Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Obituary - Adelman

Gilbert R. Adelman, 75, of Abington, a dentist for more than 40 years, died of heart failure Monday at Abington Memorial Hospital. Dr. Adelman retired in 1986 after practicing in an office in the Franklinville section of North Philadelphia. He grew up in the Strawbridge Mansion area and graduated in 1938 from Northeast High School. He received his dental degree in 1945 from Temple University's School of Dentistry. During World War II, he served with the Army Air Corps in Europe. Surviving are his wife of 52 years, Lorna Goodman Adelman; son, Ronald; daughters Roslyn Perlson, Karen Stesis and Debra Schachter; a brother; and 10 grandchildren. Services will be held at 11 am today at Goldsteins' Rosenberg's Raphael-Sacks, 6410 N. Broad St. Burial will be in Roosevelt Memorial Park, Trevose. Published on December 16, 1998, Page R05, Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA) Gilbert R. Adelman, 75, of Abington, a dentist for more than 40 years, died of heart failure Monday at Abington Memorial Hospital. Dr. Adelman retired in 1986 after practicing in an office in the Franklinville section of North Philadelphia. During World War II, he served with the Army Air Corps in Europe. Surviving are his wife of 52 years, Lorna Goodman Adelman; son, Ronald; daughters Roslyn Perlson, Karen Stesis and Debra Schachter; a brother; and 10 grandchildren. Services will be held at 11 am today at Goldsteins' Rosenberg's Raphael-Sacks, 6410 N. Broad St. Burial will be in Roosevelt Memorial Park, Trevose. Published on December 16, 1998, Page B07, Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA) LORNA ADELMAN (nee Goodman) passed away on April 6, 2022. Wife of the late Dr. Gilbert Adelman. Mother of Roslyn (Alec) Perlson, Ronald (Joan) Adelman, Debra (David) Schachter and the late Karen (Louis) Stesis. Sister of Norman (Arlene) Goodman. Bubbie of Dana Gilson, Jennifer (Greg) Mehok, Sara (Manish) Singla, Andrew Stesis, Stacy Adelman, Julie (Alex) Shtraks, Brad (Bianca) Adelman, Joshua (Rachel Sakofs) Schachter, Michele (Nico) Museyri and Brian (Michele) Schachter. Great Grandmother of Sophia, Emma, Isabelle, Sydney, Shai, Nora, Sarina, Eliana, Yonatan, Ilan, Dalia and Noa. Relatives and friends are invited to Funeral Services Friday 10 AM precisely at GOLDSTEINS' ROSENBERG'S RAPHAEL-SACKS, 6410 N. BROAD ST., PHILADELPHIA, PA 19126. Interment Roosevelt Memorial Park. Shiva will be observed through Thursday, April 14 at the home of Debra and David Schachter. Shiva Minyanim will take place Saturday 8:15 PM, and Sunday through Wednesday at 7:30 PM. Contributions in her memory may be made to Jewish National Fund, www.jnf.org, The Michael Levin Lone Soldier Foundation, www.michaellevinlonesoldier.org, or Friends of the IDF, www.fidf.org. Published in Legacy from Apr. 6 to Apr. 7, 2022. Source: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/legacy/obituary.aspx?pid=201756330

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Howard Dean for President



Time to think about converting your TV By Bob Fernandez

Source: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/homepage/20080217_Time_to_think_about_converting_your_TV.html

Posted on Sun, Feb. 17, 2008



William J. Weber, chief technology officer at WHYY TV12, demonstrates how a digital converter can be attached to old televisions in the WHYY control room. When broadcasting goes digital-only on Feb. 17, 2009, the public will need to be ready. Government coupons will help to defray the cost of converter boxes.



CHARLES FOX / Inquirer Staff Photographer



William J. Weber, chief technology officer at WHYY TV12, demonstrates how a digital converter can be attached to old televisions in the WHYY control room. When broadcasting goes digital-only on Feb. 17, 2009, the public will need to be ready. Government coupons will help to defray the cost of converter boxes.


Over-the-air broadcasters will end analog signals one year from today. Many consumers need to prepare for the switch to digital.



The nation's over-the-air TV broadcasters are going digital.

In exactly one year, on Feb. 17, 2009, broadcasters will stop beaming the analog signals they've used since the dawn of TV time and switch entirely to digital.


The new signals - already being broadcast by some stations - offer TV viewers brighter and clearer picture quality and will expand the number of over-the-air channels for local broadcasters, allowing them to compete with cable and satellite.


If you didn't know about the so-called digital transition, or if you've postponed thinking about it, stop dillydallying.


Start preparing.


Twelve years in the making, the digital-TV transition will force households with over-the-air reception into these choices:


Get cable or satellite. The cable industry has said it will continue to carry analog signals until 2012, so people can use older TVs.


