IEEE Web Site: The Day Analog TV Dies

By Doug Lung
published

IEEE Spectrum has a special Web site, The Day Analog TV Dies.

The site has links to reader’s experiences with DTV. One, titled DTV Conversion Was a Joy—Until it Rained puzzled me.

In the article, Juliana Manoliu notices differences between two set-top boxes connected to two analog TV sets, even though both are hooked to the same antenna. After swapping converter boxes and the outputs of the splitter, she came to the conclusion that the quality of the tuner inside the TV set was affecting the sensitivity of the DTV converter box to DTV signals. I hope RF Report readers will be able to figure out that--even though Manoliu's tests were very detailed and correct--there is no way the conclusion, “moving the antenna around may improve your reception, but the TV itself and its tuner may make a difference in getting good digital reception.” can be true. For extra points, identify what is likely to be the real reason the two sets show different reception capability, even when the set-top boxes were swapped.

For links to additional IEEE information on the DTV transition and other readers' comments, visit The Day Analog TV Dies.

Read more of Doug Lung's RF Reporthere.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.