cheaper.
The FCC acknowledged those market concerns but refused to budge on the 50 percent deadline. Commissioners decided to use the request to speed up the transition.
The proposed 2006 deadline to have all TVs larger than 13 inches equipped with digital tuners would coincide with the target date Congress has set for ending analog transmissions.
Once analog signals end, households without a digital TV that rely on over-the-air signals would have to purchase a converter box to continue using their analog sets. Those boxes can run upward of 100.00"
posted by josh at 8:06 PM
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