Martin: Shortage of Battery-Powered DTV-Converter Gear
FCC chairman urges CEA, CERC to push members to make more battery-powered DTV-to-analog converter boxes, battery packs available.
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/23/2008 1:31:00 PM
Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin said there is a shortage of battery-powered digital-TV-to-analog converter boxes and battery packs that would allow those boxes to operate with battery-powered TVs.
In a letter Tuesday to Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Electronics Association, and Christopher McLean, executive director of the Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition, Martin said he was "encouraging the availability" of the battery packs, pointing out that viewers rely on them for emergency information.
The first such pack was pitched in Wilmington, N.C., by Winegard, but it only works with the Winegard converter box.
Martin also said very few battery-powered converter boxes -- Winegard's is an adapter -- are available, and those are "often out of stock … It does not appear that the market is meeting consumer demand for these devices. Please consult with your members and let me know when we might expect to see more such products in the market."
That letter followed one to McLean last week suggesting that there were not enough $40 converter boxes on the shelves. That letter came the same day as a House Commerce Committee DTV-oversight hearing at which Martin was testifying.
Tuesday's letter, which was posted on the FCC Web site, came on the same day Martin was testifying at the Senate Commerce Committee's DTV-oversight hearing.
“The CEA received chairman Martin’s letter and appreciates his continued efforts in support of the nation’s successful transition to digital television Feb. 17, 2009,”a CEA spokesman said. “As the chairman notes in his letter, consumer-electronics manufacturers are responding to nascent market demand by making battery powered converter boxes and portable digital televisions available to consumers. We will share chairman Martin’s letter with CEA member companies and continue, together with our government and industry partners, to educate consumers about all of their options for transitioning to DTV.”
-
Perhaps the rest of us that suffer frequent power outages(a recent one lasting four days), unlike New Jersey, would like to access a battery powered converter for our battery powered analog tv. It is the only link to what is going on in the world, most specifically severe weather. Not so many less desirable battery powered radios are available. Perhaps the battery powered digital tv's that are almost inaccessable will be more available and with a battery life longer that three hours eventually.
Nancy Mackey - 6/5/2009 9:35:25 AM EDT -
I spent a whole day looking for a battery powered converter at every electronics store in the city: \"no such thing.\" I need a battery powered converter for emergencies before I need a converter for the family TV. Power outages are too comon not to need one. Radio isn\'\'t specific enough in bad weather, and not as useful as TV during extended power outages. It seems that converter manufacturers are just as dumb as car manufacters with large vehicle vs small vehicle sales.
