R U ready for DTV

[woody]

just thought I'd ask "are you ready for the Digital TV Switch?"

I'm hooked up to Cable TV with just their basic service, only $22 month.

I really don't watch that much TV, but I do like my sports though: ESPN.


~Mark

[JB]

did obama get it pushed back to june 12th ? I read on cnn last week that was the plan..

[lowrider]

what i saw was that they said it's still on. people have had 3 years, they should be ready.

[MississippiBoy]

Read on MSN yesterday that it's not going to be delayed. And I agree with lowrider, if people aren't ready now, they're not going to be in a couple of months, either.

[woody]

I imagine after a couple of days without TV the have nots will be quick in making arangements.


~Mark

[WTL]

Its ridiculous. How much money have they wasted on commercials alerting people to this garbage? If someone hasnt figured it out yet, they will. Cut the juice.

[zooker]

i am on a milddle grade cable set up cause some one NEEDS c-span to watch futball-soccer-


zooker

[Joel]

Guys, it's not that simple.

The vast majority of us have cable, satellite, or direct tv. We're already functioning with digital signals. The issue is that the vast amount of tv signals broadcast are analog which wastes bandwidth. Hence, the need to switch to a digital signal.

The issue is that many homes with limited financial means have analog tvs and use either roof antennas or in home antennas to capture those signals. Their tvs for the most part can only interpret a analog signal.

With the planned switch to a digital signal only there are just so many options available:
1-get a cable, satellite, or direct tv connection if it's available where you live.
2-Buy a digital equipped tv to accept digital air signals.
3-buy a converter box to change those digital signals back to analog.

Sounds simple, but it's not. The Gov't offered $40 coupons to anyone that needed one for the purchase of a converter box that retails for $60 and up. The problem with that is that they ran out of coupons, and the boxes are nearly impossible to find, let alone buy. Many families just can't afford to buy a new digital tv. The digital signals in those areas that they tested the conversion in often didn't reach the same areas that the analog signals reached. While a analog signal went through trees, buildings, etc, the digital signal just bounced off of them and never reached it's projected target. People were told to purchase more expensive roof antennas that didn't solve the problem.

So exactly what do all of these people do? It's not that they had years to get ready, the gov't never tested to proposed change in signals to see if it actually would work, and it doesn't.

So the options for many, especially if they live in a apartment are limited to none if cable isn't offered, or they can't afford a new tv and hope that the existing antennas provide a decent signal.

[WTL]

Yes, but at a basic level its just television. If it goes black for a couple days while people figure out how to adjust personally, they will survive.

Thats not to say its not a government sponsored cluster$%%$%. It is. Only we are in this now, the decision was made to go to digital, do it and let everyone adjust.

Its not like its a great tragedy that some will go without TV. Some already do in fact.

[weezymagic]

i think its a trajedy. tv is what helps the world go round. true that you dont need it but many people use it (rather than internets and newspaper) to follow current and local events.

[Joel]

Originally Posted by WTL

Yes, but at a basic level its just television. If it goes black for a couple days while people figure out how to adjust personally, they will survive.

Thats not to say its not a government sponsored cluster$%%$%. It is. Only we are in this now, the decision was made to go to digital, do it and let everyone adjust.

Its not like its a great tragedy that some will go without TV. Some already do in fact.

Boy are you wrong on all counts. I grew up on what you're calling basic tv. Many people only have that because it's either all they can afford, or it's the only options offered where they live. How do you adjust to no tv or without half of the basic stations because the digital signal can't get through the mass of buildings, trees, etc. without constructing a tall commercial type of antenna. That is if they can afford one as they cost thousands of dollars and often require major construction to erect. Maybe the law won't even allow the construction of a structure that tall.

And it is a great tragedy to tell people that they won't have some or any tv reception till the gov't can figure something out. That should only take a hundred years or so. After all, the poor or limited means have little to no political pull. Could you live without tv, without cable, or direct tv? Could you live without broadband and only have a dial up 56k modem service if you can actually find it where you live? Could you live without being able to download movies, songs, hugh programs, that you take for granted now? Those that now live in areas of no tv or have decided not to have a tv are few and far between. That's like saying there are those that choose to live in a rural cabin without any electricity, running water, and plumbing. I know that I wouldn't want to live that way other then for a weekend fishing trip.

Many of those that you say can live without tv are the elderly or disabled that rely on their tv's to stay in touch with the world. Actually, for many, it's their whole world of communication and entertainment.

