Orlando passes its simulated analog shutoff

The simulated analog shutoff carried out across 12 stations in Orlando, Florida came off with nary a hitch this past week. For the benefit of viewers, the stations broadcast a 10-second long pass/fail message for analog and digital viewers, respectively. The two Cox stations in the group, WFTV and WRDQ, reported that only 501 viewers called in to register their outrage at the brief interruption. Fully 146 of those calls came from analog Comcast customers who are fed a retransmitted OTA analog broadcast of WFTV. The second most popular group of complaints, 123 callers, were legitimate, though -- older TVs that pick up OTA-only. All said, it's a pretty good sign that the world will still be turning come February 18th.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 30th 2008 7:15AM]

I don't know how you could call this a "pass"....nearly everyone knew it would be down for only a minute. I think we are setting ourselves up with a false sense of security.

I predict absolute chaos in February and I would not be surprised if either the following happens.

1.) The new President, once he learns that people have been having problems finding DTV converter boxes and once they do find them, having their coupons expired delays a cutover for another year. The problem will only get worse as we get closer to February as procrastinators and the ignorant finally realize the cutover date is approaching.

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/DTV-Transition-Scam-Preys-Upon-Consumer-Confusion-95660

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/06/27/survey-finds-awareness-in-dtv-transition-high-people-still-lall/

2.) Absolute chaos reigns the day after the cutover and the analog stations are put back on the air in less than a week.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 10th 2008 6:31AM]

No chance. Other countries have done this transition, and it's happened just fine. People will wonder why their TVs went dead, ask their co-workers, and be informed.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 30th 2008 8:21AM]

will the army be called in?

[DrXym Posted Jun 30th 2008 8:58AM]

501 people called into complain about a 10 second test message? What is wrong with these morons. Imagine what they're going to do when the shut off happens for real.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 30th 2008 9:07AM]

The other 232 people who called in were just annoyed that their programming had failed, I guess. That's not bad.

The Comcast people are already taken care of because their cable company will be shipping them boxes or new boxes as the shutoff arrives.

So only 25% of the people who bothered to call back had an actual real world problem, amazing considering that Orlando is basically a retirement community.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 30th 2008 10:02AM]

More of these tests need to be conducted across the U.S. before the DTV Transition takes place in 2009. This should at least raise the level of awareness.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 30th 2008 12:06PM]

It would seem that every community should have a test if not several tests. That way everyone affected would have no excuse not to be aware.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 30th 2008 1:47PM]

1.) This should have been started well over a year ago. By this point we should be having at least 1/2 day shutoffs or shutoff's during primetime so people will really feel the pain and get motivated. Shutting off a minute or to during commerical breaks and/or non-primetime programming when people aren't watching anyway is not punishment enough.

2.) Even if people are aware...we are now so far long in the game that it is probably logistically impossible to get boxes to everyone in time. There are already reports that people can't find boxes once they get their coupons and the coupons expire. This situation will only get worst as we get closer to the cutoff date. Again, the DTV converter box program should been started at least a year ago.