Closeups: new Echostar TR-50 OTA HD Digital to Analog DVR Receiver

[dlsnyder]

There are a small number of niche LPTV stations in my area, none of which even make a blip on the ratings. Home Shopping Network operates a couple of them, two more are Spanish language religious broadcasters, a couple more have Spanish music videos and infomercials. Not sure who is watching them, but when analog shuts off in 2009 they will have much greater visibility.

I suspect 2009 will also be a huge year for Pirate TV.

[Iceberg]

It is my understanding that the FCC will allow some very low power analog stations that are unique for a city in which they broadcast local government news, safety, traffic and other information will be permitted to continue to transmit in analog.

you should actually read through the thread next time
http://www.satelliteguys.us/1187862-post39.html

A Consumer Advisory issued by the FCC this week may bring a surprise to many: analog TV broadcasts will not be completely dead after February 17, 2009. The advisory says that while full-power stations will cease analog broadcasts on that date, low-power, class A, and translator stations may continue broadcasting in analog. There is no statutory deadline for the stations to convert to digital, but the FCC will require them to convert eventually.

[MikeD-C05]

TV Guide has a new contract to provide onscreen data via local CBS digital stations now. Some of the digital versions are already broadcasting but not many.


CBS to Carry Gemstar-TV Guide IPG Data - 4/19/2007 11:33:00 AM - Multichannel News

So it looks like they will use CBS & Pbs stations for psip data for all the locals in the dma . I remember the CNET guy saying as much in the video that they made for the TR50 dvr.

[Ken F]

I asked 3 different folks who all said it was pulling PSIP data.

Also as far as I know there is no TV Guide being transmitted via ATSC that I know of (I could be wrong), in the analog world TV Guide is trnsmitted via PBS much like Close Captioning is.

The majority of channels that they could pick up there did NOT have any guide data, which also has me beliving that its grabing PSIP.

At the moment, TVGuide service is only available via 8-VSB (ATSC) datacast in a handful of markets, but that will change. Within six months, the service should be up and running in most major markets.

One of the key features of the TR-40 not mentioned at CES is the ability to take the TVGuide 8-VSB datacast and output it as analog VBI for legacy products. That way, existing TVGoS devices such as TVs, DVD recorders, and VCRs can continue using the TVGoS service even after analog signals are shutoff.

Echostar worked with Gemstar for more than six months to bring this capability to OTA STBs. Until CES, I couldn't understand why Echostar would spend all that time working with Gemstar on a STB. But now it is obvious. Echostar wasn't just adding the TVGuide software to their boxes, they were modifying their STB and DVR software to accept the TVGuide datastream.