I manage a CVS drug store and we sell a Craig converter box for $60. It's imported from China. It's in very short supply as our regional whse has been out of store for weeks while waiting for another shipment from the importer/distributor. We've accepted many of the gov't coupons while hearing horror stories from many seniors who have been told that there are no longer any coupons to be had and they can't afford the $60 or more that other stores are charging.

[Joel]

Originally Posted by pig n jig

Joel,your striking close to home.I only have modem dial up here.It sucks trying to watch videos, or to download anything at all.The TV isn't a problem though.I got a cheap antenna and can pick up 11 television stations,5 more stations with the digital analog box but its a pain in the azz to hook and unhook the antenna until they get under the same system.The local trend now is to buy laptops and surf the web outside the public libraries that carry the high speed wireless service.You cannot find a place to park to actually use the library.Everyone would rather sit in thier car and steal the high speed service when there is computers they could use inside.I used to download using a external CD burner there but they do not allow you to do so anymore. P N J

I feel for you buddy. I still remember living with a 56k modem while friends had cable ( I had to wait two years for them to run the high speed lines by me). 6-7 kps at best is like driving 10 mph on the Thruway. And to be online when I wanted I had to get a 2nd phone line that I had to pay for as well. Can't imagine having to use a roof antenna and not getting any of my favorite cable channels. Watching any of Kevin's videos must be a real
challenge.

[WTL]

Originally Posted by Joel

Could you live without tv, without cable, or direct tv?

YES! I practically do already. The only times I watch TV is for pure entertainment which can be cut out.

Dont make me puke. TV is no where near as essential as power, gas or running water. How can you even say such a thing? Have we become that spoiled? Is the UN gonna try and add TV to a list of rights that we have?

Actually, TV will be obsolete in 15 years anyways. Computers are replacing them. We will have our PC's hooked up to our flatscreens and access programming from that.

Yes, some of the elderly will be without. They can get a radio to keep in touch with the world for 5 bucks at CVS or Walmart as you know. It aint expensive. If you cant afford that, you cant afford to live and need to ask your local church for help. I would pray that that come out and ask for help. They would need to have done that before losing the boob tube.

If we keep pushing this back, nobody will feel urgency about anything and it will never be fixed. That is one fact that I am certain of. 6 months will be wasted on about 10,000 more commercials by the gov't, that will all be promptly ignored by the same people ignoring the past 10,000 commercials, and we will be in the same situation as the new deadline approaches.

BTW, I AM RIGHT.

[Joel]

Originally Posted by WTL

YES! I practically do already. The only times I watch TV is for pure entertainment which can be cut out.

Dont make me puke. TV is no where near as essential as power, gas or running water. How can you even say such a thing? Have we become that spoiled? Is the UN gonna try and add TV to a list of rights that we have?

Actually, TV will be obsolete in 15 years anyways. Computers are replacing them. We will have our PC's hooked up to our flatscreens and access programming from that.

Yes, some of the elderly will be without. They can get a radio to keep in touch with the world for 5 bucks at CVS or Walmart as you know. It aint expensive. If you cant afford that, you cant afford to live and need to ask your local church for help. I would pray that that come out and ask for help. They would need to have done that before losing the boob tube.

If we keep pushing this back, nobody will feel urgency about anything and it will never be fixed. That is one fact that I am certain of. 6 months will be wasted on about 10,000 more commercials by the gov't, that will all be promptly ignored by the same people ignoring the past 10,000 commercials, and we will be in the same situation as the new deadline approaches.

BTW, I AM RIGHT.

You're so so wrong. Every point you made is so far off base it isn't even funny. It's makes almost as much sense are your avatar which is really scary all by itself. But that's another issue better left alone for now.

Your assessment of what the elderly and the less fortunate should do if they can't afford a converter box or a new digital tv shows a total lack of understanding the overall picture which I already alluded to. The gov't ran out of $40 coupons, the stores ran out of converter boxes. The test case in Ohio was a complete failure. The digital signals didn't reach all of the homes that they were supposed to reach. Their answer were to get bigger antenas that didn't work either since digital signals won't go through trees, walls, etc. like the old analog signals.

But your suggestion that those that can't afford a converter box should go out and buy a radio instead to keep in touch with the world. After all according to your assumption in 15 years TVs will be obsolete. And if the elderly can't handle that conversion, then screw 'em.

May I remind you that at sometime in the future you will reach your golden years. Would you want someone with your present attitude to make those kind of decisions that will effect your life style and health? Some how I don't think so.

