Talk:Program and System Information Protocol

PSIP for dummies, please
Please, would someone explain to me, simplified, why a TV station needs to have a "virtual channel", and how it works.

Okay, for example WGPR-TV Detroit, Channel 62 analogue. When analogue shuts off early in 2009, it will be on Channel 44, but it will be identified as 62.

So, if I punch in 62 on my TV remote, I should get a blank channel and snow, right? But if the TV is programmed to go to 44 instead, but show 62, then what if I move to Los Angeles, another city that used to have a Channel 62, but in that city, the station is now on Channel 35, but PSIPed as 62? Therefore, the set will go to 44 and find nothing, right? I'd have to reprogram it to find 62 on 35 instead of finding 62 on 44. It sounds so stupid. GBC (talk) 08:24, 2 November 2008 (UTC)


 * So stations won't have to change their numbers (and can maintain the same numbers for their analog and digital broadcasts during the transition period, and can identify their main channel and sub channels with the same basic number). In the new digital world, you'll probably have to rescan for new channel assignments every so often even if you don't move... AnonMoos (talk) 13:18, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

65.182.83.157 (talk) 02:24, 17 February 2009 (UTC)Ape Stations that are broadcasting in analog and digital cannot broadcast on the same frequency, thus the need for a "virtual channel." This has been confusing many viewers, but is a necessity for stations to maintain their "channel" number. In the future your receiver can be "told" to change channels based on demographic info. If a station chooses to have 99 channels to switch viewers to and from, they can all have the same virtual channel number.

Time
In my area, the time signals broadcast by some stations appear to be off by minutes! -- AnonMoos (talk) 13:18, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

Needs summary of stds, and criticism section
to be more comprehensive, the article needs to have a bit more than a one sentence summary of the relevant standards and a criticism section (to discuss the horrible data quality of most markets PSIP data - this.tv and WMFP in Boston, for example) 208.54.36.229 (talk) 11:04, 1 February 2012 (UTC)