Updated timeline for Digital TV

[tvboy]

I went on the FCC website and looked at the 12/31/07 progress report posting for Digital TV conversion and noticed than no Milwaukee area TV stations are looking for an extension to installing equipment for the February 19, 2009 Digital TV change.  This means that all of the stations should meet the August 18, 2008 deadline for turning on the Digital channels in time for the analog to digital transition period.  This will mean that the TV stations by roughly August 1st will need to start fully promoting and having their logos updated to reflect their new channel number.

[foxeng]

Stations are not required to have their time lines to the FCC until Feb 18, 2008. The form that is to be used hasn't even been approved yet for stations to file with.

[Jimboy]

What new channel number? Regardless of what the dtv broadcast channel number is the current analog channel number will remain.

[mhz40]

What new channel number? Regardless of what the dtv broadcast channel number is the current analog channel number will remain.

I don't know the rules, but from what I've seen that's not necessarily true.  I've noticed several channel ID's driven by the digital UHF assignment.

[Jimboy]

I don't know the rules, but from what I've seen that's not necessarily true.  I've noticed several channel ID's driven by the digital UHF assignment.

Do you have any examples?

A new digital station with no prior analog transmission would be one.

[foxeng]

I don't know the rules, but from what I've seen that's not necessarily true.  I've noticed several channel ID's driven by the digital UHF assignment.

In the 2nd DTV Review, (reconfirmed in the latest 3rd DTV Review last month) the FCC stated that every digital station that was known by its analog channel number has to channel brand by that analog channel number no matter what actual channel the station wound up on. If a station starts out as as digital station and never had an analog channel number, then they would use their actual RF channel number unless the new digital station operated on a former analog channel and that channel number was already in use in that market, then that digital station had to register with the FCC a non used channel number in that market and would be known by that registered channel number, not the actual RF channel number.

That is the law.

[tvboy]

Another update.  I read the new Erratum on the FCC website posted 1/23/08 stating that stations assigned a digital signal number between 52 and 68 will refer back to their original analog number for their digital signal.  This means that WVTV will be the only station in Milwaukee that will stay on its current channel.  All of the other stations will switch to the new digital channel assigned to them.

On the RF side I have no idea how that will turn out.

[Jimboy]

Another update.  I read the new Erratum on the FCC website posted 1/23/08 stating that stations assigned a digital signal number between 52 and 68 will refer back to their original analog number for their digital signal.  This means that WVTV will be the only station in Milwaukee that will stay on its current channel.  All of the other stations will switch to the new digital channel assigned to them.

On the RF side I have no idea how that will turn out.

Currently digital WVTV (The RF side) is physically broadcast from channel 61 and by using PSIP is re-mapped to indicate (on your digital receiver) that it is 18-1. This maintains the "channel branding" that all stations work so hard to stick in your mind. CW18, My24, TMJ4, FOX6...etc. When the switch to digital happens (already has for most people on this forum) digital WVTV will need to broadcast from physical channel 18. This is the channel we have been assigned after the transition date. So yes we will be the only station in this market to stay on the current analog channel but with PSIP information it really doesn't matter.

[Will]

Currently digital WVTV (The RF side) is physically broadcast from channel 61 and by using PSIP is re-mapped to indicate (on your digital receiver) that it is 18-1. This maintains the "channel branding" that all stations work so hard to stick in your mind. CW18, My24, TMJ4, FOX6...etc. When the switch to digital happens (already has for most people on this forum) digital WVTV will need to broadcast from physical channel 18. This is the channel we have been assigned after the transition date. So yes we will be the only station in this market to stay on the current analog channel but with PSIP information it really doesn't matter.

This leads me to another tangential question:

After the analog stations go away, will the main (digital) channels still be 18-1, for example, or will it just be 18?  If it reverts back to just 18, that would be cool.  That way, only those stations that have subchannels would require you to input the two extra buttons on the remote (dash 1, dash 2,  etc).

[Jimboy]

This leads me to another tangential question:

After the analog stations go away, will the main (digital) channels still be 18-1, for example, or will it just be 18?  If it reverts back to just 18, that would be cool.  That way, only those stations that have subchannels would require you to input the two extra buttons on the remote (dash 1, dash 2,  etc).

Unfortunately the subchannel is always designated.