Perhaps you should be spending more of your time in front of your tv watching TLC, The Discovery Channel, the History Channel, MSNBC, CNN just to name a few stations that will help to broaden your view of the world we live in.

[WTL]

Joel,

let me prove that you dont know what you are talking about.

My father lives in an old textile mill house in a bad neighborhood. The type of thing that is a relic from the late 19th century. His hours at work have almost been eliminated. He is in his mid 60s, a Vietnam veteran.

He does not have cable or direct tv. He will be one of the ones affected.

I talk to him almost every day. He is concerned about work, electricity, food. So am I. He doesnt give a damn about the TV. It is not a priority for those in such financial hardship. It is insulting to people in this situation that we act as if television should be a priority. So, as you see, in the case of my father who I am very close to I dont look at it differently. And last year I went without TV for a good stretch, I let the cable expire cause I was moving anyways and didnt bother to switch to vhf. Didnt faze me a bit. There wasnt anything good on anyway.

Originally Posted by Joel

May I remind you that at sometime in the future you will reach your golden years. Would you want someone with your present attitude to make those kind of decisions that will effect your life style and health?

My health? What is this garbage? We are still talking television here. Are you making the claim that TV is benificial to one's health? Even in the case of the elderly a seditary lifestyle, the type of thing that TV encourages, is bad for one's health.

While you ridiculed the suggestion, for the purposes of getting important information (weather, news, political disturbances) radio is just fine. Churchill didnt announce the end of WWII on TV, but people still found out at the same moment cause of Marconi's magic box. How 'bout that?

As for my lifestyle, this is not a case of the government coming into my home and telling me how to live. The airwaves are public domain. When it comes to the role of government, I favor that it be as limited as possible, but like roads or airspace or the seas government does have a role and the authority to manage a publically held resource for the public's benifit.

If this were a case where my rights were being violated by some bighshot, I would be foremost on this board railing against the idea. You can look at my political views on any number of subjects and see that I am for the maximum amount of personal responsibility and freedom from those who would hold the strings. And yet, pragmatically I look at this situation with DTV and see that either we make the switch or we dont. Someone made the decision to make the change, and either you stick with it and have a short adjustment period for most or you prolong it and get relativly nothing accomplished. So, I say go ahead and get it over with.

You suggest a list of channels that would "help to broaden your view of the world we live in". I am trying very hard to be nice here, but I would put my view of the world, with all its depth and nuance, up against yours any day. The sources you cite are very narrow in the first place. I had a History prof. who was asked to appear on a Civil War show for the History channel for instance, and he made it clear that he said no cause he saw the history channel as pulp history. Bad history. Stuff created and massaged for entertainment's sake at the cost of accuracy. MSNBC and CNN both have good moments and bad, but for the most part offer an incredibly narrow, shallow and American oriented view of world affairs. I often log on to Al Jazeera English, Russia Today, and BBC to supplement what I hear in the press. All of the stations have pet demographics, and you quickly learn that there is no neutral when you start getting your news from abroad as well as from home. That is why it is good to diversify.

One last thing, you are the first person in 3 years to complain about my avatar. Maybe that says something about the restrictions of your world view? I think you are a little scary to be honest.

For purposes of disclosure, I edited this post to make myself more clear.

[doc]

[IMG][/IMG]


Easy to follow conversion instructions

[jcw1503]

the reason they ran out of coupons is because there was such a big hit in the pastf ew months because people were waiting till the last minute. I have satellite but when i heard about the switch over like a year or so ago, i got a coupon and went and bought one as soon as i heard. after the discount i paid 12 dollars for it. If the money would of came out a little at a time it could of been replenished, but when people wait till the last minute, then they do not know how much to originally put in...I would not want anyone to not be able to get channels, but when you have had years to get it, then how is a few months going to change there minds. They will wait again until a month before and then complain when they cannot get it.

[3dkicker]

You can live without tv. I didn't have tv for over 1 year after buying the new house. I rented and watched movies on DVD, used the computer (phone), or read. Wasn't too bad and really didn't miss much.

Recently I broke down and hooked up a dish. I'm really having a tough time because they took away my home improvement channels and gave me Versus. Now I spend all of my free time watching bass fishing .

[JB]

The first few years I got the internet in the 90's I hardly ever watched tv and bragged about it, but on the other hand it was always there if needed.
Most ppl were brought up sitting in front of the tv, its easy to miss when you dont have it. I 'd much rather just have any tv with a few channels like yesteryear than verses not having any at all.
Our timewarner gives us about 700 channels and I bet I only watch 12 dif shows LOL