Buy a new TV with a digital tuner.


Purchase a digital-to-analog converter subsidized with a $40 coupon from the government. The converter, like a cable set-top box, will plug into analog TVs.


The government has budgeted $1.5 billion for the $40 coupons and began taking requests for them - maximum of two per household - over the phone and online in early January, said Bart Forbes, spokesman for the National Telecommunications & Information Administration.


The first batch of coupons will be mailed out Tuesday.


About 2.6 million households have already requested more than five million coupons, a government official said Friday.


If a person requests a coupon now, it will take a month or longer to get it because of the initial five-million-coupon backlog, the official said. After the backlog is cleared, it should take two or three weeks between the time a coupon is requested and when it arrives. Coupons are valid for 90 days.


As long as they last, consumers can request the coupons through March 31, 2009, and redeem them at stores through July 7, 2009, the government says.


Retailers expect the first of the converter boxes in stores in the next two or three weeks. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. recently announced that it had received its first shipments of a Magnavox-brand converter.


There are about 40 models of converter boxes, ranging in price from $39.99 to $69.99.


The government is not making any purchase recommendations.


"We are not doing this to annoy consumers," said Forbes. "As the federal government, we cannot highlight one box over the other. We can only talk about features," he said.


The digital transition was first mandated in 1996 federal telecommunications legislation. Its implementation was delayed until a deficit-reduction measure in 2005 forced the February 2009 deadline. Washington tied the digital transition to raising billions of dollars for the U.S. Treasury by selling the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that carried the analog signals. The new uses for the spectrum include carriage for public-safety radios, and, potentially, wireless services.


Broadcasters will obtain additional channels in the digital transition, giving over-the-air customers more choices, officials say.


In the Philadelphia area, the number of over-the-air channels is expected to increase to 30 from about 14, said William J. Weber, vice president for content distribution and chief technology officer with WHYY TV12.


There are 575,460 households in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that receive their TV reception exclusively over the air, according to figures from the National Association of Broadcasters.


Several hundred-thousand more households in Pennsylvania and New Jersey buy cable or satellite TV service, but also operate a second or third TV on rabbit ears. Those additional TVs will have to be converted to accept new digital signals.


People who bought TVs in the last few years might be OK, experts say. The question is whether the new TV has a digital tuner. If it does, you're OK. If it doesn't, you're not.


The government has budgeted $5 million to advertise the digital transition - enough to buy about a minute of advertising during the Super Bowl - and is expecting the broadcast industry to do its part to inform the public.


The broadcasters association has said it will spend $1 billion on public service ads and grassroots outreach to help with the transition.


The group has broadcast 30-second public service advertisements since September. Broadcasters have been criticized for airing many ads in the middle of the night when no one saw them. Shermaze Ingram, spokeswoman for the NAB, said the ads run "all hours of the day."


The NAB released three new public service advertisements to stations Friday and plans a 30-minute informational show, Ingram said.


"We did not want to get into messaging on converter boxes when there were no converter boxes available for shoppers," said Ingram.


The digital transition, experts agree, could be bumpy. Consumers will have to choose a converter box and install it.


Other issues could develop.


Centris, a market-research firm with offices in Los Angeles and Fort Washington, said last week in a new study that millions of TV households may need to upgrade their roof-top and rabbit-ear antennas to receive digital signals.


"You got a lot of holes," said Barry Goodstadt, a Centris senior vice president. "Not only may you have to get a converter box, you may also have to buy an antenna for this."





Want Your DTV?



TV broadcasters go all-digital on Feb. 17, 2009. If you watch over-the-air broadcasts, here's what you need to know to get ready for the changeover.


Your TV


How do you know whether your TV has a digital tuner?


The television has a DTV logo.


There is an "ATSC" input on the TV.


The TV manufacturer says it has one.


Converter Box


If your TV doesn't have a digital tuner, you can buy one that does, or you can purchase a digital-to-analog converter box. The government is providing $40 coupons to help defray consumers' costs.


To order converter box coupons, call 1-888-388-2009, or go to www.DTV2009.gov.


Q&A


William J. Weber, vice president and chief technology officer at WHYY TV12, says these are some of the common questions about the digital transition:


Q: After the transition, will you have to change channels with the new converter box?


A: Yes.


Q: Do you have to buy a high-definition television to get over-the-air digital reception after the transition?


A: No. A television with a digital tuner will receive all over-the-air channels, even HD channels.


Q: Will there be an electronic program guide available for over-the-air reception?


A: Yes. There will be guides available pointing out programs and showtimes up to a week in advance.


More Information


www.DTVanswers.com.


www.whyy.org/dtv.


- Bob Fernandez



Contact staff writer Bob Fernandez at 215-854-5897 or bob.fernandez@phillynews.com.