Editor's note: In Part I of this two part series, TV Technology reported on the ability of transmission equipment manufacturers to meet projected demands by the Feb. 17, 2009 deadline for the analog TV shutoff. In this second part, others involved in the digital shuffle offer their views.
WASHINGTON
While equipment manufacturers are confident that they can deliver the required equipment, there are concerns that some stations still may not be able to make the deadline.
Doug Lung, TV Technology columnist and director of technology for a major station group, says it's not that easy for some stations, as they don't know with certainty what life will be like after Feb. 17, 2009.
"It's very difficult to order equipment without knowing what your post 2009 authorized facility will be," Lung said. "Right now a number of stations are limited by antenna patterns or ERP in order to protect analog stations that won't be there after 2009. It's very important for the FCC to get a filing window in place for facility maximization.
"Right now there's still a freeze on applications. You don't want to order a customized antenna, and then two days before the transition the FCC gives you authority to operate non-directionally. Stations don't want to have to rebuild a new DTV facility."
FIELD WORK
Even if equipment is identified and ordered in a timely manner, there could be problems in installing it.
Brett Jenkins, U.S. video transmission product line manager for Grass Valley, is confident that his company has the production capacity to crank out the necessary digital transmitters and the manpower to get them installed, but expressed concern that this may not be a universal situation.
"In connection with RF systems involved, there's going to be a lot of field work that has to be done," Jenkins said. "I think that this is where the industry is hurting. There's a shortage of skilled RF and antenna people. Broadcast engineers aren't that focused on RF issues anymore--other concerns have been getting their attention. There's been a decline in really knowledgeable high-power RF engineers."
If a new tower is needed, Quentin Ellis, director of business development at United States Tower Services, wants customers to be aware that television towers don't happen overnight. Plans, permits, foundation work, staging of heavy machinery and erection crews and delivery of materials all take time.
"We can put up the steel work for a 1,000-foot tower in a week or two," Ellis said. "However when you figure in everything else, you're looking at about six months start to finish."
ENGINEERS SPEAK OUT
Just getting a digital signal on the air doesn't necessarily mean that a station's job is done.
"You have to recognize that a certain percentage of viewers watch your programming via cable or satellite," said Joey Gill, chief engineer of WSPD-TV in Paducah, Ky. "You have to make sure that they are ready too."
Gill reported that a majority of area cable systems could receive the station's digital signal.
"It's good to know that if we turned off our analog transmitter tomorrow, 70 percent of the cable customers could receive us," Gill said. "However, you also have to remember that 30 percent couldn't."
Gill is especially concerned about the readiness of the satellite delivery companies for "D-Day."
"The satellite people are still receiving our analog signal," Gill said. "If we turned off our analog transmitter tomorrow, then the satellite-delivered local service around here goes dark."
This doesn't seem to be an issue in other parts of the country, however.
"DirecTV is certainly taking our digital signal," said Dale Cassidy, chief engineer at KTBS-TV in Shreveport, La. "They've been carrying it for about a year and a half. We've just reached agreements with Dish Network."
Cassidy's station has been transmitting digitally for about four and a half years and he feels that other area stations were probably ready for the transition.
"In our market, almost everyone is already operating DTV--right now it's just whether or not everyone is HD-capable," he said. "Cost-wise, it would be great to turn the analog transmitter off now, but we don't have any plans to flash cut before the deadline."
Cable is not really an issue either. Cassidy says that some 20 cable companies carry KTBS-TV and estimates that nearly all are using the station's digital signal.
He's also gratified by viewer interest in receiving off-air television service.
"People are certainly putting up antennas," he said. "There are a lot of people without cable in rural areas, but who have access to our off-air signal. We're working with that part of the audience who want information about putting up an antenna for our digital service."
Cassidy said that his station is operating digitally with full power--1,000,000 watts ERP. Reception reports are coming in from as far away as 100 miles.
Ted Teffner has been involved in the digital transition at WCAX-TV in Burlington, Vt. since it began. He retired last December as the station's vice president of engineering, but is staying on as a consultant to see the conversion through.
"The transition is my life, and has been for the last 12 years," Teffner said.
WCAX's path to digital has not been especially smooth, and there's still much work to do before he can just walk away from the transmitter building with a smile on his face.
"Right now we're digital on Channel 53," Teffner said. "However, 53 is out of core and we're going to have to relocate to Channel 22. A lot of the RF work is going to have to be done over."
Teffner said that WCAX's transition was delayed by the transmitter's proximity to Canada.
"If you're within 400 km of the border, there has to be Canadian coordination," Teffner said. "When the FCC did the allotment table, they assumed that we would go back to our analog assignment--Channel 3--with digital. However, no one told the Canadians about this and they made a Channel 4 assignment. It took a long time to find another channel."
The WCAX-TV transmitter site is located on a 4,000-foot mountain and there's limited access during the colder months.
"The road turns into a ski trail," Teffner said. "Full access is only possible between Memorial Day and Columbus Day. We have to have everything in place by mid-October."
Teffner is confident that his facility will be ready for the transition, but says it will be a push.
"There's a pile of work to get done," he said. "It's going to be a complex process to get all of this together."
CHANNEL SWAPPING
Teffner's station is but one example where last-minute frequency swapping must be done to get everyone to permanent assignments. But for now, Teffner really can't do much more than lay the groundwork due to interference issues.
He's not alone, as more than 300 stations now transmitting DTV on UHF frequencies have elected to move back to VHF assignments. Also, more than 200 are currently operating on interim VHF or UHF channels (some of them out of core) and will be settling in on a permanent UHF assignment on moving day.
The moves are driven by interference concerns--before one station can move, another must first give up its channel and before the second station can vacate, someone else has to give up a berth.
Doug Lung feels that this flip-flopping of channels may be a particularly difficult hurdle to clear.
"The big issue is about stations moving to other channels—that's going to be quite a juggling act," Lung said. "The FCC's going to have to be flexible here--they said they would grant some flexibility, but have not haven t been precise on exactly how much."
MSTV chief David Donovan acknowledges that this is a problematic area, but says it shouldn't be a showstopper.
"In seven DMAs we know about, there are between 10 and 14 stations moving channels," Donovan said. "Obviously for those, coordination will be paramount. On the other hand, there are 32 DMAs where no changing of channels is necessary--these should be quite smooth."
He said it's vital that broadcasters facing facility-swap situations start discussions with each other as soon as possible.
"The tragedy would be that a broadcaster that has built his facility with all requirements and is unable to go forward because some one else hasn't been diligent."
REPRIEVE?
In light of all that remains to make this a fully digital television nation, could the Feb. 17, 2009 deadline slip?
According to an FCC spokesperson, the official position is that the date is for keeps, as it was congressionally mandated.
And Dennis Wharton, vice president of corporate communications at NAB doesn't believe there will be any backpeddling.
"I think that the likelihood of an extension is very slim," Wharton said. "It's tied to public safety issues--some of the U channels will be given to the public safety people. There might be a small handful of stations that will have to go off the air. Even though we want it to be perfectly smooth, there's certainly going to be some bumps in the road by 2009, but this is a date that we're committed to."
