On Feb. 17, 2009, at the stroke of midnight, an amazing era comes to a close, and another one begins. It’s called the DTV (digital television) transition, and as mandated by our good friends at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), every chief engineer at almost every television station in the U.S. is going to throw the big “off” switch on their trusty old analog transmitters. From that point forward, all terrestrial video transmission at “full power” TV stations will be blasting out ones and zeros, as the sun sets on analog broadcasting. (Psst— Hey buddy, wanna buy a 50,000-watt analog transmitter?)
The Feds, in their wisdom, have made exceptions for low power and community television stations (LPTV), Class “A” stations, plus “translator” and “booster” stations — all of which can continue in their ancient analog ways long after 2/17/09. (A low power television station has a very small broadcast footprint, so it will not interfere with the big guys.)
Hitting the Airwaves
All of the “full power” U.S. television stations are (as we speak) spending millions of dollars fine tuning their digital workflows, setting up their digital transmitters and putting the final touches on a series of public service announcements (PSAs) that are intended to smooth out the DTV transition with their viewers. These PSAs are already hitting the airwaves (as I’m sure you’ve seen), and several call-letter stations in major markets have already briefly tested the transition with their audience, with very promising results.
The PSAs are going to increase exponentially right through football season, alerting viewers that government coupons are available towards the purchase of a digital-to-analog converter box (also known as a set-top box). For those consumers who still use analog antennas or rabbit ears (and there are lots of you out there), you’re gonna need to buy a set-top box, subscribe to a cable provider, or buy a new television set with a built-in digital tuner.
Pass the Popcorn
Here’s the gist of what will happen on 2/17, and how it might affect you. If you’re already receiving digital TV over the airwaves on your gleaming new 50-inch HDTV screen, pass the popcorn — you’re okay, and you won’t notice a thing. If you’re a cable subscriber, with (or without) a set-top box, you’re also okay. The cable companies are handling the conversion for you at their facilities, and you won’t have to toss your analog set out the door, or buy any new gizmo.
Ah, but if you’re Granny Glitch, living in Resume Speed, Indiana, and you’re still watching Mayberry RFD on your trusty Philco with rabbit ears on top of the set (underneath a doily), and you haven’t paid any attention to six months of PSAs, you’re in for a major surprise on the morning of February 18. Nada, zip, and a screen full of snow — and the phones are gonna ring at television stations across the nation, I guaran-damn-tee it.
It might even rival Y2K for media hype and frenzy. Stay tuned. This is your last official notice from PLSN.
On a More Serious Note
Actually, there’s a very serious audio ramification to the DTV transition that affects our industry in a major way — so major, in fact, that it bears mention in a publication devoted to lighting, and not just audio. I’ll try to tone down the tech-speak, and concentrate on the issue at hand.
Wireless microphones and wireless intercoms now operate in the UHF television spectrum, up in the range between 470 MHz and 806 MHz. This is the band in which television channels 14 through 69 currently reside. But as of 2/17/09, everything changes. The FCC (in their wisdom) has auctioned off (or “re-allocated”) the spectrum above 698 MHz to public safety functions, large corporations and “new” services, and this in turn will greatly compress the space in which wireless mics can operate.
The issue gets even more complex. The FCC (in their wisdom) is toying with the idea of allowing both fixed and portable unlicensed devices (such as PDAs, cell phones, wireless home networking devices, etc.) to use the “white spaces” which will become available after the DTV transition. These “white spaces” are the unused frequencies in between the television stations, and the very locations where our wireless microphones now operate.
If permission is granted for these unlicensed devices to operate within the white spaces, the potential exists for a dramatic increase in “new” interference. Now, if you’ve been to a trade show lately, thank goodness RF isn’t visible — because the air above the booths would be opaque. After the DTV transition, it will be worse. Enough said.
XLR Returns
Not only is the FCC getting into the act of messing with the frequencies in which we cover our trade shows, concerts and conventions, but major companies are now lobbying the FCC and Congress — the likes of Google, Hewlett Packard, Motorola, Dell and others. The white spaces potentially represent the territory in which they can market a host of new wireless gadgets, but the net result can be stated in one word — interference. The decision not only affects us in A/V, but it affects theatres, integrators, retailers, houses of worship and many others.
If the FCC’s proposal goes forth without a coherent standard to prevent interference, one could foresee a return the use of (gasp) XLR cables, for our most complex setups. Get the picture?
A Call to Action
To our advantage, the major wireless microphone manufacturers are on top of this issue. Shure and Sennheiser, to name just two, are currently engaged in high level dialogs with the FCC, and we as A/V professionals are encouraged to get involved. Each company has a comprehensive series of Web pages available, with a wealth of background information on the subject.
• Visit Shure at www.shure.com/ProAudio/PressRoom/WhiteSpaces
• Visit Sennheiser at www.sennheiserusa.com/whitespaces
If we all study up on the issue of white spaces issue and communicate our opinions directly to our representatives in Congress, we can make a difference.
Granny Glitch may solve her problem with a trip to Best Buy. The preservation of the white spaces and the prevention of unwanted interference may take a bit more tenacity.
