Television is going to change.

Starting on Feb. 17, 2009, all local stations will be switch over from analog transition to digital. With that switch will come better picture, better audio, and new terminology to learn.

The change is to free up airwaves for use by public safety communications (first responders, police, etc.) and also for companies who provide wireless Internet and phone services.

Janet Mason, President and General Manager at WZZM Channel 13, said digital television will benefi t the regular person.

“Consumers will have access to high definition television, dramatically better television picture, more channels, and better audio,” she said.

Each station will also be able to broadcast multiple channels of programming at once, which is known as“multicasting.”

According to Mason, the switch also allows stations to provide data services, such as “significantly enhanced closed captioning, that are not possible with analog technology.”

The Federal Communications Commission assigned TV stations their digital channels. In the Grand Rapids area, that meant different numbers than they use for their traditional signal.

Diane Kniowski, General Manager of WOOD-TV, WOTV, and WXSP, said“Consumers will now get even more channels for more voices and more information. The picture will be cleaner and clearer. The community will benefit as it will take less power to send the digital signal.”

“I think most people don’t know that if they subscribe to a cable or satellite service, they will not have to do anything. They will still receive their television signal,” Kniowski said. “The service will translate the signal for them.”

According to Kniowski, the transition to digital started 10 years ago.

Each station had to build a digital channel, while maintaining their analog signal. Next February, the analog channel will be shut down and each television station will broadcast exclusively on digital.

According to Mason, the digital channel numbers should not matter, because a technology called “PSIP” allows stations to assign their current channel position to TV sets.

Mason said they are currently broadcasting their digital signal on assigned channel 39. But if you have a high defi nition television set attached to an external antenna, the HD channel comes up as 13-1, because that is how the channel is assigned with PSIP.

Each channel can also split signals to broadcast another channel. WZZM has a subchannel with their 13 On Target Weather Network channel, which broadcasts on channel 13-2.

The move does not mean stations will change their position.

“The channel positions will remain the same,” Kniowski said. “And WOOD TV will still be known as WOOD TV8.” All analog televisions that receive transmissions from either rabbit ears or an outdoor antenna will see their channels go dark on Feb. 17, 2009.

“This represents about 600,000 households in Michigan or 18 percent of the population of West Michigan,” Mason said.

The Federal Government has set up a coupon program to buy converter boxes for television sets, which will allow televisions to receive the digital signal.

Rosemary Kimball, a spokesperson from the Federal Communications Commission, said the FCC is taking steps to educate people about the switch.

According to Kimball, the FCC is using news media, consumer groups, workshops, and other mediums to educate consumers about the switchover.

Kimball said target groups include “senior citizens; non-English speaking and minority communities; people with disabilities; low-income individuals; and people living in rural and tribal areas.”

(Taken from the April 9, 2008 edition of The Collegiate, the student-run newspaper from Grand Rapids Community College.)