DTV conversion gets rolling

[w9wi]

DXer reports have it that a number of stations have flipped to digital yesterday or early this morning.  Stations reported include:

TVA & CTV Montreal (and Global is reported off the air in analog though their digital isn't on yet)
TVO London & Kitchener
Global Ottawa
CHCH Hamilton
Global Quebec

All of these flash-cut to digital on their existing analog frequencies.

[tripinva]

CFTM and CFCF only tested over night.  Both are back in analog today, from what I hear.

- Trip

[mimo]

Global in Ottawa did cut at 1 am on Monday morning.  There was the routine transmitter maintenance affecting most analogue tv and fm radio.  Most stations on FM were either on auxiliary or off the air, and most tv channels were off.  When they came back on global was nowhere to be found.  The 87.75 frequency is silent for the first time in years.  I'm glad the cable was reactivated today.

[spunker88]

We had some good tropo this morning and I was wondering where CIII-6 was. I used to be able to get both CJOH-6 and CIII-6 during tropo by turning the antenna. I'm interested to see what US cable provider Time Warner Cable is going to do in the St Lawrence valley area. The last time I checked earlier this year they were relaying analog OTA signals of CBOT and CJOH. Border area cable companies picked these channels up early when cable had little to offer and once more cable channels were added they never bothered to add new Canadian ones, but the old ones stayed. I wonder if the DTV switch will be an excuse for them to pull these channels. I know some people who enjoy hockey on these channels, but nowadays cable offers all hockey, etc in their upper tier sports packages.

[azumanga]

I wonder if the DTV switch will be an excuse for them to pull these channels.

Maybe they'll turn to satellite to pick them up -- that's how many cable systems in Michigan and Maine get their CBC (through CBMT in Montreal).

[FreddyE1977]

I wonder if the DTV switch will be an excuse for them to pull these channels.

Maybe they'll turn to satellite to pick them up -- that's how many cable systems in Michigan and Maine get their CBC (through CBMT in Montreal).

How does that work where Hockey Night in Canada is concerned?  Doesn't the NHL Network have
exclusive US rights?  Do those cable systems have to black it out?

[azumanga]

I wonder if the DTV switch will be an excuse for them to pull these channels.

Maybe they'll turn to satellite to pick them up -- that's how many cable systems in Michigan and Maine get their CBC (through CBMT in Montreal).

How does that work where Hockey Night in Canada is concerned?  Doesn't the NHL Network have
exclusive US rights?  Do those cable systems have to black it out?

As far as I know, no one in Michigan is blacking out HNIC, whether it comes from CBMT or a border affiliate, like CBET in Windsor.

[spunker88]

Nothing has ever been blacked out, its quite common for the same exact programming to be running on CTV and FOX/CBS. The NHL network is on an upper tier and you need a cable box along with a sports package. But CBC is available with just basic cable. There's more money in it for Time Warner to drop or black out CBC and force people to buy the NHL network, but these people could also pick up CBC via an antenna so it's a lost cause, especially where I am because CKWS throws a great signal on the Watertown area.

[M.J.]

CHCH London (Ch. 51) was supposed to flash-cut to digital this morning, but due to technical issues it has been delayed to an unspecified date.

TVO London (Ch. 18) has been broadcasting in 480i, but reports on Facebook indicated it broadcast in 1080i for a brief time late last week before returning to 480i.

[OhioMediaWatch]

I'm reading elsewhere that CBET/9 (CBC Windsor) did indeed flash cut on time, and though it took a while, Toledo OH-based Buckeye Cable did fix its carriage to bring in the new digital signal.