Log In   |  Register Free Newsletter Subscription
Skip navigation
Zibb
Subscribe to Multichannel News
RSS
Reprints/License
Print
Email

Suddenlink Eyes DTV Countdowns In Atlantic Region

MSO Anticipates Logistics Hurdles With Feb. 17 Cutovers in Some Markets

Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 2/12/2009 4:09:56 PM

While some cable systems have completed the technical work for the broadcast digital TV transition, for others -- like those in Suddenlink Communications' seven-state Atlantic area -- it will be go-time in the early morning hours of Feb. 18.

About 80% of the 112 broadcasters in the Suddenlink Atlantic region are on their final frequency and the MSO has digital receivers and modulators in place to receive their off-air signals, said Al Partin, director of engineering for West Virginia.

But 25 stations in the 250,000-subscriber region are going to move their DTV signal to a new frequency and boosting power, and most of them were planning to cut over Feb. 17.

"We are as far along as we can get until the broadcasters make their final channel move," Partin said.

As of Thursday, it was still unclear how many of those stations would actually proceed. The Federal Communications Commission said 123 stations, including seven in West Virginia, would need to certify with the agency by 6 p.m. Eastern Friday that they are in compliance with additional requirements before being allowed to cease analog TV in their markets.

In any case, Partin said, the challenge for Suddenlink will be establishing the exact time when each individual station switches to the new DTV signal. The operator will need to have a technician on-site at some of its 26 headends in the Atlantic region past midnight on Tuesday.

"It would be easier if they all decided to do it at 2 a.m. -- but that's not likely to be the case," Partin said.

In Suddenlink's Oklahoma markets, a few TV stations are doing a "cold cut," meaning they're initiating a new DTV signal on Feb. 17 or 18, said Gene Reed, Suddenlink engineering support specialist in the region.

"A lot can go wrong when they're doing that," Reed said, adding that the company is focusing on situations involving antenna changes or frequency moves.

 

RSS
Reprints/License
Print
Email
Talkback
Reed Business Information Resource Center

Featured Company


Related Resources

Advertisement

Related Microsite Content

Related Links

More Content
  • Voices
  • Photos
  • Podcasts

Todd Spangler

BIT RATE

Todd Spangler
November 12, 2009
Moto's Cable Unit: Breaking Free From Mobile Phones
Motorola is said to be shopping around its Home & Networks Mobility division,...
More

Thomas Umstead

Picture This

Tom Umstead
November 11, 2009
Big Month For VOD Pix
November’s video-on-demand movie lineup, featuring nearly a dozen titles...
More

VIEW ALL VOICES RSS
HALL OF FAME WELCOME

2009 CABLE HALL OF FAME

Some snapshots from the 2009 Cable Hall of Fame induction, part of Cable Connection-Fall in Denver on Oct. 27.
HIGH ACHIEVER

2009 ACC FORUM

The Association of Cable Communicators headed west from Washington, D.C., to Denver as its 2009 Forum and Beacon Awards ceremony became part of Cable Connections-Fall festivities.
Curtain Rises

CTAM SUMMIT: DAY ONE

Snapshots from day one of CTAM Summit '09 in Denver. Photos by John Staley.

mm160-osms
Advertisement
Multichannel Subscription
NEWSLETTERS
Multichannel Newswire
HD Update
Cable Technology
VOD Newsletter
Hispanic TV Update
HD Programming
Multicultural Newsletter
B&C NewsCentral
Television Careers



Please read our Privacy Policy

About Us   |   Advertising Info   |   Site Map   |   Contact Us   |   Subscription   |   Affiliate Links   |   RSS
© 2009 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Use of this Web site is subject to its Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Please visit these other Reed Business sites